# Montague Island Tours | Barunguba Montague Island Narooma Guide Canonical: https://bookfromowner.com.au/guides/nsw/south-coast/narooma/montague-island/ Type: AttractionGuide Location: Narooma, Eurobodalla Coast, NSW Last updated: 2026-06-01 > A complete guide to Montague Island (Barunguba) off Narooma — tours, the 1881 lighthouse, little penguins, fur seals, wildlife and how to get there. Everything you need to plan a Montague Island day trip on the NSW South Coast. ## Quick Answer - Best for: Wildlife lovers, families & couples - Price range: Guided tours — confirm with operators - Vibe: Wild, historic, offshore - Distance: 9km off Narooma — ~20–25 min by boat ## Featured Properties - Amooran Oceanside Apartments and Motel: 4.4/5 (275 reviews) Book direct: http://www.amooran.com.au/ Amooran Oceanside Apartments and Motel — Narooma - Discovery Parks - Narooma Beach: 4.2/5 (330 reviews) Book direct: https://www.discoveryholidayparks.com.au/caravan-parks/new-south-wales/south-coast/narooma-beach?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=gmb&utm_term=visit-website&utm_content=DHP-NSW-Narooma-Beach Discovery Parks - Narooma Beach — Narooma - BIG4 Narooma Easts Holiday Park: 4.4/5 (665 reviews) Book direct: http://www.eastsnarooma.com.au/ BIG4 Narooma Easts Holiday Park — Narooma ## FAQ Q: How do you get to Montague Island? A: Montague Island is reached only by licensed tour boat from Narooma — there’s no public ferry and you can’t land independently. The boat trip takes around 20–25 minutes each way from Narooma harbour. To visit, book a guided tour with a licensed operator such as Montague Island Adventures or Narooma Charters; every landing is accompanied by a NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service guide. This managed access is what keeps the island’s wildlife and heritage protected. Q: How much do Montague Island tours cost? A: Tour prices vary by operator and tour type (morning, afternoon, evening penguin, seal snorkel, shoreline cruise) and typically include National Parks fees and the marine park permit. Because pricing changes, the best approach is to check current prices directly with licensed operators such as Montague Island Adventures or Narooma Charters when booking. The fees reflect the guided, conservation-managed nature of the experience — you’re paying for NPWS-guided access to a protected nature reserve. Q: When can you see penguins on Montague Island? A: Little penguins are generally on Montague Island from around September to February, and largely absent March to August. During penguin season, NSW National Parks runs an evening tour where you watch the little penguins return to their nests at dusk. Penguin numbers and tour availability vary year to year — some seasons the evening tour is replaced by a sunset tour if numbers are low — so always confirm the current penguin tour with the operator when booking. Q: Can you stay overnight on Montague Island? A: Yes — NSW National Parks offers overnight accommodation in the island’s restored heritage lighthouse keepers’ cottages (the Head Keeper’s and Assistant Keeper’s cottages), fitted with modern conveniences. Staying overnight lets you experience the island’s wildlife, sunset, sunrise and the lighthouse after the day tours have left — a rare and special experience. It’s managed by NPWS and books out well ahead, so plan early. Q: Is Montague Island suitable for children, and what fitness is needed? A: A minimum age of 5 applies to all visitors landing on the island, and children must be accompanied by an adult. A moderate level of fitness is required — you climb a ladder at the jetty to get onto the island, and tours involve walking up to around 3km on steep hills and stairs to the lighthouse. It suits active families with children over 5, but not very young children or anyone unable to manage the ladder and the walking — for them, a shoreline cruise that doesn’t land is the better choice. Q: What is the best time of year to visit Montague Island? A: It depends what you want to see. For penguins, visit September to February; for whales, September to November (spring) is the peak; fur seals and dolphins are present year-round, and the lighthouse and history can be enjoyed any time the island is open. Note the reserve is closed during August. Spring is arguably the best all-rounder, with penguins, whales, seals and seabirds often overlapping. Always check current tour availability and conditions, as the island closes in August and tours depend on the weather. ## At a Glance - Location: 9km off Narooma, NSW South Coast — around 20–25 min by boat - Aboriginal name: Barunguba — significant to the Yuin people, part of an ancient songline - Size: Approx. 80 hectares — a protected NSW National Parks nature reserve - Lighthouse: First lit 1881; automated 1986; still an active navigation aid - Wildlife: Largest NSW fur seal colony; major little penguin colony; whales, dolphins, seabirds - Access: Licensed tour operators only, with an NPWS guide — no independent landing - Minimum age: 5 years; moderate fitness needed (hills, stairs, a jetty ladder) - Closed: The nature reserve is closed during August ## Featured - 1. Morning guided island & lighthouse tour — Families & history lovers · ages 5+ · the most island time - Why people love it: It packs an 1881 lighthouse, a great penguin colony and hundreds of fur seals into one guided half-day — with the most time ashore of any tour. - Don't miss: The climb to the 1881 lighthouse for the panorama over the seal colonies and the coast. - Good to know: Not for very young children or the less mobile — there’s a jetty ladder and up to ~3km of steep, uneven walking. Minimum age is 5. - 2. Evening penguin tour — Wildlife lovers · roughly Sep–Feb · the dusk return - Why people love it: Watching thousands of the world’s smallest penguins waddle ashore at dusk is the kind of wildlife moment you remember for years. - Don't miss: The dusk return — rafts of little penguins coming ashore and crossing to their burrows. - Good to know: Penguins are seasonal (roughly Sep–Feb) and numbers vary — some seasons the tour becomes a sunset tour. Confirm availability and dress warmly for an exposed island after dark. - 3. Snorkel or dive with the fur seals — Confident swimmers · warmer months · in the water - Why people love it: You get the full curious-seal encounter — playful fur seals circling you in clear water — with nothing more than a wetsuit and the ability to swim. - Don't miss: Curious fur seals playing around you in the shallow, clear seal sites. - Good to know: It’s open water 5–15m deep, not a calm pool — you must be a confident swimmer, and rough days can be cancelled. Snorkel season is the warmer months. - 4. Shoreline wildlife & whale cruise — All ages · no landing · seals and whales from the boat - Why people love it: It delivers the seals, seabirds and seasonal whales from the boat with no ladder and no climb — the island’s wildlife for everyone. - Don't miss: The fur seal colony hauled out on the rocks, with whales passing offshore in spring. - Good to know: There’s no landing — you won’t reach the lighthouse or walk the island. It’s still open water, so take sea-sickness precautions. - 5. Stay overnight in a lighthouse keeper’s cottage — Couples & special occasions · the island after dark - Why people love it: Once the day boats leave, you have a wildlife sanctuary and an 1881 lighthouse almost to yourself — penguins at dusk, seals below, and the island quiet. - Don't miss: Having the island to yourselves after the day tours leave — penguins at dusk, the lighthouse, total quiet. - Good to know: It books out well ahead and ties you to the tour schedule for transfers — no hotel-style service, and the same ladder and fitness requirements apply. ## What travellers say - [positive] The single best thing in the region: Visitors repeatedly describe the island — the lighthouse, the seals, the penguins and the guide’s storytelling — as the highlight of their entire Narooma trip, and well worth the boat ride. - [mixed] It’s wild and weather-dependent: Travellers who treat it as a managed wildlife experience leave delighted; the crossing is open water, the August closure and the skipper’s weather calls are real, and a little flexibility is rewarded. - [positive] What a recent visitor said: - [positive] What a recent visitor said: - [positive] What a recent visitor said: