Did you know that tiny Kangaroo Island in South Australia is half as big as Corsica, the French island in the Mediterranean? With 30 people per square kilometre, Corsica is the least densely populated region of France. Still, 260,000 people live on Corsica, but only 4,000 reside on Kangaroo Island along with 20,000 kangaroos, 30,000 koalas (introduced on the island in the 1920's), 500,000 wallabies and close to a million sheep.

I was one of the seven FCA members on the three-day South Australian Tourism Commission organised trip to Adelaide, Kangaroo Island and Barossa Valley. While two of our colleagues chose to go to Barossa Valley, I opted for Kangaroo Island.

As our small group landed on Kingscote airfield, memories of landing on a paddock years ago in KI came flashing to mind. I was surprised at the developed infrastructure since the last time I was here in the mid 1990s. Today, Kingscote is a real airport, bigger and more modern than Alice Springs used to be some years ago.

The changes and investments are most visible in the Flinders Chase National Park, which comprises one-third of the island. Modern amenities, barbecue areas and environmentally-friendly toilet blocks manifest the development that has taken place in this virgin area.

Our driver and guide Tim Williams of Adventure Charters of Kangaroo Island prepared meals for us on the gas-fired public BBQ served with local Whiting and roasted potatoes. I was really impressed with the rubber gloves he used while cooking. Something one doesn't see on Safari tours, but Tim claimed he was following instructions.

The most refreshing difference was in the way the animals, the birds and their habitat was being treated. It was no longer a free-for-all wilderness to be used and exploited by the visitors. It was clear that the land belonged to the many species of wild fauna and flora found in abundance here and we could have a glimpse of their world from behind the fence.

Some years ago, one could drive close to Admiral's Arch at Cape du Couedic to watch the seals. Today, the vast stretch of coastline has been returned to the seals. Visitors have to approach on a long wooden footbridge, fenced all along so as to prevent trampling the sand dunes and vegetation. We were told there are about 20,000 seals now. Some of them come very close to the footbridge and even rest under its shade.

Most impressive is the colony of sea lions at Seal Bay Conservation Park. A long footbridge again takes you to the beach, where regulated and monitored groups are allowed to walk on the beach and mingle with the sea lions. The maximum number of people, at any given time on the beach, can't exceed 100. It is just one of the many examples of efforts being made in this pristine island to preserve and conserve nature and its inhabitants.

Our trip at end of August was during off-season. Most of the 150,000 annual visitors to Kangaroo Island arrive in late spring or summer. Our tour guide advised July to September as the best months, when sometimes it does get chilly. We were fortunate to enjoy the spectacular vistas and our outdoor picnics in perfect sunshine.

Probably, the best way to explore KI is on a guided tour. Adventure Charters of Kangaroo Island, who hosted our group, offer package deals including return airfares from Adelaide to Kangaroo Island, bed and breakfast and all island transfers. Our package was `Kangaroo Island in Style' costing A$ 992.50 per person for two days shared touring and one night at the Wanderers Rest Hotel at American River, a simple but very nice place, indeed.

The company also offers a three days package called `Kangaroo Island Wanderer' at A$ 1,193 per person and a `One Day Adventure' for A$ 533. I wouldn't recommend the one day tour as we found even two days were rather rushed. There is more than enough to see for three days. If one is making one's own arrangement, day tours cost A$ 286 a person.

I was impressed with the Clifford's Honey Farm, where we learnt a lot about the exemplary structure of the bee hive, especially how the females reign and do all the work. Someone on the island is actually breeding Queen bees and exporting them by snail mail to Europe. All bees on Kangaroo Island, designated as a bee sanctuary, are a pure strain of the Ligurian bee species.

It was here that I truly understood the meaning of the phrase `to be like a lamb'. At the sheep dairy and cheese factory, the sheep voluntarily trotted to their assigned places to be milked mechanically.

We unanimously agreed that we would definitely return to this nearly untouched island. To have a local tour guide was part of the amazing experience as only he could tell us how to spot a koala. As Tim pointed out from the car, "Look at the dead eucalypt, all the leaves have been eaten" and surely a hungry koala rested on its bare branch!

(For information on South Australia go to www.southaustralia.com, call +61 2 9361 1604 or email: humphrey.melissa@saugov.sa.gov.au)