Cockatoo Island Island Highlights Tour

Want a crash course in the storied history of Cockatoo Island, Sydney harbour? Book tickets for our Island Highlights Tour.

This all-ages tour charts the changing face of Cockatoo Island. As you visit key landmarks from bygone eras, 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, including convicts, wayward youths and dock workers.

The Island Highlights Tour runs from 11am to 12pm on Saturdays and 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm on Sundays.

Probus groups, tour operators and other interested parties are invited to complete Cockatoo Island’s large group tour request form. A minimum purchase of 10 tickets applies.

Disabled Access

The Sixth Sense. Paranormal Activity. The Conjuring. Ghosts continue to captivate the public imagination, satisfying their primeval desire for a good scare but supernatural encounters aren’t just the stuff of Hollywood.

From reported ghost sightings to spine-tingling ‘felt’ experiences, Cockatoo Island – a former convict prison and dockyard – has a history of paranormal occurrences that stretches back more than a century.

Find out for yourself with Cockatoo Island’s after-dark Ghost Tour! Led by a knowledgeable guide, you’ll search for ghosts in historic (and, some would argue, haunted) buildings, rarely open to the public.

Wielding a K-II EMF reader and a pendulum (devices used in paranormal detection), their guide will test your mettle with hair-raising paranormal tales and macabre stories, including grisly murders, botched prison escapes and episodes of gang violence.

Whether you’re a sceptic or a believer, scare-proof or easily spooked, one thing’s guaranteed their Ghost Tour is a unique way to experience the darker side of Sydney.

Their Ghost Tour is exclusively available from 9pm to 11pm on select Saturday nights.

Disabled Access

Secrets. Scandals. Skeletons… Cockatoo Island has its fair share of all three. Discover for yourself with their intrigue-filled Dark Past Tour.

As day bleeds into night, you’ll visit iconic landmarks and buildings from different eras, including the convict workshops, Dog Leg Tunnel and Biloela House. Plus, their guide will blend history with mystery to captivate your imagination!

The all-ages Dark Past Tour runs from 6:30pm to 8pm on select Saturdays.

Disabled Access

Discover Cockatoo Island’s UNESCO World Heritage listed Convict Precinct with their 60-minute tour of the upper island.

During the Convict Prison Tour, their guide will lead you through the turbulent history of the island’s former penal establishment, stopping at iconic landmarks including the Mess Hall, Barracks, Guardhouse, Military Officers Quarters and Solitary Confinement Cells.

The all-ages Convict Prison Tour runs from 1:30 pm to 2:30 pm on Saturdays.

Probus groups, tour operators and other interested parties are invited to complete Cockatoo Island’s large group tour request form. A minimum purchase of 10 tickets applies.

Disabled Access

The Lower Island Tour is an engaging 60-minute journey through Cockatoo Island’s storied history and an accessible sightseeing activity for less mobile visitors.

As you explore the lower island, including the cathedral-like Turbine Shop, convict-built Fitzroy Dock and towering Powerhouse chimney, their knowledgeable guide will share stories and anecdotes that paint a vivid picture of the island throughout the ages.

The all-ages, accessible, Lower Island Tour runs from 11am to 12 noon on Sundays.

Probus groups, tour operators and other interested parties are invited to complete Cockatoo Island’s large group tour request form. A minimum purchase of 10 tickets applies.

Disabled Access

During the Second World War, Cockatoo Island’s dockyard was the main ship repair facility in the Southwest pacific.

Book tickets for our World War 2 Shipyard Tour to learn about the significant contribution the dockyard made to the Western Allied war effort during the global conflict.

A knowledgeable guide will delve into this fascinating slice of maritime and naval history as you visit key landmarks on the lower island including the Turbine Shop as well as the Fitzroy and Sutherland Docks. Note: Suitable for visitors with reduced mobility.

The World War 2 Shipyard Tour is available for private group bookings only. Probus groups, tour operators and other interested parties are invited to complete our large group tour request form (available Monday to Friday). A minimum purchase of 10 tickets applies.

Disabled Access

Journey through Cockatoo Island’s complex and layered history at your own pace with their engaging audio tour.

Featuring an informative narrator, immersive sound effects and archival interviews with former workers and residents, this self-guided tour paints a vivid picture of the island’s bygone days across 26 audio stops.

You’ll learn about the poor living conditions of convicts incarcerated in the island’s penal establishment (1839-69), and the plight of the young women raised in the Biloela Public Industrial School for Girls and Reformatory. You’ll also hear about the feats achieved by the thousands of workers employed at the island’s enormous shipyard during the 20th century and the enduring significance of the island for First Nations Peoples.

Their Visitor Centre relies on the generosity and availability of their volunteers. While they endeavour their to open from 10am to 3pm daily, they cannot guarantee the Centre will always be open. In the event their Visitor Centre is closed, the Audio Tour will be unavailable.

Disabled Access