Penguin Island

Corner Arcadia Drive and Penguin Road, Perth, Western Australia 6169, Australia

(08) 9591 1333

Website

54 visitor photos

Ranked #17 of 74 attractions in Perth

70 Reviews

Type: Islands, Nature/ Wildlife Areas

Activities: Viewing wildlife

Owner description: Located in the spectacular Shoalwater Islands Marine Park, just 45 minutes south of Perth is Penguin Island- a beautiful, unspoilt nature reserve home...... more » Owner description: Located in the spectacular Shoalwater Islands Marine Park, just 45 minutes south of Perth is Penguin Island- a beautiful, unspoilt nature reserve home to WA's largest colony of little penguin as well as dolphins, sea lions, stingrays, pelicans, ospreys and more. Visitors can see the penguins being fed by rangers at the Discovery Centre. It's also fantastic for swimming, snorkelling, having a picnic or just enjoying some of the best coastal scenery in Perth. Rockingham Wild Encounters operate an hourly ferry service to Penguin Island (it's only a 5 minute ride), glass bottom boat cruises of Shoalwater Bay and adventure style cruises to watch the local dolphins and explore more of the marine park. Sea Kayak Tours and Kite boarding Lessons are also available.

Useful Information: Activities for older children, Activities for young children

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70 reviews from our community

rolls29

Perth wESTERN aUSTRALIA

Senior Contributor

44 reviews

Reviews in 10 cities

5 helpful votes

“"nice small island."”

Reviewed 21 May 2012 NEW

during summer time can walk across the beach area to island.but can be dangerous,late afternoon on incoming tides. More

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James N

Perth, Australia

Senior Contributor

22 reviews

Reviews in 6 cities

“Turquoise shallows”

Reviewed 20 May 2012 NEW

That's what you get at P.I. and never particularly crowded! The water is so beautiful it just drives me nuts! More

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outlawwa

Perth, Australia

Contributor

15 reviews

Reviews in 7 cities

“Look under the boardwalks”

Reviewed 14 May 2012

We love going to the island, the water is usually warmer for swimming and just soooo clear. If you think the ferry is expensive don't be tempted to walk the sandbar. It is dangerous and the water conditions change amazingly quickly. People have died crossing so the $$$ for the ferry is the safer option. Make sure you look under... More

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Thanks for your great rating and review on Penguin Island : ) It's always nice to get good reviews from regular visitors. I really appreciate your wise advice on not walking the sandbar.... since there is a long history of people walking in the past when it used to be a lot shallower it has been quite a challenge trying... More

Ozzie T

Perth, Australia

Contributor

17 reviews

Reviews in 8 cities

6 helpful votes

“Cute Little Penguins”

Reviewed 13 May 2012

The safest way to get to Penguin Island is by ferry from Mersey Point Jetty that leaves every hour on the hour for about $6 one way. There is a sandbar from the jetty to the island, but I strongly recommend you don’t try walking it unless you are an extremely strong swimmer and are wearing a life vest, as... More

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Thanks for your great rating and very informative review on Penguin Island- especially regarding catching the ferry rather than attempting to walk the sandbar. Just some advice for visitors reading this review. Although there are no shops or restaurants on the island, you are welcome to bring eskies and picnic baskets on our boats. There is an excellent shaded picnic... More

onigiri86

Singapore

Reviewer

4 reviews

Reviews in 3 cities

5 helpful votes

“Nice experience :)”

Reviewed 12 May 2012

We visited penguin island on a wet autumn weekday on route to rockingham back from Margaret river. I would recommend paying to view both the penguins at the discovery center and sea lions/seals. The guides were friendly enough. However, due to the weather, we were unable to explore more on the island. We could only see about 8-10 penguins at... More

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Thanks for your kind review of Penguin Island. We really appreciate your feedback. It's a shame you had bad weather during your visit but at least there was plenty of wildlife to see. I hope you enjoyed the rest of your stay in WA and visit us again soon. More

bigfella68

Perth, Australia

Senior Reviewer

6 reviews

Reviews in 2 cities

“it could be so much more”

Reviewed 10 May 2012

i have been visiting pengo for over 30 years. not much has changed on the island exept for the observatory, which is a good addition. you need to go all over the island to really get the place. snorkeling around the reef systems is fantastic . More

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Thanks for your review of Penguin Island. In regards to your heading 'It could be so much more'- we do get some visitor feedback similar to this from time to time and although I do understand this point of view, I think it's important to remember that Penguin Island is a Class A nature reserve and it's primary purpose is... More

Auzzy87

Perth, Australia

Senior Contributor

22 reviews

Reviews in 13 cities

10 helpful votes

“good Surf Beaches”

Reviewed 9 May 2012

to access the island you need to catch a ferry across which i believe also gives you access to their penguine observatory where they house injured penguines and nurse them back before releasing them back into the wild. although it is called penguin island it is more like "seagull island" with more seagulls than any other living creature on the... More

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Thanks for your review on Penguin Island. I appreciate that you mentioned the dangers associated with walking the sandbar. We rescue a few hundred people every year who get into difficulty when attempting to cross the sandbar. For anybody reading this review and considering doing the walk, you should be aware that the distance is approximately 850 metres and that... More

dss321

Perth, Australia

Senior Reviewer

9 reviews

Reviews in 3 cities

1 helpful vote

“Amazing Day Trip!”

Reviewed 24 April 2012

We kayaked to Penguin Island with Rivergods Kayaking Tours (much recommended also). This place is so great for the view from the top, the wildlife (sea lions, rescued penguins - didn't see any wild ones, birds, and skinks), and the beaches/water. More

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Thanks for your great review and rating for Penguin Island. Sounds like you had a great day on the kayaking tour. Paddling is a great way to explore the islands and marine park as nothing beats getting a close up water level view of the wildlife! Thanks again and we hope you visit again soon. More

slushysnowman

Perth

Senior Reviewer

8 reviews

Reviews in 2 cities

“Great day out”

Reviewed 18 April 2012

Penguin Island was an awesome day out. It's definitely worth the little bit extra to do the sealion and pelican safari. Only downside is it's quite far to get to Rockingham from Perth More

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Thanks very much for your review on Penguin Island and appreciate you recommending our Penguin & Sea Lion Cruise : ) A bit surprised by your comment on getting from Rockingham to Perth?! it's only 50 minutes by car straight down the freeway. Alternatively the train will get you From Perth to Rockingham in around 35 minutes and then catching... More

Scottishsparky29

1 review

“Nice place to visit”

Reviewed 18 April 2012

We visited on a public holiday and queue was long. Was a bit disappointed as I too was expecting to see penguins all over the island but instead they are indoors in a pool for them. Really nice place to visit though really nice for relaxing and for swimming etc. The island is not huge it has boardwalks to follow... More

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Hi there and thanks for the great rating and review. Apologies for the long queue but when the weather is great we are always busy on public holidays. To reduce waiting time we did run the ferry to Penguin island every 20 minutes over the long weekend. We also put on extra glass bottom boat and safari cruises to ensure... More