Guide to American River South Australia Australia

American River is a small waterside village of about 280 people on the eastern side of Kangaroo Island, roughly half way between Penneshaw and Kingscote and half an hour from each. It is not on a river at all but on a narrow tidal inlet that links Eastern Cove with Pelican Lagoon.

Known For

• Fresh oysters straight from the farm
• Pelican Lagoon and its birdlife
• Fishing, boating and a waterfront campground

The village is strung along a wooded shore, with boats on moorings, pelicans on the wharf and wallabies on the lawns at dusk. It is the quietest of the island’s towns and a favourite with anglers and birdwatchers. Endangered glossy black cockatoos feed in the she-oaks around the houses, and the calm water suits kayaks and small boats.

Things To Do in American River

The Oyster Farm Shop

The island’s oysters are grown in the clean water of the cove, and the farm’s shop on Tangara Drive sells them freshly opened, along with marron, abalone and whiting. Farm tours with a tasting can be booked.

The Independence

In 1803 the crew of the American sealing brig Union spent four months here building a schooner, the Independence, from island timber; the visit gave the place its name. Volunteers are building a replica in a boathouse at the wharf, and visitors are welcome to watch when the shed is open.

Pelican Lagoon

The lagoon behind the village is an aquatic reserve, named by Matthew Flinders in 1802 for the birds he found nesting on its islets. It is a place for birdwatching and quiet paddling; fishing is not allowed in the lagoon itself.

The Wharf

The wharf is the centre of things, with a small cafe, a boat ramp and good fishing for whiting, squid and garfish. A plaque and anchor remember the sealers.

Prospect Hill and Pennington Bay

Fifteen minutes away, a long staircase climbs the sandhill Flinders used as a lookout, with views over both coasts, and the surf beach at Pennington Bay is just beyond.

Where To Stay

The Kangaroo Island Lodge, on the waterfront, is the main hotel, with about 40 rooms and a restaurant. The River Suites, cabins and holiday houses make up the rest.

The council camping ground on Tangara Drive is right on the water, with a few powered sites and more unpowered ones, toilets, coin showers and a dump point at the entrance. It costs about $23 a night unpowered and $35 powered for two, and sites can be booked online through Kangaroo Island Council. There is no drinking water, so arrive with full tanks.

Eat & Drink

Oysters at the farm shop are the thing to eat. The cafe on the wharf does lunch and coffee, the lodge has a restaurant with a view of the water, and the general store sells takeaway, groceries and fuel and has a bottle shop.

History

Flinders surveyed the inlet in 1802 and the Americans built their schooner the following year. Frank Potts, later a well-known winemaker at Langhorne Creek, was the first settler in 1842. A fish cannery operated in the 1890s, the Ryberg family opened a guesthouse about the same time, and gypsum was shipped from the wharf until 1986.

Getting to American River

Turn off the sealed Hog Bay Road about 30 km from Penneshaw; the village is a few kilometres down a sealed side road. Kingscote is half an hour north-west.