Our story
Born from a lifelong love of wildlife.
Waves & Wildlife began as a passion to develop these 70 acres as a nature sanctuary for wildlife. It grew out of more than 55 years of rescuing and hand-raising hundreds of orphaned kangaroo, wallaby, possum and koala joeys, as well as birds — starting well before Kangaroo Island was a popular tourist destination, purely out of deep care for the animals.
It runs in conjunction with Paul’s Place Wildlife Sanctuary, which has rescued and cared for KI wildlife for over 50 years. We wanted to create something in a space we love so much, where wildlife is welcome and protected — a genuine experience born from a lifelong love of animals and people.
This is small, non-commercialised accommodation. It isn’t a business based purely on profit; we’ve kept it affordable for ordinary people like ourselves, and every booking contributes to the care of this special place. Nothing here is perfect, but for the right people, it’s exactly right.
Wild and free
No cages, no enclosures. Wildlife lives here in its natural habitat, on its own terms, and you get to watch.
Born from care
Over 55 years of self-funded rescue and hand-raising, extending naturally into a sanctuary you can stay within.
Real and affordable
Small and non-commercialised, kept affordable on purpose. Every booking helps care for this special space.
Rebuilding, with gratitude.
Our animal rescue has been self-funded for over 50 years, apart from a fire-relief GoFundMe set up by Katja’s brother to rebuild the animal facilities completely destroyed in the 2020 bushfires. Every donated cent is accounted for and matched from our own savings to rebuild their homes. Like others, we were fortunate to receive free veterinary care and volunteer help — we’ll be forever grateful for the generosity of so many. The kindness lifted our spirits when they were completely beaten. Forever grateful, and never forgotten.
It has taken seven years to almost restore sixty years of work, with the help of family, friends and volunteers. The only major thing still to do is rebuild our own home — so you’ll still find us here at Waves & Wildlife should you ever need anything, at any time.
Much love — Paul, Poppy, Sunny, Katja and the critters.
And a huge thank-you to Andre and Kathrin, our German friends, for making this beautiful website and having the patience to wait two years for our input. We love you.