Be enchanted by timeless beauty
RONAN O’CONNELL loves the peace of Penguin Island
Once the domain of an eccentric king but now ruled by rare sea and land animals, the Shoalwater Islands Marine Park is an enchanting location, in history and in nature.
It lies just off the coast 45km south of Perth and yet, despite offering visitors the chance to take part in penguin feeding, to swim with dolphins and inspect seal colonies, the park rarely is busy outside its peak summer season.
This is a positive — the space and quiet benefits the breeding seabirds, nesting penguins and the curious visitors who make the short journey from the mainland.
Speak to Shoalwater locals and many will tell you they’re delighted by the park’s relatively low profile. In a suburb popular with retirees, the park’s peace and silence are cherished.
On weekdays, it is possible to wander sections of Penguin Island without seeing another person. Sitting alone on a limestone outcrop with exotic birds cruising above your head and bottlenose dolphins gliding through the translucent waters of the Indian Ocean, it is easy to forget how close you are to suburbia.
Sheltered Shoalwater Bay is a playground for these aquatic animals, as well as huge flocks of migrating birds. It is home to Penguin and Seal islands, both of which can be independently reached from the mainland by boat or kayak, on regular ferry trips, or as part of boat cruises.
Penguin Island hosts more than 1000 little penguins — the smallest penguin species on Earth. Adults are about 40cm tall and typically weigh only 1kg.
Their thick skeletons offer crucial support during their deep-sea dives to catch fish. The penguins spend their days hunting in the waters surrounding the island, diving up to 60m below the ocean surface for whitebait, pilchards and other small fish.
During these expeditions, they can sometimes stray more than 100km from the island. However, on an average day, they return to Penguin Island an hour or two after sunset to rest.
Their offshore daytime activities and reclusive night-time habits make little penguins difficult to spot in the wild. But visitors can get to know these petite creatures by attending the three penguin- feeding shows each day.
The hungry penguins are clearly comfortable in the company of humans and crowds gather to watch them from just metres away as they eat their meals at the Penguin Island Discovery Centre.
Complementing the large penguin population are the 16 different species of seabirds that have chosen the island as a base for nesting, feeding and roosting. Along with flocks of Australian pelicans, ospreys, cormorants, little eagles and singing honeyeaters, the park hosts breeding colonies of silver gulls, bridled terns, fairy terns and Caspian terns. More than 2000 pairs of bridled terns migrate to Shoalwater Bay in spring to breed before returning to warmer waters in Indonesia.
With its lack of predators such as cats, dogs and foxes, the park is a safe and attractive location for birds and penguins, as well as the sea lions that occupy nearby Seal Island.
Visitor numbers also are controlled, with tourists allowed on Penguin Island only by day. It is closed from June to mid-September during the penguins’ breeding season.
Their noisy courtship rituals precede this season and the pregnant penguins typically lay two eggs, which are then incubated by both parents for slightly more than a month.
At all times of the year, visitors are barred from stepping on to Seal Island, about 1km north of Penguin Island, to protect its colony of Australian sea lions, which are one of the rarest species in the world.
Unlike Rottnest, there is no accommodation on Penguin Island.
This was not always the case but environmental preservation has been paramount since Penguin Island’s lease was acquired by the former Department of Conservation and Land Management almost 30 years ago. Before that there were a few scattered shacks rented to visitors by the private company which controlled the lease. The island’s first known human inhabitant was a quirky New Zealander named Seaforth McKenzie.
Described as a “bearded man with gallant manners and a twinkling eye”, he lived on the island for 12 years in the early 20th century, initially as a squatter and later as its legal occupant. McKenzie lived in a shack he dubbed his “manor” and constructed a number of cave dwellings, where he crowned himself the “king” of Penguin Island.
It wasn’t until 1926 that he left the island and returned across the Tasman Sea to his wife and children in New Zealand. McKenzie’s lengthy stay in the park suggests he knew just what a treasure it is. And almost 90 years on, it remains one of Perth’s most under- appreciated natural wonders.
Ferries to Penguin Island depart from the jetty at the corner of Arcadia Drive and Penguin Road in Shoalwater. They leave on the hour from 9am-3pm and return from the island hourly from 10.10am-3.10pm and at 4pm. Return tickets are $15 or $23 including the penguin-feeding shows. penguinisland.com.au and parks.dpaw.wa.gov.au/park/ penguin-island.
The Penguin Island Discovery Centre is open from 10am-3.30pm and hosts three feeding shows a day at 10.30am, 12.30pm and 2.30pm.
Half or full-day swimming with dolphins boat cruises can be organised through Rockingham Wild Encounters. Tickets cost $205 per person for participants or $75 per person for onlookers. dolphins.com.au.
Ferries to Penguin Island depart from the jetty at the corner of Arcadia Drive and Penguin Road in Shoalwater. They leave on the hour from 9am-3pm and return from the island hourly from 10.10am-3.10pm and at 4pm. Return tickets are $15 or $23 including the penguin-feeding shows. penguinisland.com.au and parks.dpaw.wa.gov.au/park/ penguin-island.
The Penguin Island Discovery Centre is open from 10am-3.30pm and hosts three feeding shows a day at 10.30am, 12.30pm and 2.30pm.
Half or full-day swimming with dolphins boat cruises can be organised through Rockingham Wild Encounters. Tickets cost $205 per person for participants or $75 per person for onlookers. dolphins.com.au.
