The only way to get to Montague Island is through a chartered boat from Narooma and accompany by a National Parks and Wildlife Service guide.
The sea was rough and choppy. The air smelled of the sea; animal, land and sounds are all blended into one. Such is the wonder of nature.
Montague Island has the state of NSW's only known colony of Australian fur seals, Australian native and migratory birds. We were lucky to spot a few hundred seals. At the peak, there could be a thousand of them basking on the rocky shore or swimming and fishing in the ocean.
Are there any penguins on Montague Island?
Yes, but they are fewer in numbers. Unlike the spectacular landing of several thousand of fairy penguins on one main spot of Philip Island, Victoria, only a few hundreds are dispersed on various parts Montague Island. Man-made factors such as the planting of kykuyu grass to prevent soil erosion on Montague Island by the pioneers have been hazardous to the movement of penguins whose feet often get entangled by the roots system.
The visible signs of penguin presence are their nests which are actually burrows in the ground near the coast. Penguins fish in the day time and return to their nests at night. In springtime, more penguins would come ashore.
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