Western Australia · Rockingham
Penguin Island
A short ferry to a marine-park island off Rockingham — open in the warmer months, and a colony that now needs our care.
The place
Penguin Island
Penguin Island sits inside Shoalwater Islands Marine Park, a five-minute ferry from Mersey Point near Rockingham. The 12.5-hectare island — a conservation park since 1918 — has boardwalks, beaches, a discovery centre, and dolphins, sea lions and seabirds offshore.
The island is open to visitors roughly from mid-September to early June and closes over winter for the breeding season, as well as on days forecast to reach 35°C or more, to protect the birds from heat stress.
Please read the status note carefully: this once-large colony has declined dramatically in recent years and now needs every visitor to tread lightly.
All places to see penguinsRegion
Western Australia
Nearest
Rockingham · ~45 min from Perth
Species
Little penguin
Season
~15 Sep – early Jun (closed in winter)
Access
Ferry from Mersey Point
Protected
Shoalwater Islands Marine Park
Good to know
- Always take the ferry — never attempt to walk the sandbar, where drownings have occurred.
- Colony status: down sharply since 2007; conservationists have called for greater protection.
- Check the ferry operator for current opening dates and hot-day closures before you travel.