Kangaroo Island Food and Drink: Honey, Gin, Wine and Lavender
The short answer. The island’s produce is honey from its own Ligurian bees, eucalyptus oil, lavender, wine, gin and beer, with seafood by the season. One day is built around tastings: a shore day for cruise passengers, from $177. Other days fold in a brewery lunch, a honey farm or a barbecue with island wine. You may not bring bees, bee equipment or honey products to the island. When you are ready for a Kangaroo Island booking, the table below shows what each day pours.
Which days include what
| Day | Tastings in the fare | Lunch |
|---|---|---|
| Tasting shore day | Honey, eucalyptus, lavender scone, wine, gin | Your own, in Kingscote |
| Two days from Adelaide | Beer with a platter, honey | Included, both days |
| Full day by 4WD | Local wine with lunch | Barbecue or picnic |
| Private far-west day | Beer or wine, from 18 | Picnic in the bush |
| Scenic day from Kingscote | None | Cafe main course |
Honey from the Ligurian bee
Kangaroo Island Tourism calls the island the world’s oldest bee sanctuary, home to the purest strain of Ligurian bee in the world. The Ligurian is an Italian honeybee, thought to come from the part of Italy south of the Alps. The bees start making honey in spring, and the local flavours to try are coastal mallee and sugar gum.
That is why the rules at the ferry are strict. You may not bring bees, bee-handling equipment or honey products onto the island. Buy your honey here and take it home, not the other way round.
The tasting shore day stops at Clifford’s Honey Farm to taste the honey and learn about the bee. On the two days from Adelaide, the Ligurian bee farm is an afternoon stop where you watch the bees at work.
Eucalyptus oil from the narrow-leaf mallee
Eucalyptus oil was once one of the island’s main industries. It is distilled from the leaf of a local shrub, the narrow-leaf mallee. Distilling began in the 1880s, as extra income for farmers clearing land for sheep. In the 1930s it peaked, with 48 stills employing more than 600 people, and about 100 stills worked over the whole era. In 1938 two plantations were set up at Emu Ridge to harvest in rotation, which works because the narrow-leaf mallee responds well to pruning.
The tasting day spends 45 minutes at Emu Ridge, with the distillery’s history, eucalyptus drops and a cider tasting.
Lavender scones on the north coast
Emu Bay Lavender is a farm-gate cafe among rows of lavender on the north coast. The lavender starts to bloom in spring, when the local markets also sell wild fruit jams. On the tasting day it is the morning tea stop, with a lavender scone and tea or coffee, if the farm is open and the season allows. DaleS_M found the scones huge.
Wine, gin, beer and cider
The tasting day ends with an hour at a vineyard above the Bay of Shoals and an hour at Kangaroo Island Spirits, where you taste gins, vodkas and liqueurs. Eduardo_D liked having the gin and the wine tastings apart. Judith_G found the wines mostly white varieties, did not care for the gins and liked the fortified wine best. Vincent_M tasted wine, gin, cider and lavender, and saw kangaroos and koalas between the stops. SANDRA_J liked the eucalyptus and gin visits most. The drinking age is 18.
- Wine: at a cellar door above the bay, or with lunch on a 4WD day.
- Gin: the island distillery pours gin, vodka and liqueurs.
- Beer: the brewery lunch on the two-day trip comes with a tasting.
- Cider: poured at the eucalyptus stop on the tasting day.
The full day by 4WD from Kingscote serves island wine with its barbecue lunch. The private far-west day pours South Australian beer or wine for guests of 18 and over.
Seafood by the season
The island eats with the seasons. In summer, southern rock lobster and southern garfish are plentiful, and Kangaroo Island Tourism suggests fresh oysters with a local gin. Winter is the time for King George whiting and oysters, and a food festival, Gutsy Kangaroo Island, is held each winter. Rogen_L finished the two-day trip with fresh oysters.
For the months themselves, the best time to visit sets food beside the wildlife, and the weather page shows which months are warm enough for a picnic.
The cruise-day catch
The tasting day is sold to cruise passengers only. It collects you at the Penneshaw tender landing, with the buses parked on North Terrace, and the hour in Kingscote is for your own lunch. You may see wildlife on the drive too: Dennis_P’s guide pulled over for a koala in a tree.
The tasting day, stop by stop
The shore day is timed around your ship. The buses leave 1 to 1.5 hours after the first tender, usually between 8:30 and 9am, and when the last tender is at 5pm you are back by 4:30pm. Ellen_S made every stop with time to taste and shop, and got back to the ship in plenty of time.
- The honey farm, 30 minutes: honey tasting and the story of the Ligurian bee.
- The eucalyptus distillery, 45 minutes: the stills, eucalyptus drops and cider.
- The lavender farm, 1 hour: morning tea with a lavender scone.
- Kingscote, 1 hour: free time for lunch and the shops.
- The vineyard, 1 hour: wine above the Bay of Shoals.
- The gin distillery, 1 hour: gin, vodka and liqueurs.
Vikki_O noted that the tour does not leave from the dock itself but from a park close by, so look for the buses on North Terrace. Janet_M’s guide was a long-term local who talked about the island’s history and wildlife between the tastings.
Lunch on the guided days
If a full day of tastings is more than you want, several days fold good food into the route. The private far-west day serves a gourmet picnic at its own lunch site in Flinders Chase National Park, surrounded by bush, with local produce and a drink. KI Trails’ scenic day from Kingscote includes a main course at a local cafe. On the two-day trip from Adelaide, lunch on the first day is a platter of local produce at the brewery, with a beer tasting, and the honey farm follows in the afternoon.
Tasting on your own
With a car, you can build your own trail. The honey farm and the eucalyptus distillery sit on the south side of the island, and the lavender farm on the north coast. The things to do page groups the stops by coast, and getting there from Adelaide covers bringing a car across. If you are driving, leave the tastings to a passenger, or book a guided day and let someone else take the wheel.
For park fees on the same trip, the visitor guide covers the tour pass and the single fees.
Book a day with tastings
Kangaroo Island Shore Excursion Tasting Tour - For Cruise Ship Passengers Only
A cruise shore day of honey, eucalyptus oil, lavender scones, wine and gin, from the Penneshaw tender landing.
From $177 per person (minimum 1)
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Flinders Chase Private Luxury Tour
A private day in the far west for your group alone, with a picnic lunch and drinks served in the bush.
From $884 per person (minimum 1)
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Kangaroo Island Small‑Group Scenic & Wildlife Day Tour
A whole day from Kingscote with eleven guests at most, park fees and a cafe lunch in the far west included.
From $292 per person (minimum 1)
Check AvailabilityNext: then head out after dark for the animals, in what the night brings out. Every fare sits side by side on Kangaroo Island Tours.