Tips for first time travelers to King Island

Here's some very useful information for your first visit to King Island aka "the rock."

Only phones on the Telstra network get any signal at all (eg Optus and Vodafone get nada, bupkis, zilch etc.) There is no wifi at the house, so Head to the Library or KIRDO in town to use their computers if you need internet time.

We have no public transport on the rock, this means no taxis too. So if you don't fancy walking, you'll need to have organised a lift or a hire car. The best hire cars are from King Island Car Rental and if you tell them Kal sent you, they'll look after you (honestly they'll look after you anyway... they're lovely peeps!) While our place is nice and central to town, you really need wheels if you're going to see the best of the island. Handy tip: download offline maps before you get to the island, so you have them while driving around... just because Telstra is the only telco on the island doesn't mean they're doing a good job!

If you're exploring the island, watch out for wallabies, possums, turkeys and peacocks. They're the ones most likely to get in front of your car all of a sudden. Occasional hazzards include cows, sheep and deer. Many of the roads are gravel and of varying quality. You may meet trucks and tractors on the roads, please be sensible and give them plenty of room.

Flights can often be delayed, so keep this in mind when booking connecting flights and such.

The shops shut at 6pm and there's no late night servo for after hours essentials. The pub can do take away grog if that's all you need.

It does get windy here. King Island gets hit by the roaring 40s and it can make days get cold, even in the middle of summer. A jacket that can block the wind is an essential bit of kit.

More to come...