Is it safe to visit Kangaroo Island?

The start of 2020 has been marred with stories and images of devastating fires across much of the east coast of Australia. Unfortunately, Kangaroo Island was also impacted by fires in early January.

It is easy to understand why you may be comprehensive about booking or attending your tour to Kangaroo Island having seen the many news reports. Hopefully some of this information will help to reassure you and ease your apprehensions.

Is it safe?

First and foremost, Kangaroo Island is perfectly safe. Though significant fires were burning in the west, you would not even know there were fires in the east. It is important to remember that Kangaroo Island is very large, four times larger than Singapore! In fact, 50% of the island has been unaffected by the fires.

Additionally, there have been many concerns about air quality in some parts of Australia. Luckily for you, Kangaroo Island has some of the purest air in the world!

Will it all be burnt?

Not at all! When you visit Kangaroo Island, you’ll see the Kangaroo Island you expect to see; spectacular ocean views and rolling plains. In these areas you would not even know there were fires. While there you  might not see any burnt areas, just plenty of green.

Will my itinerary change?

Due to the closure of Flinders Chase National Park our tours will take a slightly altered itinerary. Don’t fret though, you definitely won’t miss out on anything. Feel free to give our friendly team a call to discuss these changes in further detail.

Am I getting in the way?

Absolutely not at all. This is one of the biggest misconceptions the island is experiencing post-disaster. Kangaroo Island’s biggest economical market is tourism. Without tourism the islands economy will collapse, people will lose jobs and businesses will close. The best thing you can do right now is book a tour to the island.

A campaign has already been started by the South Australian government to #BookThemOut. We’re supporting this campaign by continuing to run our Kangaroo Island tours and support the many local businesses that make this island so special.

Supporting the recovery effort

Tourists are an important and welcomed part of the recovery effort in Kangaroo Island. In fact, your visit will be supporting the island in two ways.

Firstly, you’ll be directly putting money back into the local economy so that those affected by fire can continue to rebuild. The last thing we want is for locals to lose their jobs because tourism has slowed down too much.

Second, your photographs and stories will show others that the island is still safe, accessible and as beautiful as ever. We hope through word of mouth we can continue to encourage people to visit this stunning region!

Ready to book?

Now you’re reassured that the island is safe to visit, and in fact asking you to come, what are you waiting for?

Be sure to bring empty bags and plenty of spending money. Purchase big and support the fantastic local merchants we visit.

Related article: Visiting Remarkable Rocks on Kangaroo Island

Cameron Ward

Managing Director at Sightseeing Tours Australia

Cameron Ward turned his travel passion into a thriving Australian tourism business. Before he co-founded his own business, Sightseeing Tours Australia, he was enjoying being a Melbourne tour guide. Even now, Cameron delights in helping visitors from all around the world get the most out of their incredible Australian trip. You’ll see Cameron leading tours or writing about his favourite Australian places where he shares his local insights.