Day Trip to Penguin Island from Perth, Australia

Penguin Island is the largest island in Shoalwater Islands Marine Park just off the coast south of Perth.

Perth is the most isolated city in the world, situated all the way on the far western coast of Australia. The next closest major city is Adelaide, more than 2,000km away. It's the fourth-largest city in Australia (after Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane) and the capital of Western Australia. While many travelers come to Australia to see the east coast between Melbourne and Cairns, I can really recommend making the trip out west.

I am currently solo traveling around Australia, following the classic backpacker route, mostly visiting big cities, staying in hostels and traveling by public transport.

For over 45,000 years, the Whadjuk Nyoongar people have lived on this land, long before any Europeans arrived, calling it Boorloo. Penguin Island was used up to 12,000 years ago. The Aboriginal story of Singing Rock, just north of Penguin Island, tells the tale of two lovers who ran off against tribal law; he was speared to death and she was trapped inside the rock and legend goes that you can still hear the girl singing out from the rock to her lover today.

The first person to live on Penguin Island was a New Zealander, Seaforth McKenzie, arriving in 1914. He was granted a lease by the Western Australian government in 1918 and built a holiday resort within the island's caves including crude accommodation, a library, shops and a ballroom. He was much loved by visitors until he returned home to New Zealand in 1926.

In 1987, Parks & Wildlife took over the lease and no accommodation remains on the island, only recreational facilities for day-use, to ensure that the wildlife are preserved within the Shoalwater Islands Marine Park. Penguin Island is the only island in the marine park that you can visit.

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Useful Information for Penguin Island

Below is some useful information for preparing for your trip to Penguin Island. In all cases, please be sure to check with the relevant local authorities for the latest and accurate information.

Language: The official language of Australia is English. In Perth, the traditional language of the Whadjuk Nyoongar people is Noogar.

→ Learn more about the language of the Whadjuk Nyoongar people.

Currency: The currency used in Australia is the Australian dollar, denoted as AUD $. I use a Wise account when I travel which allows me to have a single, free account with multiple currencies. I only have to pay once to convert my money in the app and then I can pay in AUD $!

→ Check the latest currency conversion between AUD $ and your local currency.

Data: Before you arrive, I recommend purchasing an eSim on your phone so that you can access data the moment you land. eSims are much more convenient as it means you don't have to put a separate physical Sim into your phone. AirAlo offers great deals for eSims of various data sizes and time lengths with Optus.

→ Load an international eSim on your phone with AirAlo.

If you are visiting Australia long term, you might wish to put a physical Sim in your phone as AirAlo is geared more towards short term visitors on holiday. This way you can access a local phone plan. There are three main mobile phone network providers in Australia: Telstra, Optus and Vodafone. Telstra has the best coverage across the country whereas Optus and Vodafone are good within cities. I recommend Telstra as it means you have the best coverage while you travel around the country, especially in rural areas.

Visa: All passport holders except New Zealand require a visa to visit Australia. All arrivals must fill out an Australian arrival card before landing.

→ Check which visa you need for Australia.

Time of year to visit: Australia can be visited all year-round. Perth, the capital city of Western Australia, can get very hot and busy in the summer, especially around school holidays, and cool in the winter months. I recommend visiting in spring (September-November) or autumn (March-May) for pleasant, sunny days.

How to Get to Penguin Island

The only way to get to Penguin Island is by ferry from Perth Wild Encounters. At the time of writing, a roundtrip ticket was AUD $18. The ferry leaves every hour on the hour and takes just five minutes to cross as Penguin Island is fairly close to shore, connected by an underwater sand bar. It is not permitted to cross the sand bar on foot as it is dangerous.

You can reach Perth Wild Encounters by public transport from Perth: take the train down to Rockingham then transfer to bus 551 or 552, a journey of just over an hour. By car it's about a 45-minute journey.

How to Get Around Penguin Island

Best Things to Do on Penguin Island

When you buy your ferry tickets, you can choose to add on an extra fee for access to the Discovery Centre Daily Feeding. Penguin feeding happens three times per day and visitors can enjoy watching adorable little penguins get fed. The little penguins are the smallest species of the penguin family.

Walking the 2km boardwalk loop is the best way to see the whole island and all the wonderful birds that inhabit the bird sanctuary. Up to 30 bird species have been spotted on the island, my favourite being the massive pelican. Please don't leave the boardwalk for their protection.

If it's a nice day, Penguin Island is a lovely spot to go swimming or snorkeling and have a picnic on the beach.

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Jana Meerman

Hi! I’m Jana, a Dutch-German-British-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.

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