35°59' S, 137°19' E

Size & Location

Covering an area of 750 hectares (1 800 acres) both land and sea, Seal Bay is famous for its large colony of rare Australian Sea Lions. It is illegal to fish near here as the coast is an aquatic Reserve. It can be accessed from the South Coast Road.

It is estimated that this park represents 10 percent of all the Sea Lions in the world.

History

From 1803 it is recorded that there were numerable seal colonies on the South Coast of Kangaroo Island. Incredible numbers of seals were killed by clubbing for their fur skins and oil for lighting.

Their presence here is remarkable also, as since the first half of the century, Australian Seal Lions and New Zealand Fur Seals were being killed haphazardly for shark bait.

A sanctuary was proclaimed in 1954 and the surviving colony of seals continued to inhabit the coast and breed. Increasing numbers meant that for personal protection guided tours are now offered along the beach.

The Sanctuary

Getting so close to the seals is a special treat and one never to be forgotten. There are thousands of photo opportunities and although the inhabitants are relatively tame, can become threatening if disturbed. Tolerating human incursion into their domain the Seals have adapted well to tourists and will seem to pose for a photograph.

There are restricted areas on the beach to minimise disturbance to both the Seals and their nurseries/ breeding areas.

The Ranger Station at the car park above the beach provides information on the Australian Sea Lion and New Zealand Fur Seal's living habits.

The full length of Seal Bay is a  Conservation Park. Remember that swimming and fishing are prohibited in the Aquatic Reserve.