City of Rockingham, Western Australia

Penguin Island: the Boardwalk Circuit

Distance1.4 km

Elevation gain10 m

DifficultyEasy

Estimated time18 min

Overview

Little penguins nest on an island 700 m off Rockingham, and the walk is boardwalk and beach the whole way round.

The circuit stays near the water. It is short on the map, but people come for the day — the beaches and the time between ferries.

A good half-day with children: take an early ferry, follow the scavenger-hunt signs on the boardwalk, and swim from the beaches after you walk.

Jetty — Where the ferry puts you ashore, on the east side, at the start. This is also where you wait to leave.
Lookout — About a third of the way round, a lookout over the rocks and open water — the place to stop for birds and the sea.
Penguin Island Discovery Centre — The former Discovery Centre, near the end of the loop. A landmark on the path, not somewhere to go in — older descriptions still give it as the start, but you now begin at the jetty.

Do not cross the sandbar. It looks like firm sand and it is not — the current runs hard and the depth changes with no warning. Take the ferry.
Closed from the first week of June until 15 October, and on any day the island is forecast at 35 °C or higher. Check Park Alerts the morning you travel.
If you came by ferry, the last sailing is the only way off. Be back at the jetty in time.

The walk stays near the water and barely climbs at all.
About a third is boardwalk, about a third is path, with sand on the beaches.
231 m of it is steps, so this is not a walk for a pram. Keep to the boardwalks, paths and beaches.

Getting there: Ferry from Mersey Point on the Rockingham foreshore. There is no car park on the island; the walk starts at the jetty.
Tickets and fees: The island is free. Buy the ferry ticket at the visitor centre on the foreshore.
Rules: No dogs or other pets.
Opening hours: Daylight hours only while the island is open.
Facilities: No food is sold on the island, so bring lunch. Picnic tables, water taps and composting toilets are by the path.

Opening dates, heat closures and the ferry are on this page. Check Park Alerts the morning you travel.