Penguin Island

Penguin Island is a classical ecotourism destination located less than one hour (~50 km driving plus ferry crossing) from Perth. Despite the closeness to the Western Australia capital city of 1.75 million people and the summer vacation season, the island has very few visitors. This would be hard to imagine in Europe or North America, and we appreciated the privacy especially when admiring the abundant wildlife and the waters. The Shoalwater Islands Marine Park, which includes Penguin and Seal Islands, is rich in marine, terrestrial and seabird wildlife. I am not talking just about the little penguins, pelicans (see picture), terns and stilts, kites and ospreys, Australian sea lions (see picture), and bottlenose dolphins that we spotted there, but also the Western Australia seahorses and leafy seadragons, turtles and fish that populate the waters. Seagrass carpets a wide area around the island and supports fish, which in turn feed the many dolphins visiting daily. Seagrass and shallow waters also color the landscape in memorable tones. I hope the pictures reflect my impressions a little bit. A wooden walking trail circles the island and also offers refuge to skinks and little penguins. To us, it offered a chance to walk around the entire island and admire the views, the nesting colonies of pelicans and bridled terns (see picture), while the Indian Ocean breeze coiffed our hair in original seagrass style… It’s a place to always want to return to.