Request a tour

General information

• All bookings are subject to guide availability
• Bookings must be made at least seven (7) days in advance of the tour date.

COVID-19 Safe check-in

As a registered COVID Safe business, we require ticketholders to visit the Service NSW website, upon arrival at the tour meeting point, and scan a QR code to ensure a COVID Safe check-in.

[Note: When you check in, only the tour location and the time of visit is recorded. This information is stored for 28 days and only for the purpose of contact tracing, if necessary.]

COVID – conditions of participation

To comply with the NSW Government’s COVID-19 public health orders, members of each group must ensure they:

• maintain a physical distance of 1.5 metres from others;
• have not travelled overseas within the last 14 days;
• have not had contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case within the last 14 days; and
• are not unwell and have not had any COVID-19 symptoms in the last 14 days.

Cost: $25 per adult, $15 per child (12 & under), $15 per senior | Duration: 60 mins

As you explore the lower island, including the cathedral-like Turbine Shop and convict-built Fitzroy Dock, our knowledgeable guide will share stories and anecdotes that paint a vivid picture of the island throughout the ages. Suitable for groups with less mobile members.

• Lower Island Tour (Accessible) – Terms and conditions

Cost: $25 per adult, $15 per child (12 & under), $15 per senior | Duration: 45 mins

In 2010, the Cockatoo Island Convict Site (1839-69) was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List with 10 other heritage sites nationally. Our guide will lead you through the turbulent history of the former penal establishment, stopping at iconic landmarks including the convict workshops and gaol.

• Convict Precinct Tour – Terms and Conditions

Cost: $25 per adult, $15 per child (12 & under), $15 per senior | Duration: 90 mins

Secrets. Scandals. Skeletons... Cockatoo Island has its fair share of all three. Discover for yourself with our intrigue-filled Dark Past Tour. As you explore visit iconic landmarks and buildings from different eras, including the convict workshops, Dog Leg Tunnel and Biloela House, our guide will blend history with mystery to captivate your imagination!

• Dark Past Tour – Terms and Conditions

Cost: $45 per person | Duration: Two hours

As the witching hour approaches, embark on our popular Ghost Tour and journey into Cockatoo Island’s supernatural realm. As you search for ghosts and explore historic buildings rarely open to the public, our guide will share macabre true stories and hair-raising paranormal tales, including reported hauntings. Feeling brave?

[Note: Private group tours are not available on Friday or Saturday nights.] 

• Ghost Tour – Terms and Conditions

Cost: $25 per adult, $15 per child (12 & under), $15 per senior | Duration: 60 mins 

Cockatoo Island wasn’t always an idyllic getaway. This lively, all-ages tour will introduce you to a line-up of brave, foolhardy and desperate convicts who dared to escape notorious Cockatoo island’s penal establishment (1839-69), including fabled bushranger Captain Thunderbolt. As you explore the island, you’ll hear about successful and ill-fated escape attempts involving disguises, sewers, shark-infested waters, stolen boats and a volley of bullets.

• Convict Escape Attempts Tour – Terms and Conditions

Cost: $25 per adult, $15 per child (12 & under), $15 per senior | Duration: 90 mins 

Want a crash course in Cockatoo island's storied history? Book tickets for Sandstone to Steel. This all-ages tour charts the changing face of Cockatoo Island. As you visit key landmarks, our guide will reveal how they fit into the island’s historical narrative. They will also share anecdotes about a colourful cast of real-life characters.

• Sandstone to Steel Tour – Terms and Conditions

• The easiest way to get to Cockatoo Island is by public ferry. The F3 and F8 services operate to Cockatoo Island daily, departing from Circular Quay, Darling Harbour and Barangaroo as well as from wharves along Parramatta River. For further information, including timetables, visit the Transport NSW website.
• Alternatively, we can arrange private transfer to and from Cockatoo Island at a cost of $16 per person. Email education@harbourtrust.gov.au for details.
  The booking price excludes the cost of ferry travel.
• If your group is travelling to Cockatoo Island by ferry, each person will need to be in possession of an Opal Card with sufficient funds. Alternatively, you can pre-purchase Opal One Day Travel Passes for their entire group. To arrange Opal One Day Travel Passes for your group, visit opaldaypass.transport.nsw.gov.au.
• If you are catching a ferry to Cockatoo Island with a large group, we encourage you to notify Harbour City Ferries by email. Please ensure they are made aware of the size of your group, the ferry service you intend to use (e.g. F3 Parramatta Service @ 10am on 17 July) and where you are travelling to and from (e.g. Circular Quay to Cockatoo Island).
• On-street parking is available for cars near the ferry wharves at Woolwich, Greenwich, Chiswick, Huntleys Point, Drummoyne, Birchgrove and Balmain.
  The Lark Carpark at the Hunters Hill Sailing Club (access via Clarke Road, Woolwich) offers parking for coaches and is a short walk from the Woolwich ferry wharf. [Note: Please use the designated Harbour Trust parking spaces to avoid fines.]

See: Visit Cockatoo Island