Top Guide

Craig Wickham

Craig Wickham won ‘Top Specialist Guide’ at the Wanderlust World Guide Awards 2021. Here he shares tips and tales on his home patch, Australia’s Kangaroo Island

What’s so unique about Kangaroo Island?

It delivers a microcosm of Australia: sheep and cattle farms, red dirt roads, deserted beaches, rugged coastline, eucalyptus trees to the horizon, friendly locals, delicious food and wine, and of course, marsupial-rich wildlife encounters. It is big enough to get lost in, but small enough to find yourself again.

What would you say are the five must-dos there?

1. Spend time hanging out with the Kangaroo Island kangaroos in the wild. 2. Dine like royalty and eat some King George whiting fish. 3. Try some of the excellent local wines. I suggest False Cape’s Pinot Grigio or Islander Estate Vineyards’ Old Rowley Shiraz Grenache. 4. Visit the Australian sea lions at Seal Bay Conservation Park. 5. Explore the expansive wilderness of Flinders Chase National Park and immerse yourself in the extraordinarily positive post-bushfire recovery.

Any top tips?

Do your homework first. The island is bigger than most people think, and too many do not dedicate enough time to do the place justice. The expense of getting to the island is the same whether you visit for one day or five, so consider a longer stay. A local guide will offer you a peek under the hood, to see how the place really works. Try to also connect with local specialists, such as artists, winemakers, ecologists and farmers.

How easy is it to spot a koala?

Koalas are so easy to see if you are in the right place and know how and where to look. Typically, they are two-thirds of

Island of surprises

(top) Kangaroo Island’s Remarkable Rocks, a few kilometres east of Cape du Couedic, is made up of huge boulders carved by the weather over 500 million years; (left) Craig Wickham was a former ranger with the South Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service the way up a tree and lying in a fork of branches, asleep. Looking for a round, fuzzy, basketball-sized lump in a tree will get you heading in the right direction. Duck Lagoon is a good spot, as is the Western KI Caravan Park or Hanson Bay Wildlife Sanctuary. The easiest way is to link up with a local wildlife guide and ask them to help you find koalas and lots of other wild creatures.

What’s your favourite critter?

I think the short-beaked echidna is at the top of the list. It is an ancient species that has so many contradictions: it has sharp spines but soft fur; it lays eggs but drinks milk; it has a cold body temperature and is found across many habitat-types, but it pops up at the most unlikely times. Their front legs face forwards and their back ones face backwards, allowing them to burrow straight down like a drill! I could go on, but what’s not to love in all of that?

What’s the funniest question you’ve been asked?

I was once asked whether it was true that a flying fox was used to haul supplies up the cliffs for the lighthouse keepers at Cape du Couedic. At first I was impressed by his research and pictured the cable car arrangement (referred to as a “flying fox”), but then he said: “So, did they put little backpacks on them, then?” I fell about laughing and my poor guest was very confused. I continued to chuckle at the image of a flying fox labouring up and over the sheer cliffs with a carton of beer in a backpack! I did explain things to him, eventually.

Craig Wickham, Exceptional Kangaroo Island; exceptionalkangarooisland.com