King Island is One of Tassie’s Most Lush Off-Shore Islands

We Are Explorers acknowledges that this adventure is located on the traditional Country of the Palawa people who have occupied and cared for the lands, waters, and their inhabitants for thousands of years. We pay our respects to them as the Traditional Custodians and recognise that sovereignty was never ceded.

Quick Overview

King Island is one of Tassie’s 334 off-shore islands, and the second biggest island in the Bass Strait, after Flinders Island. It’s known for its natural beauty, pumping surf, and the famous King Island Dairy. King Island has a population of around 1,600 people.

King Island Highlights

• The flight to King Island in the Bass Strait
• Camping right by a famous surf break
• Visiting Pennys Lagoon, one of the world’s only perched lakes

Read more: Remember to leave no trace

King Island Quick Facts

Currie township to Pennys Lagoon: 

Distance: 48km
Duration: 40 minutes drive time

Welcome to King Island

In the top eastern corner of the little wilderness known as King Island, is a spectacular surfer’s pocket – an eclectic left, right, and centre barrel that turns just off the pristine Martha Lavinia Beach. For years, diehards and locals alike have salivated over Martha’s circular, aqua-electric form. 

But the crisp whites of the gravel roads, the lush, succulent greens of King’s coastal foliage, the butter-yellow sands, and the spirited Bass Strait winds will lustily overcome just about anyone lucky enough to find themselves in this paradise.

This is King Island – welcome to the pearl in Tassie’s oyster.

How to Get to King Island

By Plane

You’ve got stacks of options from the mainland (Rex, Sharp, King Island Airlines), running on various schedules.

Sharp Airlines also fly from Hobart, Launceston, or Burnie (Wynyard) in Tasmania.

Alternatively, if you’ve managed to scrape together a clique and want to bring a number your own planks, it could be worth chartering a private plane for a speccy day trip. King Island Surf Safaris operate out of Barwon Heads, on Victoria’s Surf Coast, specialising in just this.

Similarly, Yarra Valley Aviation offers a streamlined, no-fuss portal from Melbourne’s eastern suburbs. Your small plane passes over the awe-inspiring coastlines of Port Phillip Bay then cloud-hops the Bass Strait in adventurous style – it’s another kind of adventure altogether.

Car Hire

Picking up a whip from King Island Car Rentals at Currie Airport when you arrive couldn’t be easier. Just give them a bell before you show up so they can put one aside for you.

Pile into the car and head out from Currie on North Road for half an hour until you hit Egg Lagoon, then turn east on Haines Road towards the reserve. Pennys Lagoon is on the left just before you hit the coast. Martha Lavinia and Nine Mile Beaches are another couple minutes past this (go on, go take a peek before you set up camp).

Where to Stay at Martha Lavinia

Recently renovated facilities and a marked reduction in reptile mates make camping at Pennys Lagoon in the cooler months a temptation indeed. There’s a fair amount of scrub for windbreak and protection, plus toilets, BBQs (!), and the kick-off point for a number of bush walks and trails.

It’s not a huge area, good for intimate groups and individuals, and it’s only a 40-minute drive back to civilisation for supplies, in case someone forgets the condiments. 

If you’ve got a larger crowd and want to put seconds rather than minutes between your sleeping bag and a wave, you can also camp out on the beach at Martha Lavinia.

Sleeping on the sand is beyond sensational on a starry, breathless night, the prospect of which should have you keen as Kipp Caddy. No national parks pass necessary, free camping all year round. What more could ya want?

Please note! Please refrain from taking vehicles on the beach. Keep to the tracks up behind the dunes to avoid Fairy terns nesting and prevent sandbank degradation.

Essential Gear

• At least a 4/3 wetty (even booties) for anything in the Bass during the winter months – that water touches Antarctica!
• Surfboards
• Pushbikes
• Kayak and boogie board also wouldn’t go astray
• Binoculars and birder gear
• Appropriately rated sleeping bag and camping equipment (low temps, wind chill factor)
• Spare tent pegs and rope – you could face a windy one out here, but it’s good for gettin’ the blood up!
• Warm clothes, fleece, and windbreakers, no matter the season
• First aid kit

What It’s Like Visiting King Island

Surfer’s Breakfast at Martha Lavinia Beach

Martha Lavinia isn’t shy about being one of the top surf breaks in Australia. She puts on her best show over the colder months when the two currents that encircle the island greet again at its north-eastern tip. Look for south-westerlies and two metre swell on the forecast, and you’re almost guaranteed a jolly slide. 

That said, there are so many other secret locations around here to paddle out you can’t lose! Nowhere’s far, we just can’t let those out of the bag anywhere other than around the campfire. Besides, everyone knows the best breaks are the ones you stumble on yourself, and the best thing about King Island is that you’ll hardly have to share.

Read more: How to Stay Safe at the Beach

Take a Paddle on Pennys Lagoon

Pennys Lagoon is set back and up from the sands of Martha Lavinia and is a rare phenomenon in itself – one of only a few known perched lakes in the world (another is Lake McKenzie up north on K’gari, QLD).

It’ll be chilly in the winter months, that’s for sure, but it’s stunning to look at, and the facilities are spot on. A morning fry-up following post-dawn waves here is a must, and you’d do well to spend the rest of your day hiking and exploring the surrounding shores. If you’ve brought the kayak, what are you waiting for?!

Bird Watching

For a super unique birdwatching experience, hit up the Birds of King Island group before you head over. King happens to be a bit of an avian refuge, situated smack on the migratory paths of an immense number of sub-species; here you could observe anything from the Short-tailed shearwater or tiny Fairy tern, to a Satin flycatcher or Flame robin.

If you’re feeling auspicious, you could spot one of the world’s rarest birds, the Orange-bellied parrot. You might not think yourself so lucky, but they’re out there – check around early autumn.

You can even register for the Wings on King project, helping local volunteers collect data that’ll enable them to construct a more detailed storyline of the island’s flying friends.

On Ya Bike!

King Island’s steadily undulating gravel and sealed roads are a dream for anyone who loves a pedal, especially those who can’t admit to frothing an inclination greater than 2.5%. Spanning out like spokes from Lavinia Reserve are miles of melaleuca-lined tracks begging you to choose your own biking adventure.

Head south towards Sea Elephant River, or north towards Cape Wickham. On the way you’ll observe parties of wild peacocks, fat cattle in lush fields of green, the haze of sand gusting across the shore, and rough, salty plaques marking tribute to the countless shipwrecks of the 1800s.

King Island FAQs

Is it worth going to King Island?

Absolutely! King Island is lush and quiet. With empty beaches but pumping surf, it’s a cracking spot for keen surfers, but the slow pace and scenic landscape is enjoyable for everyone.

Is there a ferry to King Island?

Unfortunately, there’s no ferry to King Island. Visitors have to take a plan ride from either the mainland or Tasmania to reach the island.

How many days do you need on King Island?

Some people do day trips to King Island, but I suggest taking your camping gear and staying for a few nights at least! Besides, you’ve forked out the cost of a flight to get here, why would you want to leave paradise so soon?

Can you take a car to King Island?

As there’s no ferry to King Island, it’s not feasible to take a car on a trip to the island either. But you can rent a car on arrival from King Island Car Rentals at Currie Airport.

Photos thanks to @bronni and Tourism Tasmania