Macquarie Island Tasmania Australia
Australia

6 Cruises availables At departure or passage at this port

Aurora Expeditions (1 Cruises)

Lindblad Expeditions (2 Cruises)

Ponant (3 Cruises)

Macquarie Island, Australia | Cruise Port Guide

You hear the island before you truly see it: a continuous roar of bird calls carried on the west wind, then the smell of the colonies, unmistakable among all others. Lost in the Southern Ocean halfway between Tasmania and Antarctica, Macquarie Island is unlike any other destination in the South Pacific. Here, the wildlife is at home; visitors are simply tolerated.

A Listed Island

Part of Tasmania, Macquarie Island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, notably because it exposes rocks from the Earth's mantle at the surface, an extremely rare geological phenomenon. There is no quay: landings are made by inflatable boat, only when the swell and wind allow, under the strict supervision of expedition teams and park rangers.

Sandy Bay, Amid the Colonies

The most frequent landing site bears a modest name, Sandy Bay, for a spectacle that is anything but. On the beach of pebbles and sand, king penguins, royal penguins and gentoo penguins live side by side amid elephant seals sprawled in compact groups. Young seals sometimes approach visitors with disarming curiosity. You walk slowly, stop often, and the camera eventually comes down: watching is enough. The din of the colonies, a mix of trumpeting, grunting and flapping flippers, accompanies every step.

Lusitania Bay, Seen from the Water

Farther south, Lusitania Bay is home to the island's largest king penguin colony, numbering more than 100,000 birds. There's no landing here: the inflatables skirt the shore, engines idling, before a tide of black and gold silhouettes covering the beach up to the slopes. At Hurd Point, royal penguins form the largest colony of their species in the world. In all, the island is thought to host up to four million penguins.

The Research Station

On the northern isthmus stands the Australian research station, continuously occupied since the 1940s. Depending on the authorizations in place at the time, some expeditions allow visitors to approach the facilities and talk with the teams studying the climate, wildlife and ocean. The encounter gives a human dimension to this island at the end of the world, where a few dozen people live to the rhythm of the storms.

Preparing for the Deep South

Landings are wet, from the inflatables to the shore: tall boots, waterproof pants and layered clothing are provided or required by the expedition companies. Before each outing, the crew has pockets vacuumed and soles brushed so that no seeds or foreign soil reach the island, whose ecological balance is only just recovering from the era of introduced species. Ashore, minimum distances from the animals apply, even when they're the ones approaching. These rules, far from weighing down the visit, are part of it: they remind you that you're entering a sanctuary, and that the privilege must be earned.

The Weather Decides

You need to know this before you come: at Macquarie, nothing is guaranteed. Wind, swell and rain dictate the program, and a landing may be replaced by an inflatable boat outing or postponed by a few hours. The sea days surrounding the visit are also part of the journey: albatrosses and petrels follow the ship, and binoculars rarely leave passengers' hands. Travellers who accept this uncertainty receive in return moments few humans will ever experience: a few hours amid one of the greatest concentrations of wildlife on the planet.

As the ship pulls away, the roar of the colonies slowly fades behind the mist. Something lasting remains: the certainty of having glimpsed a world that works perfectly well without us, and will continue to do so long after we've passed through.

Frequently Asked Questions

Far out in the Southern Ocean, roughly halfway between Tasmania and Antarctica. Administratively part of Tasmania, it resembles no other South Pacific destination.
By inflatable boat, stepping into the water: there is no wharf. Landings only go ahead when swell and wind allow, under strict supervision from the expedition team and park rangers.
Chiefly because it exposes rocks from the Earth's mantle at the surface, a geological rarity. The richness of its animal colonies completes the case.
The most common landing site: on a beach of shingle and sand, king penguins, royal penguins and gentoos mix among elephant seals slumped in tight groups. Young seals sometimes approach visitors with disarming curiosity.
The island is thought to host up to four million penguins. Lusitania Bay alone holds the island's largest king penguin colony, more than 100,000 birds, and Hurd Point the world's largest royal penguin colony.
No. Inflatables run along the shore at idle speed, in front of a tide of black and gold shapes covering the beach up to the slopes. All viewing is done from the water.
Yes, on the northern isthmus, permanently staffed since the 1940s. Depending on permissions at the time, some expeditions allow a closer look at the facilities and a conversation with the teams studying climate, wildlife and the ocean.
High boots, waterproof trousers and layered clothing, supplied or required by expedition operators, because landings are wet. Before every outing, crew vacuum pockets and scrub boot soles so no seed or foreign soil reaches the island.
No, and it's worth knowing before you book. Wind, swell and rain dictate the programme: a landing may be replaced by a zodiac cruise or delayed by hours. Expedition operators never promise a specific site.
You watch. Albatrosses and petrels follow the ship, and binoculars rarely leave passengers' hands. These sailing days are part of the voyage, not a wait between calls.