The natural bounty of South Australia’s Kangaroo Island is at the heart of new tours from Kangaroo Island Odysseys (KOI), which officially unveiled the new tour selection during a sumptuous lunch at Bei Amici at Sydney’s Darling Point on Thursday 27 July.
Guest speaker, Nick Hannaford, owner of LifeTime Private Retreats, one of the island’s premier accommodation options, introduced attendees to the natural delights hosted by his island while chef Felix Rutz used KI produce to create a feast.
The new KIO ‘Kangaroo Island Food & Wine Tours’ invite guests to spend three days indulging every sense and sampling the best of Kangaroo Island fresh produce and wines, starting on selected dates from September 2017.
All seasonal KIO Food & Wine tours are fully inclusive, including return flights from Adelaide to Kangaroo Island and all Adelaide airport transfers.
Explore the island with a private tour guide in luxury, air-conditioned 4×4 vehicles in small groups of up to 8 guests, with accommodation at the opulent Lifetime Private Retreats or Sea Dragon Lodge.
Specialising in handcrafted accommodation, Life Time Private Retreats, on the North Coast, offers four holiday houses nestled into a coastal location and surrounded by Kangaroo Islands’ natural beauty. Luxury houses include The Sky House, The Cliff House, The Settlers Homestead and Sheoaks.
Sea Dragon Lodge is set on a seafront estate at the eastern end of the island, on the Dudley Peninsula, with a private beach to explore and wildlife at the doorstep. Sea Dragon Lodge features eco-friendly villas and a three-bedroom lodge.
KIO Food & Wine tours have been developed to highlight the best food, wine and nature-based experiences available during each of the four seasons. All seasonal tours are different with a choice of tours for Summer/Spring, Autumn and Winter.
Tours visit the islands most beautiful beaches like Emu Bay, Stokes Bay and Vivonne Bay and an array of attractions.
Experience a personalised vineyard and winery tour at ‘The Islander Estate Vineyard’, Bay of Shoals Wines or Dudley Wines, taste locally distilled gin and spirits at KI Spirits, sample a variety of delicious cheese and yoghurts at the Island Pure Sheep Dairy, stop in at Island Beehive for a tour and honey tastings, sample KI’s freshest oysters at the Kangaroo Island Shellfish Oyster Farm Shed and enjoy a half-day fishing charter.
Dining experiences are ones that will be remembered for a lifetime with Lifetime Private Retreats catering partners, ‘Hannaford and Sachs’, showcasing Kangaroo Island’s best seasonal food in a range of outdoor settings and stunning coastal locations around Snelling Beach Middle River.
Some ‘Hannaford and Sachs’ experiences include, ‘The Beach House Taverna BBQ Banquet’, a seafood barbecue dinner cooked over hot coals and featuring some of KI’s freshest, most mouth-watering produce.
The ‘Shearers Feast’, is a night to remember, dining in elegance under the candlelit ambiance and eclectically decorated Hannaford family’s 80-year-old shearing shed, built from sugar gum trees and old corrugated iron. The night starts with drinks and a spot of Croquet on the lawn before sitting down to a three-course feast that showcases produce from both the sea and land.
At the Enchanted Fig Tree dine underneath the boughs and leaves of a massive, ancient fig tree planted by the early settlers more than 100 years ago, which now form enchanting rooms with ceilings of swaying leaves and dappled light! Tables are set up to feature a fig inspired brunch menu, created straight from the pages of a fairy tale book.
Other dining experiences on the tour include Kangaroo Island’s unique ‘Table Surfing’ dinners. Join local island producers, farmers or home cooks in their own homes or farms for a home-cooked meal just as they would prepare for their friends and family.
For wholesome, fresh and uncomplicated food and farm stories, join local chef and farmer, Tony Nolan, at his ‘Latitude 36 Farm Kitchen and indulge in a three-course gourmet dinner at Sunset Food & Wine.
3 Day Sensations of Kangaroo Island Summer Tour – North Coast visits Emu and Stokes Bay; ‘The Islander Estate Vineyard’ for a personalised vineyard and winery tour, Island Pure Sheep Dairy for Cheese and yoghurt tastings; KI Spirits for a taste of locally distilled gin and Island Beehive for a tour and honey tastings. Enjoy lunch at The Rockpool Café and at Tony Nolan’s ‘Latitude 36 Farm Kitchen’ and brunch at The Enchanted Fig Tree. Dinners by Hannaford & Sachs include ‘The Shearer’s Feast’ and ‘The Beach Taverna BBQ Banquet’ and a three-course dinner at Sunset Food & Wine.
3 Day Sensations of Kangaroo Island Summer Tour – North Coast is $2708 per person and includes all activities and meals, return flights from Adelaide to Kangaroo Island, Adelaide airport transfers and two-night’s accommodation at Lifetime Private Retreats.
Spring 2017 departure dates for the Sensational Summer/Spring tours include Saturday 9 and 23 September, Friday 13 and 27 October and Saturday 11 and 25 November. 2017 and 2018 Summer tour dates include Friday 8 December 2017, Saturday 20 January and Friday 9 and 23 February 2018.
3 Day Kangaroo Island in Autumn Tour – North Coast visits the picturesque beaches at Emu and Vivonne Bays’, ‘The Islander Estate Vineyard’; KI Spirits; tastings at Island Beehive; morning tea and gallery experience at Rustic Blue Gallery and Café; tastings and a savoury platter at Bay of Shoal Wines and venture out on a half-day fishing charter. Meals include ‘Where the Wild Things are Breakfast’; lunch at Tony Nolan’s ‘Latitude 36 Farm Kitchen’ and dinners include the ‘Shearers Feast’ and ‘Table Surfing Dinner’ at a local farm.
3 Day Kangaroo Island in Autumn Tour – North Coast is $2708 per person departing from Adelaide and including return flights to Kangaroo Island, all activities and meals and accommodation for two nights at Lifetime Private Retreats.
3 Day Kangaroo Island in Autumn Tour – Dudley Peninsula visits the idyllic beach at Island Beach; KI Spirits; Island Pure Sheep Dairy for cheese and yoghurt sampling; Bay of Shoal Wines for tastings and a savoury platter; try honey at Island Beehive; enjoy a half day fishing charter; indulge in a gourmet lunch and cellar door tastings at Dudley Wines Clifftop Cellar, dinner at Sunset Food and Wine and mouth-watering private breakfasts and dinners at the Sea Dragon Lodge with local Kangaroo Island wine.
3 Day Kangaroo Island in Autumn Tour – Dudley Peninsula is $2314 per person departing from Adelaide and includes return flights to Kangaroo Island, Adelaide airport transfers, all activities and meals and two nights’ accommodation at Sea Dragon Lodge.
2018 departure dates for the Awesome Autumn tours include Saturday 3 and 17 March, Friday 13 and 27 and 12 and 26 May.
3 Day Kangaroo Island in Winter Tour – North Coast includes a half-day fishing charter; morning and afternoon tea at Emu Bay; a visit to ‘The Islander Estate Vineyard’; tasting at Kangaroo Island Spirits; cheese and yogurt tastings at Island Pure Sheep Dairy; tastings and a savoury platter at Bay of Shoal Wines and a tour and tastings at Kangaroo Island Shellfish Oyster farm. Join Tony Nolan for lunch at his ‘Latitude 36 Farm Kitchen’ and enjoy ‘The Fire Feast’ dinner by local Chef, Rachel Hannaford and “Table Surfing Dinner” with locals.
3 Day Kangaroo Island in Winter Tour – North Coast is $3102 per person departing from Adelaide and includes return flights to Kangaroo Island, Adelaide airport transfers, all activities and meals and accommodation for two nights at Lifetime Private Retreats.
3 Day Kangaroo Island in Winter Tour – Dudley Peninsula Tours includes a half day fishing charter; visits KI Spirits to taste locally distilled Gin; Island Pure Sheep Dairy for cheese and yogurt tastings; and a tour and tastings at Kangaroo Island Shellfish Oyster farm. Enjoy a gourmet lunch and tastings at Dudley Wines Clifftop Cellar, and mouth-watering private breakfasts and dinners at the Sea Dragon Lodge with local Kangaroo Island wine.
3 Day Kangaroo Island in Winter Tour – Dudley Peninsula is $2,504pp per person departing from Adelaide return flights to Kangaroo Island, Adelaide airport transfers, all activities and meals and accommodation for two nights at Sea Dragon Lodge.
Departure dates for the 2018 Wonderful Winter tours include Friday 8 and 22 June, Saturday 14 and 28 July and Friday 10 and 24 August.