About the Walking Trail

Spend 5 days hiking the Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail along the spectacular coastline of south-west Kangaroo Island. Follow the Rocky River, walk along the wild west coast, take a side trip to Admirals Arch and the Remarkable Rocks, walk to Hanson Bay and return inland through the forests to Kelly Hill. The trail opened in 2016, and is a 5-day trail with campsites along the way, although there are day walk options available through some tour operators. The first day in the Rocky River Section, and the 5th day in the Kelly Hill Section can be hiked by anyone, but the middle 3 days are only accessible to people who have paid the $161 trail trail fee.

We’ve listed each of the 5 sections on a separate entry:

• Day 1, Rocky River Section
• Day 2, Maupertuis Section (below on this page)
• Day 2 or 3, optional sidetrip to Admirals Arch
• Day 3, Sanderson Section
• Day 4, Grassdale Section
• Day 5, Kelly Hill Section

This section: Day 2, Maupertuis Section
Cup Gum Campsite to Hakea Campsite (near Cape du Couedic)

7 hours, 14km

Day 2 of the hike begins from Snake Lagoon, following the Snake Lagoon Hike along Rocky River out to the Southern Ocean. The KIWT leaves the Snake Lagoon Hike before the coast, heading up the rocky headland above where Rocky River meets the ocean. Today’s walk is wild, following the coastal cliffs towards the Cape du Couedic lighthouse. The trail descends onto Maupertuis Beach to follow it for 1.5km – watch out for Hooded Plover nests. Passing the cairn to the shipwrecked Loch Sloy, the trail turns inland to Hakea Campsite. The trail is rocky and rough, but easy enough to follow. The optional sidetrip to Admirals Arch is 9.6 km return and takes about 3-4 hours, so you might have time in the afternoon of Day 2, or the morning of Day 3.