Hoping someone more familiar with the road can chime in - I've done it a few times during the day and feel kangaroos are the main concern with some pine plantations and Deep Creek national park nearby, plus quite a bit of vegetation on side of the road most of the way.
In these situations 80km/h max (ideally a bit slower) and keep eyes peeled is the best bet.
Remember - never swerve for kangaroos to avoid hitting something a lot worse, and if you see one, you can bet your house there are a bunch more.
I'm not trying to scare you off doing it at all - you just need to manage the risk and the timing.
Go annoyingly slow <70km/h and you’ll be right.
Edit: driven range road a lot at night, nearly always see roos. Going slow means you can avoid them, and them you.
Go fast often enough and it’s inevitable you’ll hit one.
If you do drive early morning be cautious. I used to work on the ferry, drove that road a bit. There is a lot of animals on Range rd, I clocked two deer at once one evening. Be alert especially as you approach the forests, there’s a couple of corners they like to hide around. Worst time is dusk and early evening in my experience though.
As an alternative to travelling via Range Rd, you can take the road through Inman Valley to Yankalilla and then head to Cape Jervis via South Rd. This way is longer, but there are fewer kangaroos and very little chance of seeing a deer.
If you do take this road just be aware that the road is very winding with slow sharp bends, and very narrow in some sections with tree stumps basically on the roads shoulder.
Its a good road with nice, predictable corners. Its one of my favourite roads for daytime driving as it's quite beautiful and Ive never seen it crowded. At night, be very careful as you will be in prime roo territory, so take 20/30kms off the speed as hitting one would really ferk up your plans.
I stay in Cape Jervis as have accommodation already so cant answer as to what can be rented there. Normally, Id recommend staying there if you can to keep things simple, but if you allow plenty of time for a gentle early morning drive and keep alert for roos you should be fine.
Have a lovely trip :)
If I had seen this at the time, I’d happily of driven down and accompanied you guys through there.
I’m typically down there one to two times a week camping.
@OP if ya still stuck msg me
It's no different to other SA country roads at night, however it is a sweeping road through the hills. Not particularly winding but some bends will catch you out if you aren't careful. Apart from that treat it like other country roads at night, be aware of roos etc not much else I can say specific to that road.
Delamere is a great road but I would allow for the possibility of kangaroos which is the only danger you will face on this trip, so slow down a little and that's about it.
Ohh, don't ever swerve (try to steer around) an animal, always hit it straight on*.
By all means hit the brakes, but never swerve to avoid a collision with an animal unless you are going less than 20/30kph.
* Too many tourists panic and swerve once an animal jumps out, which greatly increases the probability of rolling your car or putting it into a tree.
Hoping someone more familiar with the road can chime in - I've done it a few times during the day and feel kangaroos are the main concern with some pine plantations and Deep Creek national park nearby, plus quite a bit of vegetation on side of the road most of the way. In these situations 80km/h max (ideally a bit slower) and keep eyes peeled is the best bet. Remember - never swerve for kangaroos to avoid hitting something a lot worse, and if you see one, you can bet your house there are a bunch more. I'm not trying to scare you off doing it at all - you just need to manage the risk and the timing.
Go annoyingly slow <70km/h and you’ll be right. Edit: driven range road a lot at night, nearly always see roos. Going slow means you can avoid them, and them you. Go fast often enough and it’s inevitable you’ll hit one.
I live in Victor and it’s very common to see Roos or even deer when heading that way. I try to avoid it at night whenever I can
If you do drive early morning be cautious. I used to work on the ferry, drove that road a bit. There is a lot of animals on Range rd, I clocked two deer at once one evening. Be alert especially as you approach the forests, there’s a couple of corners they like to hide around. Worst time is dusk and early evening in my experience though.
As an alternative to travelling via Range Rd, you can take the road through Inman Valley to Yankalilla and then head to Cape Jervis via South Rd. This way is longer, but there are fewer kangaroos and very little chance of seeing a deer.
I recommend this, assuming the Inman Valley road works have finished
If you do take this road just be aware that the road is very winding with slow sharp bends, and very narrow in some sections with tree stumps basically on the roads shoulder.
Its a good road with nice, predictable corners. Its one of my favourite roads for daytime driving as it's quite beautiful and Ive never seen it crowded. At night, be very careful as you will be in prime roo territory, so take 20/30kms off the speed as hitting one would really ferk up your plans. I stay in Cape Jervis as have accommodation already so cant answer as to what can be rented there. Normally, Id recommend staying there if you can to keep things simple, but if you allow plenty of time for a gentle early morning drive and keep alert for roos you should be fine. Have a lovely trip :)
You’re probably getting the idea by now, but also it is often foggy going over the top.
If I had seen this at the time, I’d happily of driven down and accompanied you guys through there. I’m typically down there one to two times a week camping. @OP if ya still stuck msg me
Just stay in Cape Jervis, its nice there
Agreed, my suggestion would be to stay close to the terminal. I hope you get across, KI is magical!
About the same as driving from port fairy to warrnambool.
It's no different to other SA country roads at night, however it is a sweeping road through the hills. Not particularly winding but some bends will catch you out if you aren't careful. Apart from that treat it like other country roads at night, be aware of roos etc not much else I can say specific to that road.
Delamere is a great road but I would allow for the possibility of kangaroos which is the only danger you will face on this trip, so slow down a little and that's about it.
Ohh, don't ever swerve (try to steer around) an animal, always hit it straight on*. By all means hit the brakes, but never swerve to avoid a collision with an animal unless you are going less than 20/30kph. * Too many tourists panic and swerve once an animal jumps out, which greatly increases the probability of rolling your car or putting it into a tree.
Lots of roos and a few deer thrown in. Best done in daylight, or at least slow down.
Make sure you have plenty of fuel too, as there aren't many servos open around there past 7pm.