Vivonne Bay, South Australia

Kangaroo Island is a paradise spot boasting pristine beaches and shallow, turquoise waters. There are numerous bays dotted around its perimeter, and Vivonne Bay is one of the most popular.

Voted as one of the country’s best beaches, it promises visitors clear water and privacy against a backdrop of long, sandy shorelines that are perfect for picnics, sunbathing, fishing, and surfing.

The Bay is best known for its cray fishing industry, where you can watch numerous boats sailing out and back from the town’s jetty with fresh hauls in tow. If you head down to the jetty when the boats are returning for the day, you can enjoy the barbecue areas set up for public use and cook up some of your own delicious catches.

As well as the jetty, the harbour offers visitors plenty of things to see and do – not to mention it’s one of the safest along Kangaroo Island’s south coast.

Further along from the harbour, you’ll find Vivonne Bay Conservation Park, which is an 887 hectare nature reserve filled with incredible scenery and fascinating creatures. Here, you’ll find Australia’s third largest sea lion colony.

Nearby, Little Sahara offers a slice of desert life by the coast. It’s home to sand dunes – the only ones on the island – and offers the perfect spot for hiking, quad biking, and sand boarding for the more adventurous travellers.

The History of Vivonne Bay

Like many of the Bays around Australia, Vivonne Bay has a fascinating history. It was named after Catherine de Vivonne, marquise de Rambouillet, during an expedition to Australia in 1803. It is thought Nicolas Baudin named the Bay himself, but it is uncertain as to whether he actually visited the southern coast of Kangaroo Island or not.

Today, the Bay is a popular haunt for thousands of tourists each year. As well as getting the chance to soak up the beachside beauty of Kangaroo Island, the Bay promises tonnes of activities to keep everyone happy. Whether you’re keen to kick back and relax on the pristine sands, take a dip in the shallow waters, get up close and personal with native critters, or try your hand at some more adventurous past times like quad biking and sand boarding, Vivonne Bay has everything you need.

It can easily be reached from Australia’s mainland, too – Kangaroo Island is a short boat ride away through stunning waters.