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South Australia’s Kangaroo Island.
Anchored off the shores of South Australia, sparsely populated Kangaroo Island—known to locals as K.I.—is a magnet for fans of weird and wonderful wildlife, especially during the warm, dry months of the southern summer. More than a third of its 4,400odd square kilometers is protected parkland that shelters rabbitsize wallabies and elusive platypuses, echidnas and bandicoots and possums, endangered glossy black cockatoos, and (of course) kangaroos aplenty. K.I.’s rugged landscapes are equally thrilling: the year-old Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail in the southwest takes in towering sea cliffs, bone-white beaches, freshwater lagoons, and geological landmarks such as the aptly named Remarkable Rocks. And when mealtime comes around, visitors can look forward to a dining scene underpinned by delicious local seafood, wine, and produce, including honey made by purebred Ligurian bees.