Cape Forbin Refuge, Kangaroo Island

Photo gallery for Cape Forbin Refuge, Kangaroo Island

A spacious living room with a large window overlooking a scenic view, a fireplace, and comfortable seating.
A bedroom with a large bed, a ceiling fan, a chair, and a view through the window.
A spacious living area with a fireplace, a dining table, and a view of the outdoors.
A coastal landscape with rocky cliffs and calm sea.
A coastal landscape with a rocky cliff, beach, and ocean.

Reviews

10 out of 10
Exceptional

Highlights

  • Wildlife at your doorstep
    Guests love spotting wildlife right on the property grounds.
  • Centrally-located
    You're never far from where you need to be with this convenient location.

Popular amenities

  • Barbecue grill
  • Refrigerator
  • Internet
  • Onsite parking available
  • Non-smoking

Explore the area

View in a map
De Mole River, SA
  • Place, Cape Torrens Wilderness Protection Area
    ‪1 min drive‬

Rooms & beds

2 bedrooms (sleeps 6)

Bedroom 1

1 King Bed

Bedroom 2

1 King Bed and 2 Single Beds

1 bathroom

Bathroom 1

Bathtub or shower · Toilet

Spaces

Kitchen
Dining area

Add dates for prices

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About the area

De Mole River

De Mole River is home to this holiday home. Hanson Bay Wildlife Sanctuary is a local attraction and the area's natural beauty can be seen at Cape Torrens Wilderness Protection Area and Flinders Chase National Park.
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Map
De Mole River, SA

What's nearby

  • Cape Torrens Wilderness Protection Area - 1 min drive - 0.2 km

Frequently asked questions

Is Cape Forbin Retreat, Kangaroo Island pet-friendly?

No, pets are not allowed at this property.

How much is parking at Cape Forbin Retreat, Kangaroo Island?

On-site parking is available at the property.

What time is check-in at Cape Forbin Retreat, Kangaroo Island?

Check-in begins at 2:00 PM.

What time is check-out at Cape Forbin Retreat, Kangaroo Island?

Checkout is at 11:00 AM.

Where is Cape Forbin Retreat, Kangaroo Island located?

Situated in De Mole River, this holiday home is 0.1 mi (0.1 km) from Cape Torrens Wilderness Protection Area and within 25 miles (40 km) of Flinders Chase National Park and Rocky River Mouth. Maupertuis Beach and Snelling Beach are also within 25 miles (40 km).

Reviews

10

Exceptional

Reviews are presented in chronological order, subject to a moderation process, and verified unless otherwise labelled.
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Rating 10 - Excellent. 59 out of 61 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 2 out of 61 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 0 out of 61 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 0 out of 61 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 61 reviews

9.8/10

Cleanliness

10/10

Check-in

10/10

Communication

10/10

Location

10/10

Listing accuracy

Reviews

Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Fabulous stay! Breathtaking views! Highly recommended!
Stayed 4 nights in Nov 2025
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
This is truly a magical place. The house is very well stocked with everything you can imagine. The remoteness of the property allows you to wonder freely. Our host was fantastic. From pre check in to having everything in the house detailed and labeled. I couldn't recommend this place more. We loved our stay so very much!!
Stayed 4 nights in Apr 2026
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Disliked: Cleanliness
Stunning location away from it all
Stayed 4 nights in Oct 2025
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
An amazing location to explore, relax and soak up the coastline of KI in total peace and isolation. A really special place to visit and spend time with family, with everything you could need provided, comfortable beds and cosy fire - rejuvenating.Thank you John and Hester.
Stayed 6 nights in Sep 2025
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

wonderful

We had a lovely stay and great time at Cape Forbin - will come again!
Stayed 7 nights in Dec 2024
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
The house is lovely and self sufficient in energy and water. We loved the view and our bush walks. It is at the end of an unpaved road, but the host provided clear directions.
Stayed 4 nights in Nov 2025
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Awesome location, a magical stay!

Breathtaking location, from the kangaroo-lined drive along the long driveway to the stunning views of the cliffs from inside the cottage, we loved everything about our holiday! With nightly visits from the local wildlife, exploring the little cove and river, and a great location to set out to explore all of KI's attractions, we'd love to return to this magical place!
Stayed 4 nights in Oct 2024
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Fantastic place. Great views. Incredibly peaceful. Can’t recommend the experience and property more highly. All the logistics were well described and easy to follow. It’s remote, but that’s its charm - take enough supplies for your stay as you won’t want to leave.
Stayed 5 nights in Sep 2025
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Cape Forbin is a very special place, it’s clear that the owners love and invest effort in the natural world around the retreat. There are many visitors in the form of kangaroos and wallabies, we never saw a person the whole time we were there. The house and facilities are as described, perhaps even better in real life. The owners were very helpful, providing lots of information to help make our stay enjoyable. The little beach was fantastic, and unspoilt. I would highly recommend!
Stayed 5 nights in Dec 2025
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Fantastic property & so easy to relax. Everything you need is here. Kitchen well appointed. views you just sit & waste away the day. If you are looking for a perfect escape from your normal hustle. Do yourself a favour & stay here!!! All the communication from John from confirmation of booking to arrival was extremely thorough We leave with hearts & minds rested
Stayed 7 nights in Dec 2025
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

great time

perfect in every aspect
Stayed 6 nights in Dec 2023
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Stunning landscape

We were there for 5 days and loved it. The house was great, beautiful spot, short walk to stunning private beach. When we filled the bird pool we had up to ten different gorgeous bird species every day then wallabies and kangaroos at night. Could sit and look at the view for days.
Stayed 4 nights in Apr 2025
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Incredible view and amazing house

The house and location were just incredible and couldn’t have wished for a better place to stay. All the facilities were as advertised and the photos didn’t do the view justice. We sta
Stayed 4 nights in Jan 2025
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

An incredibly beautiful place to get away from it all.

We absolutely loved our stay at Cape Forbin Retreat. Great house, stunning landscape, fabulous walks and curious kangaroos. Waking up to an ever changing kaleidoscope of colours was a definite highlight.
Stayed 5 nights in Oct 2018
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Just Amazing

Cape Forbin Retreat is a very special paradise. The wildlife and plant life are second to none.. cannot recommend it highly enough if you like being out in nature. The house is extremely well set up and comfortable. Thank You.
Stayed 5 nights in Oct 2023
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Sublime and magical

I cannot recommend this little cottage highly enough, it exceeded our expectations. The location was incredible and meant we did not have to drive around the island to see sights - the beauty, wildlife was at our door. The cottage was well appointed and very comfortable and John and Hester were great at communicating. Thank you both for allowing us to have the privilege of staying in a pristine wonderland.
Stayed 4 nights in Mar 2024
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Amazing property

I had an amazing week celebrating my 50th birthday and the accommodation absolutely contributed to that!There were a couple of hiccups but John was quick to communicate and the farm managers were friendly and available to assist.The property was comfortable and clean and the locals (kangaroos, goannas, birds) were amazing to watch at the end of the day.You will not be disappointed by the location, the house or the stunning view. It is well worth the extra drive to the west of the island.
Stayed 5 nights in Jan 2025
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Wow

Our 1st fifteen words were "Wow". What amazing scenery. Big cliffs, open ocean, fantastic wildlife and great sunsets. And you've got it all to yourself. The walks can be a real adventure also. Truly wonderful.
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2024
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Highlight

100% highlight of our SA trip is this Accom and location. Thank you John for the directions and impeccable attention to detail in information. From the moment we arrived we were relaxed and looking forward to our KI adventure. We didn’t want to leave which is unusual for us who like our creature comforts. I have to love my life surrounded by nature and felt this was perfect for me to stay connected to nature. The birdlife was incredible from Wedgetails to sea eagles, pods of dolphins to Koalas and Kangaroos and all the little tiny visitors to the bird baths including the brown headed honeyeaters what a treat. We will sure return given the opportunity and highly recommend this adventure.
Stayed 5 nights in Mar 2025
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Majestic Rugged Beauty

From the moment we entered the drive in, it was as if we had come to the land time had forgot. Coming in over the last hill and seeing the view was incredible. How dramatic and how moving. We could stare out forever at what we call our “two sleeping giants”. How special to have a river below as well. We felt privileged to be able to have shared this place with all the wildlife and spectacular birds. We have only put the TV on in the morning to watch news briefly. Night time was spent enjoying the wildlife and stunning sunsets looking over the ocean The house has extensive glass all around to be able to enjoy inside as well. From the kitchen window the view of the back woodland is fascinating and we always saw something new each time. Beautiful beach below. Great cliff walks . So much life! Eagles soaring! Two goannas visiting us daily. We went on a fishing charter at Western River Cove and the drive out at 5.30am in the morning was fabulous. We saw hundreds of kangaroos and some koalas. It was very special. Hester I loved your library of informative books on Cape Forbin. Nice to be able to put a name to the flora and all the different birds.The house is beautifully appointed . Thank you John for all the detailed and precise instructions and all the information on Cape Forbin. A big thank you to Leena and Nick for looking after us. Nine nights of wonder. Thank you for sharing it with us. Sue and Norm
Stayed 9 nights in Dec 2023
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Perfect stay in paradise

Es war so wie wir es erwartet hatten: ein perfekter Aufenthalt im Paradies. Wir waren zum dritten mal in Kangoroo Island und auch in dieser Gegend. Es ist immer noch ein Paradies. Das Haus von John und Hester ist genauso wie man sich ein Haus an dieser Stelle der Erde wünscht ! It was just as we expected: a perfect stay in paradise. This was our third time in Kangoroo Island and also in this area. It's still a paradise. John and Hester's house is exactly how you would want a house in this part of the world!
Stayed 5 nights in Mar 2024
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Paradise on Kangaroo Island

Nous avons adoré notre séjour dans cet endroit paradisiaque. Emplacement magnifique, proximité avec la faune (kangaroos), endroit paisible. Séjour au delà de nos attentes. Fortement recommandé. Instructions très claires avec des recommandations tout à fait appropriées dès propriétaires. Si vous séjournez sur l’île, c’est l’endroit rêvé !
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2023
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Ahh, the serenity...

A lovely space to just exhale and relax...we enjoyed our time thoroughly! Thank you for sharing a part of the world that most people would never get to experience...we feel very privileged. Such a welcoming house (beds upstairs were super comfy!) and very friendly hosts with great communication (informative and quick responses), amazing views, fishing, bushwalks, surrounded by gorgeous animals and birdlife... Kangaroo Island showing off what it does best!
Stayed 4 nights in Nov 2022
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Dream stay at magical Cape Forbin

From our 1 st enquire on this magical place. Our communication with John and Hester has been exemplary. Everything was so well layed out and accessible. A dream place and a dream stay. We can't wait for our next visit Thank you John and Hester x
Stayed 9 nights in Oct 2022
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Tranquility

Lovely place, helpful hosts, very private, clean and warm, comfy bed, remote, peaceful, great amenities, cute neighbours (ie the wildlife!), awesome views, we plan to return :-)
Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2022
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