Shark Island

Australia, Australia

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Shark Island is a small, picturesque 1.5-hectare island in Sydney Harbour—about 250 m long and 100 m wide—lying near Rose Bay and Point Piper and known locally by its Aboriginal name Boambilly.

Once used as a quarantine station and later for animal quarantine and naval storage, it became a recreation reserve and part of Sydney Harbour National Park after 1975. The island’s landscape features grassy picnic areas, shady trees, sandstone grottos and tide pools, a gazebo and wading beaches, and it’s a popular short ferry trip destination and spot to watch the start of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.

Despite its beauty, Shark Island has a history of shipwrecks, drownings and at least one recorded shark incident, and a navigation light was installed there in the late 19th century to warn vessels. Reservations are required for visits when ferries operate and the island can be booked for private functions, with a capacity limit to protect the site’s facilities.