Touring Tuesday - Cycling Kangaroo Island

Cyclist in front of Remarkable Rocks (photo courtesy of Champion United)

As I write this, it's zero degrees with a few inches of show on the ground in Indianapolis. When the weather is like this, I dream of cycling in the tropics or the southern hemisphere. One such place I would like to ride is Kangaroo Island. As you might guess from its name, it is part of Australia. It is located about 70 miles south of Adelaide, in the state of South Australia. Roughly 90 miles long by 35 miles wide, it is considered one of the best islands in the world for viewing wildlife.

The island has numerous wildlife protection areas, with the largest and best known being the Flinders National Park. It was established as a wildlife conservation area in 1919 to protect endangered species. After its establishment, some native mainland Australia species were brought to the island. These include the duck billed platypus and the koala. The park also has some interesting geological formations, such as Remarkable Rocks in the photo above.

For a personal account of cycle touring Kangaroo Island, please visit Mike & Judith's Tour of Kangaroo Island. In 2008 they spent two weeks traveling from Perth to the island and cycling around. Here's a Lonely Planet video that shows some of the island's wildlife: