Regular ferries carry tourists to and from the island and other marine-park sights, the journey taking 5 minutes from Mersey point. The island can also be reached by private boat, kayaking, swimming, or walking across a tidal sandbar, which is often exposed above sea level at low tide for a large portion of its length, however at high tide, most of the sandbar is under varying depths of water. as weather conditions can change quickly, making the crossing dangerous, which has resulted in several drownings.
Facilities
There is a picnic area with seating and water taps, and waterless composting toilets on the island. Visitors should take their own supply of food and drink with them, since none can be purchased there. Litter bins are not provided on the island and all visitors are required to take away their own rubbish. This is to remove potential food sources for destructive animals such as black rats, which have previously led to a reduction in the penguin population. In 2013 a successful baiting program was conducted to eliminate a rat population that had become established on the island.
Natural features
While the island's little penguins are the island's main attraction, many other nesting and roosting seabirds can be seen including a -strong colony of pelicans. Penguin Island's varied geographical features include cliffs, small sea caves, headlands, beaches, coves, notches and natural bridges. There are also numerous wave-cut platforms. Significant areas of Penguin Island include North Rock, Pelican Bluff, North Beach, McKenzies Well, South Beach, Abalone Point, and Surfers Beach. There are numerous lookouts, boardwalks and walkways throughout most of the island. Some areas are fenced off to the public to protect wildlife and lessen dune erosion.
The Penguin Island Walk Trail is a 1.5 km trail that loops around the island. The walking trail starts at the Penguin Island Discovery Center and includes several lookout points from where some of the terrestrial and marine animals can be observed.
Little penguin colony
In the 19th and 20th centuries, the penguins of Penguin Island were victims of dog attacks and shooting by holiday-makers. An informal assessment of the Penguin Island colony was made by Vincent Serventy in 1946. After several visits, he estimated the colony to number approximately pairs. In the 1940s concern was expressed for the viability of the penguin colony on Penguin Island, due to combined threats of human landing parties with guns and dogs, occasional fires, and an abundance of rabbits which were denuding the island of its former vegetation and accelerating its erosion. Rabbits were believed to have been introduced to the island in the 1920s, and numbered approximately four to five thousand in the late 1940s. By 1950, it had become an illegal act to take a dog to Penguin Island. Penguins were present on Penguin Island in the 1890s, 1900s, 1910s and 1920s. Australian sea lions were also known to haul out on the island around this time. In the 21st century, spotting wild little penguins at the island is unusual as for most of the year, daylight hours are spent at sea chasing fish, and visitors are strictly prohibited from being on the island except during specified daylight hours from mid-September to early June. The little penguin population which breeds on Penguin Island is genetically distinct and in decline. In 2007 there were between and little penguins on Penguin Island during breeding months. By 2011, the number had dropped to about. Penguins have been observed taking longer foraging trips leading to chick malnutrition and starvation. Prey depletion and climate change are considered to be major pressures on the breeding population. A proposal to construct a marina at Point Peron is also considered a future threat. Little penguins also breed on nearby Garden Island, to the north. The two colonies are considered as a single meta-population. In 2007, the meta-population was estimated to include a total of individuals.
Rescued penguins
A number of rescued penguins are kept in a dedicated enclosure for visitors to the island to observe. A small population of rescued penguins are kept in a dedicated enclosure on the island which was built by the Department of Environment and Conservation in 1987. As well as being a sanctuary to care for injured wild penguins, it is also the home of the resident penguins that have been badly injured, orphaned as chicks or born in captivity, and it is unlikely that they would survive in the wild. It has been designed to reflect the penguins natural sandy, coastal scrub environment and includes a saltwater pond with viewing panels to watch the little penguins swim. Penguin feedings are held three times daily by a park ranger.
