Do I have to make a booking?

Online Bookings are highly recommended and close 2 hours before departure.. Tickets can also be purchased from our gift shop on the day. Please note if you have booked online, you will still need to come into our gift shop to check in. Please check your confirmation email for check in details and have it ready to show at the front counter. If you’re buying tickets at our front counter, allow at least 15 minutes on week days & 30 minutes on weekends and holidays prior to your desired departure time. On busy days, extra cruises and ferries are scheduled as required.

For groups of 10 or more, we recommend submitting our Group Booking Enquiry Form or Contact Us so our reservations team can assist with making the most of your visit.

How do I redeem my Gift Voucher?

It’s easy, just visit Book Now and select the cruise or activity you have a gift voucher for. Select your desired date and time from the online booking form and then select ‘Book Now’. Insert your Gift Voucher code in the appropriate field and then complete and submit the form. You will receive a confirmation email that contains all the information you need to join your cruise or activity. Just present this on the day at check in at our front counter.

How much time should I allow for a visit?

If you would just like to experience the guided wildlife walk, then you can do this and be back at the mainland in just over an hour, however we recommend you allow a minimum of 2 hours so you can at least explore a little bit. Many visitors choose to spend half or the full day here relaxing on the beach, swimming or just soaking up the relaxed island atmosphere.

What should I wear?

For Penguin Island, wear comfortable footwear. Most visitors wear thongs or sandals. Hats, sunscreen and a long sleeve or UV resistant shirt are recommended for sun protection. Bring swimmers and towels if you are planning water activities. A warm weather proof jacket is recommended even in summer as the afternoon sea breeze can be cold.

On the boats, it’s important that you are adequately dressed because it can be cold, even in summer. A warm weather proof jacket is essential. Gloves, scarves & beanies for the colder days are a good idea.

What should we bring?

There are no shops or cafes on Penguin Island. You’re welcome to bring your own food and drinks, or, purchase before you go from Pengos Cafe on the mainland. There is an excellent shaded picnic area and you’re welcome to bring eskies and picnic baskets on the ferry. There are no BBQ facilities and open flame or gas BBQ’s are prohibited on the island. Surfboards, fishing gear, snorkelling and dive gear are also welcome on the ferry.

Do we need to book our return ferry time?

Getting back to the mainland is easy, no prior booking is required. Return ferries depart hourly from Penguin Island at 10.10am, 11.10am, 12.10pm, 1.10pm, 2.10pm, 3.10pm & 4pm sharp, just walk down to the jetty a few minutes before hand and show your ticket to the skipper prior to boarding. On busy days we just keep running the ferry until everyone is off the island. Please note Penguin Island closes to the public at 4pm so please be waiting on the jetty by this time.

Is it safe to walk across the sandbar?

The management of the sandbar is the responsibility of the WA state government Parks & Wildlife Services. Their advice is ‘Do not walk or wade across the sandbar to Penguin Island. Strong rips and currents can occur, water depth and conditions change rapidly. People have drowned attempting this crossing. Use the ferry service at all times.’

Visitors often enquire about the sandbar as they may see people crossing or have read visitor reviews on social media such as Trip Advisor suggesting that crossing the sandbar is a cheap or fun way to visit Penguin Island. In the interest of visitor safety and for potential liability reasons, our crew will politely reinforce Parks & Wildlife Services' message that the only safe means of accessing Penguin Island is by ferry. This response is sometime perceived incorrectly as being deliberately unhelpful or an attempt to sell them a ferry ticket. Our primary interest is ensuring that everyone has a safe and enjoyable day so please don’t take offence.

Where are all the wild penguins?!

The penguin population, once numbering approximately 1,200, has sadly dwindled to a range of 300 to 350 due to adverse environmental conditions. In response, we urge your support in experiencing the penguin habitat in its natural setting on the island through a guided wildlife walk that emphasises conservation principles. To best support our local little penguin population, PWE propose and are in full support of establishing a Discovery Centre on the mainland. This would not only enhance awareness of the incredible A Class Nature Reserve but also serve as a platform to showcase sustainable conservation practices to all visitors, while respecting the natural habitat of the little penguins.

Please note, while penguins are ashore, it is an extremely stressful time for the penguins and if you do spot some, enjoy the encounter but please observe the following:

• Give the penguins at least 3- 5 metres of space.
• Keep quiet & relaxed.
• Turn your flash off if taking photos as it can damage the penguin’s eyes.

In extreme hot weather, little penguins may come out of hiding and stand in the shallows to cool down. This is a sign of heat stress and should be reported to a ranger so the penguin can be monitored. Please do not ‘assist’ the penguin into deeper water. During moulting they are not waterproof and can’t swim very well. Your kindness may unintentionally cause more stress to the penguin. Penguin Island is now closed when temperatures are 30 degrees celsius or over as per government regulations. You can still enjoy our wildlife cruises though and this is a great way to see the marine park and its wildlife.

What else is there to do?

For the water lovers there’s swimming, snorkelling, scuba diving, & fishing. You’re welcome to bring your gear across on the ferry with you or check out our good quality low cost range of snorkelling equipment available from our gift shop. The sheltered waters and chain of limestone reefs also presents the best sea kayaking and stand up paddle boarding opportunities in Perth.

For nature & wildlife lovers, explore the network of timber boardwalks & coastal lookouts which boasts some of the best coastal scenery in Perth and has been voted one of ‘WA’s Top Nature Trails’. The island is a haven for sea birds many of which choose to nest right next to the boardwalks presenting fantastic viewing opportunities to see new born chicks (especially in September & October). Other wildlife highlights on Penguin Island include viewing the pelican rookeries (all year), spotting humpback whales cruising down the west side of the island from the southern lookout (September to December), the return of the Bridal Terns which migrate to Borneo every year (late October/ early November), spotting the friendly King Skinks (all year) and beach combing and exploring the rock pools on the west side of the island (all year).

For families, Penguin Island has always been a favourite day trip destination. Apart from the ever popular penguin feeding, the safe, shallow beaches on the front of the island are an ideal natural playground for young children to swim, snorkel & fish. Outside the Discovery Centre there is also a touch table full of shells, bones and other fascinating ‘things from the sea’ to keep the kids amused. Don’t forget to pack a picnic lunch to enjoy under the trees overlooking the spectacular marine park.

Can we take prams and/ or wheelchairs?

Prams, strollers & standard wheelchairs are welcome on our ferry & glass bottom boat. Our gangways make boarding these vessels easy and the network of timber boardwalks on the island provide good access to most points of interest. Gloves are recommended for visitors who wish to push the wheels of their wheelchairs.

Can we take home shells and other treasures we find?

Definitely not! We ask people to respect Parks & Wildlife Services' ‘No Touch or Take Flora or Fauna Policy’ while visiting Penguin Island and the Shoalwater Islands Marine Park by:

• Not touching or feeding the wildlife
• Staying on the timber boardwalks and beaches when making your way around Penguin Island
• Leaving any shells, stones, bones, eggs or feathers where you find them (all parts of native fauna or flora, dead or alive, are protected under WA Wildlife legislation).
• Conducting any fishing as per the WA Department of Fisheries regulations.

Pengo's Café (Open daily 8am to 3pm)

Great coffee & cakes, gourmet burgers, awesome fish & chips & fresh salads are available from Pengo's Café next door to Perth Wild Encounters gift shop. It’s the ideal place for a quick bite to eat for breakfast or lunch, before or after your visit to Penguin Island. Enjoy a meal under the shade sails of our alfresco area or have a picnic on the grass next to the children’s playground. There is also a delicious range of freshly made rolls, wraps, salads as well as drinks and snacks to take away for a picnic on Penguin Island. Group catering and private functions are also available, for full details visit the Pengo's Cafe.

Island History

Penguin Island and the waters of Shoalwater Bay have always been regarded as a special place to visit by the people of Perth and have attracted some interesting characters over the years.

Penguin Island was probably first used by the Aboriginal people who have believed to have been in the area up to 12,000 years ago. A local aboriginal legend tells the story of Singing Rock located just to the north of Penguin Island. Apparently a local girl who ran off with her lover against tribal law was chased and caught. Her lover was speared to death while her punishment was to be imprisoned inside the rock. Legend has it that you can still hear the girl singing out to her lover today!

The first person to have lived on the Island was an eccentric New Zealander by the name of Seaforth McKenzie. He was described as a 'bearded man with gallant manners and a twinkling eye' and first squatted on the island in 1914. In 1918 McKenzie was granted an annual lease by the WA government and he set about establishing a holiday resort on the island. Several of the limestone caves on the eastern side of the island were hollowed out and crudely furnished for use as accommodation, a library and a small store where visitors could manage their own account as long as you left a fair amount of money or something of equal value. McKenzie also excavated a 'grand ballroom' known as the palace where he was crowned the 'King of Penguin Island' at a grand ceremony. He was a lover of literature and visitors were invited to his 'library cave' for lamp lit poetry readings. By all accounts visitors greatly admired and respected Seaforth McKenzie despite his eccentricities. McKenzie left the island in 1926 and returned home to his wife Sarah and six children in New Zealand after an absence of 45 years! Apparently he left home to go to work one day and failed to return- his explanation being that he had only just regained his memory of his family! Today the shifting sands of the island have changed much of McKenzie’s caves, but there are still some nails in the cave walls, his old well and some gnarled fig trees to remind us of the 'King of Penguin Island'

Over the years several private enterprises have leased parts of the island for budget style holiday shacks and carnival style entertainment. The lease for the island was bought out by the Department of Conservation and Land Management(now known as Parks & Wildlife Services) in 1987 and is still currently managed by the Department as a Conservation Park. The shacks have been removed and in their place are the Penguin Experience Discovery Centre, the Western Mining Research and Management Centre and improved recreation facilities. The dedication of Parks & Wildlife Services and the staff who manage the islands will ensure that the spectacular natural beauty and wildlife of Penguin Island and the Shoalwater Islands Marine Park will be preserved for generations to come.