South Australia · Penneshaw
Kangaroo Island
Small colonies persist on the north coast, but the guided tours have closed — it is no longer a viewing destination.
The place
Kangaroo Island
Little penguins still nest in small numbers along Kangaroo Island's northern coast, around Penneshaw, Kingscote and Emu Bay. But the Penneshaw penguin centre and its guided tours have closed amid a steep, sustained decline.
Conservation work continues — revegetation, artificial burrows and feral-cat control — to give the remaining birds a chance, and recent counts suggest some colonies have at least stabilised.
For now, treat Kangaroo Island as a place where penguins quietly persist, not as a place to go and watch them.
Status: Tours closed amid decline — penguins persist in small numbers, not a viewing destination.
All places to see penguinsRegion
Kangaroo Island, SA
Nearest
Penneshaw / Kingscote
Species
Little penguin (small numbers)
Best time
—
Access
No commercial tours
Getting there
Ferry from Cape Jervis
Good to know
- There is no operating commercial penguin viewing on the island at present.
- If you're on KI for its other wildlife, keep dogs away from the coast and drive slowly at dusk.
- Reached by ferry from Cape Jervis to Penneshaw.