SeaLink Kangaroo Island Reviews

My name is Dean Bagley and I am the Product Development Manager with SeaLink in South Australia. I would like to thank you for your very concise feedback regarding the 2 Day Best of Kangaroo Island tour that you and your wife experienced on the 23rd January. Firstly, I am sorry that elements of this tour did not live up to your expectations. As a company, which values all customer feedback, we do appreciate when our guests take the time to articulate their thoughts in writing, which you have done. It is difficult to know exactly what your expectations were before you commenced this tour and also what research you may have done prior to making the decision to book with us, but we can proudly say that we do receive many, many exemplary comments about the 2 Day Best of Kangaroo Island Tour and our coach drivers and it is just a shame that this tour obviously did not live up to your expectations. Kangaroo Island is a very large island, as you can now appreciate and has an abundant wildlife population, however during the summer months, the wildlife on the island can tend to take shelter to avoid the heat of the day and is not as prolific as in the cooler months. We don’t like to promote the 2 day tour as a wildlife tour but as a sightseeing tour described on our website as: “Take the time to explore Kangaroo Island, one of Australia's best nature-based tourism destinations and one of Australia's national landscapes. This relaxed yet comprehensive two day tour allows you to discover Kangaroo Island's fascinating wildlife, spectacular coastal scenery, stunning landscapes and unique local produce”. I do not believe it is a false statement to say that our customers will see wildlife. There are always Australian Sea-lions at Seal Bay and New Zealand fur seals at Admirals Arch. For many guests who travel on this tour, these two natural attractions are the highlight of their visit to Kangaroo Island. The Sea-lions and seals are wild animals and choose these locations to rest after days of feeding out at sea. We do include a visit to the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park, which is a park full of Australian animals that have been rescued and looked after by passionate animal lovers. Apart from the birds, many of the animals roam freely in open paddocks, which provide great opportunities for our customers to see animals such as kangaroos and wallabies at any time of the year up close and personal. With Kangaroo Island being such a big island, it is necessary to undertake long travel distances to get from one end to the other and visit the main attractions. Many guests who travel with us, who come from big cities really appreciate the vastness and contrasting countryside of the island. Many of the major iconic, natural attractions are at the western of the island and most of the island’s accommodation is at the eastern end so, on the 2-day tour unfortunately there is a bit of backtracking that needs to be done each day. Despite all of this travel, we do visit all of the main attractions that the island is known for and we rarely get any negative feedback about the distance travelled between attractions. I am unaware that the Tour Down Under cycling race caused our coach connection service to be delayed but I will raise this concern with our Coach Operations team on the island. The first stop on the 2-day tour is Clifford’s Honey Farm (as outlined in our tour itinerary) so I can only assume that the driver was referring to stops that could have been made, if time permitted. Clifford’s Honey Farm is a local Kangaroo Island business that produces quality honey from a pure strain of Ligurian bee, which is unique to South Australia (outside of Italy) and introduced in 1884. This stop is part of the itinerary as it showcases local produce and one of Kangaroo Island’s important industries. I’m sorry to hear that this was not to your liking as we receive many positive comments about this unique and rustic stop. We make no excuses about supporting local businesses on Kangaroo Island, many of whom would not survive without our support. The lunch on Day 1 at Vivonne Bay Bistro is a 2-course BBQ lunch and I’m sorry to hear that this was not to your liking. We do cater for special dietary requirements, given that we are informed of this at the time of booking. I will pass on your comments to the staff at Vivonne Bay Bistro. We normally receive very positive feedback regarding the lunch, in particular about the quality and quantity of food that is served to our guests. At Seal Bay Conservation Park, the path would have taken you to the beach, right where the colony of Sea-lions are resting and playing. This tour is conducted by a National Park Ranger to ensure that all visitors do not get too close to the Sea-lions, which may cause them stress. Seal Bay is the most popular attraction on Kangaroo Island and the walk to and from the Visitor Centre may be a little tiring for some but the experience for most people is well worth the effort. I’m sorry to read that you didn’t enjoy the Birds of Prey Show at Raptor Domain. Once again we have not had a complaint about his attraction. In regards to your comment about the birds being captive, I refer to the owners, Leeza and Dave and what they say on their website: “Most of the birds in our presentations here at Raptor Domain have been injured or orphaned and are not suitable for release. They are now amazing ambassadors for their species. Every day these beautiful birds enjoy showing people their hunting techniques and natural behaviours. We try to get as many rescued birds back into the wild, but unfortunately this is not always possible.” You are correct in saying that the Emu Ridge Eucalyptus Distillery has nothing to do with animals, we don’t ever mention that it does. This is a very interesting visit as eucalyptus oil distilling was once a major industry on Kangaroo Island and many of our customers are happy to see another local business and purchase some of their products. Remarkable Rocks is also one of the island’s most popular tourist attractions and once again we do not say that it has anything to do with animals. The rock formations provide a great photo opportunity and many people who find the history of them interesting. The Flinders Chase Visitor Centre is more than just a gift shop. It has a café/restaurant and an interactive display where you can learn more about Kangaroo Island's diverse flora and fauna. It also has clean facilities for our customers to use before they get back on the coach. It is always important to provide ample, quality toilet stops on a tour and sometimes, with distances travelled, this can be difficult on the island. Hanson Bay Wildlife Sanctuary was once farmland used for cropping and grazing. It is now a protected area, free of feral animals and home to a range of Australian animals and mammals. The local wildlife thrive in this area including a large population of koalas (in the wild). I’m sorry to read that you thought this was anti-climactic. On the final day, after the tour concludes at Penneshaw, we do allow time for our customers to grab a bite to eat before they board the 7.30pm ferry. The time allocated for this is normally 1 hour but sometimes, this may be less depending on what time the tour finishes. We do have a great café in the Penneshaw ferry terminal, which I hope the driver would have mentioned to you however we do like to support the local businesses in the town and the fish & chips are always good. Finally, I’m glad to hear that you thought the driver was fine. Our drivers are trained to provide thorough commentary on our tours and I’m sorry to hear that you thought he ‘rattled on’. I will also forward this feedback to our Coach Operations Manager. I trust that I have welcomed your comments in the spirit with which they were shared and I wish to thank you again for providing us with this feedback and your contact details. Kind regards Dean Bagley Product Development Manager SeaLink - South Australia