Bushfires are a natural part of the Australian environment and play an important role in environmental ecology. But the summer of 2019/2020 saw unprecedented bushfire activity across the country. The bushfires on Kangaroo Island during Australia’s Black Summer were particularly devastating, with approximately 211,500 hectares (or 48%) of South Australia’s favourite holiday island – and a haven for many rare and unique species – burnt. Compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, the island faced a long and challenging recovery. Yet Kangaroo Island bounced back faster and stronger than ever, with the legacy of the bushfires adding a meaningful new dimension to the visitor experience.
Here is an overview of what happened on Kangaroo Island during the bushfires, and how the island – and its tourism industry – is faring five years on.
Like the rest of Australia, Kangaroo Island regularly experiences bushfires during the warmer months. But unusually hot and dry conditions quite literally created the perfect storm on Australia’s third-largest island in December 2019. Lightning strikes ignited fires on the north and north-eastern coasts of Kangaroo Island on 20 December, then in the world-renowned Flinders Chase National Park on 30 December. Despite the heroic effors of hundreds of firefighters and locals over several weeks, the fires destroyed nearly 90 homes as well as businesses, crops, machinery, vehicles and infrastructure. Almost 60,000 livestock perished, many of the island’s unique flora and fauna species were devastated, and two people tragically lost their lives.
The eastern end of the island was largely spared from the fires, but the biodiversity-rich western end was severely impacted, with about 96% (more than 30,000 hectares) of Flinders Chase National Park and the adjoining Ravine des Casoars Wilderness Protection area burnt including historic cottages, the Rocky River visitor centre, access to the Remarkable Rocks and Admirals Arch and other infrastructure. Eleven of the Island’s national parks were directly affected by the bushfires, resulting in some closures for human health and safety reasons.
The iconic Southern Ocean Lodge near Flinders Chase National Park as well as the popular Vivonne Bay Lodge, were among a number of tourism businesses burned to the ground. Bushfires also burned terrifyingly close to Ecopia Retreat, impacting a third of the property but fortunately leaving the island’s only eco-luxury retreat on a registered private wildlife sanctuary untouched.
When the island was declared safe by the Country Fire Service (CFS) on 6 February 2020, the resilient Kangaroo Island community quickly transitioned from response to recovery. Burnt properties were cleared; homes, businesses and infrastructure destroyed by the blaze began to rebuild; and tourists were encouraged to return – initially to unaffected areas, and later to the wider island as COVID-19 travel restrictions finally began to ease.
Six national parks were unaffected and continued to provide visitors with opportunities to experience the Island’s nature and heritage. The popular Seal Bay Conservation Park reopened in mid-January 2020 after the fires cut off access to the otherwise unharmed attraction, and even Flinders Chase National Park partially reopened in mid-February 2020. Local tour operators including Exceptional Kangaroo Island adapted their offerings to showcase the island’s many unimpacted attractions, while unaffected holiday accommodations such as Ecopia Retreat provided a memorable base for visitors.
Among Kangaroo Island’s top attractions is its abundant birdlife and wildlife including kangaroos, wallabies, possums, echidnas, goannas and other creatures. In a welcome post-bushfire surprise for wildlife lovers, the island’s wildlife proved to be just as resilient as its people.
There was little hope left for the critically endangered Kangaroo Island dunnart (a small, mouse-like marsupial) when the Black Summer fires wiped out 95% of their habitat. But a small population managed to defy the odds. Created after the bushfires in partnership between the Australian Wildlife Conservancy, Kangaroo Island Land for Wildlife and private landowners, the Western River Refuge is now helping keep these endemic critters safe from a new threat: feral cats.
There were also concerns for the endangered southern subspecies of the glossy black cockatoo (which only lives on Kangaroo Island) after 54% of its she-oak feeding habit and 48.5% of known nests were burned. Amazingly, 454 ‘glossies’ were counted in a post-fire population census in 2020 (up from about 370 before the bushfires), indicating that mortality as a direct result of the bushfires was low. With she-oak trees of different ages found across the 150-acre Ecopia Retreat property, it was identified by the Glossy Black Cockatoo Recovery Program as vital to ensuring the continued survival and stability of the southern subspecies by providing a vital feeding ground for the southern flock after the bushfires and into the future.
Ecopia Retreat also became a crucial safe haven for various other wildlife species in the aftermath of the bushfires, with a noted increase in kangaroos and koalas adding to the property’s already-healthy populations of both species. Despite the loss of approximately 39,000 koalas or 82% of the island’s chlamydia-free koala population in the fires, the tragedy fortunately posed no danger to the survival of the species on the island, which was overabundant before the bushfires. Koala numbers have since bounced back from 8,500 to at least 15,000 individuals, and Ecopia Retreat continues to be one of the best places on the island to spot the adorable creatures – look for telltale signs such as koala droppings below eucalyptus trees and scratch marks on the trunks.
Five years on from the fires, Kangaroo Island has well and truly risen from the ashes. Following a bumper year of tourism in 2023, a suite of new reasons to visit in 2024 included a state-of-the-art visitor centre at Flinders Chase National Park and the grand reopening of Southern Ocean Lodge. Meanwhile, Ecopia Retreat welcomed The Rise, a new two-bedroom, loft-style retreat with everything you need to ease you into a relaxing escape with friends, family, or a special someone. With flights to the island from Adelaide with Qantas set to increase from six to nine departures per week between April and October 2025, it’s now easier than ever to visit.
Incredible stories of resilience and recovery are everywhere on Kangaroo Island. Learn how The Islander Estate Vineyards soldiered on to produce its first post-fire vintage in 2022 despite losing its vineyards, machinery, wine labs and offices as you sip superb shiraz at its cellar door. Observe the rebirth of Flinders Chase National Park’s otherworldly landscape as you traverse the the 66-kilometre Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail, reopened to through-hikers in December 2023. And discover how the island’s beekeepers are still fighting to keep the world’s purest strain of Ligurian honey alive following the fires on an experience with the Kangaroo Island Ligurian Bee Co.
Other new island attractions include a fascinating new audio-visual tour and dynamic light display at the Kelly Hills Conservation Park, an immersive, cinematic wool mill tour at Kangaroo Island Wool, and SeaLink’s Kangaroo Island Indigenous Day Tour, a first-of-its-kind cultural experience offering insights into the little-known Aboriginal story of the island, known to the Ngarrindjeri people as Nurrungaui.
Visitors will also find plenty of new places to eat and drink across the island. Just two notable recent openings include Kingscote’s The Pick and Shovel, the island’s first wine and cocktail bar; and Parndana craft brewery Grasshopper Brewing, just a 15-minute drive from Ecopia Retreat.
The midsummer month of January continues to be the busiest on Kangaroo Island, and there’s no reason why bushfire-wary travellers should avoid visiting during typical summer weather conditions. It’s the perfect time of year to enjoy the island’s sublime beaches, and watch Australian and New Zealand fur seals battle for breeding dominance from the safety of the boardwalk at Admirals Arch, upgraded following the bushfires.
The best way to stay bushfire-safe on Kangaroo Island around the calendar is to be alert and check for conditions and updates during your trip. The best websites for current information include the Country Fire Service (CFS), Traffic SA Road Closures and the Bureau of Meteorology. In an emergency, phone 000 for police/ambulance/fire services. The CFS information hotline is: 1800 362 361.
The fire danger season on Kangaroo Island typically spans from mid-November to the end of April; check the CFS website for restrictions that apply during this period. The CFS also publishes bushfire warnings and fire danger ratings.
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