Macquarie Island

Macquarie Island lies about fifteen hundred kilometres southeast of Tasmania, halfway to Antarctica, and it is geologically unique: the only place on earth where rocks from the mantle, six kilometres below the ocean floor, are exposed above sea level, pushed up by the collision of two tectonic plates. That earned it World Heritage listing in 1997. It also holds enormous wildlife concentrations, including royal penguins, which breed nowhere else, along with king, gentoo and rockhopper penguins, elephant seals and fur seals in the hundreds of thousands. A pest eradication programme completed in 2014 removed rabbits, rats and mice, and the vegetation has recovered dramatically since.

What you actually see

• The royal penguins - a species that breeds only on this island.
• The king penguin colonies - vast rookeries along the beaches.
• The elephant seals - large breeding populations on the shore.
• The exposed mantle rock - the geology behind the World Heritage listing.

When to go

November to March, the subantarctic summer, when expedition cruises operate; there is no other season and no independent access. Landings depend entirely on weather and swell, and cruises budget for missed days.

Honest expectations

Access is only on expedition cruises costing many thousands of dollars, usually as part of a longer subantarctic itinerary. Landings are frequently cancelled by weather. The research station is not a tourist facility, and quarantine procedures before landing are strict.

Nearby

Hobart is the usual departure port; the New Zealand subantarctic islands lie east.