Penguin Island, Perth

When you think of Australian wildlife you don't immediately think of penguins but one species of penguin, the smallest, does live around the coast. This is the Little Penguin and a large colony lives on a small island just off the coast south of Perth - Penguin Island. It's a short five minute ferry journey to the island which is part of Shoalwater Islands Marine Park.

During the day most of the penguins are at sea fishing but there is a small number on show in a Discovery Centre on the island. These are birds that have been injured, rescued and are unable to survive in the wild. I don't use the word cute very often but it certainly applies to these little creatures.



The island is home to a variety of bird life and has large colonies of Australian pelicans  (above) and enormous numbers of seagulls and terns (below). There are dolphins and sea lions around the coast though we saw none of these. The walk around the island on boardwalks is spectacular - a lot of flies though, I should have have bought one of those hats with corks!