Our program of tours caters for history buffs and outdoor enthusiasts as well as families and social groups, including Probus groups and historical societies.
Cost: From $20 | Duration: 60 mins | Available: Saturdays at 1:30pm.
During this tour, our guide will lead you through the turbulent history of the island's former penal establishment.
Cost: From $20 | Duration: 60 mins | Available: Saturdays at 11am & Sundays at 1:30pm.
Want a crash course in Cockatoo Island's history? This guided tour charts the island's transformation and different uses across time.
Cost: From $20 | Duration: 60 mins | Available: Sundays at 11am.
Visit key landmarks – including the convict-built Fitzroy Dock, the cathedral-like Turbine Shop and Sutherland Dock – and learn how the dockyard evolved across the span of 135 years.
Cost: From $20 | Duration: 60 mins | Available: Private group bookings only
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.
Cost: From $11 | Duration: 90 mins | When: 10:45am, first Sunday of every month & select Wednesdays
Our knowledgeable volunteer guide will lead you through 2 sets of demilitarised forts, including tunnels normally off limits to the public.
Cost: From $24 per person | Duration: 45 mins | Available: Select dates
A knowledgeable guide will share the history and recent developments behind this iconic Sydney landmark, including recent restoration work undertaken on the historic Greenway Wall.
Cost: From $20 | Duration: 60 mins | When: 10 October 2025
Celebrate spring with a guided nature experience! ‘Walk on the Wild Side’ is an opportunity for families to enjoy a scenic loop of North Head Sanctuary and learn about local wildlife.
Cost: From $8 | Duration: 40 mins | When: Select dates
Get a taste for North Head Sanctuary in Manly – and explore a Second World War era structure off limits to general visitors – on this bite-sized tour, ideal for new visitors including families!
Cost: From $11 | Duration: 1 hour 45mins | When: 10:30am, 11:30am, 1pm & 2pm every Sunday
Walk in the footsteps of the men and women who served at North Fort. Accompanied by a knowledgeable guide, encounter historic gun emplacements and descend into underground military facilities, including a tunnel complex and a mysterious bunker.
Cost: From $11 | Duration: 60 mins | Hours: 11am to 12pm, select Sundays
During this volunteer-run tour, a knowledgeable guide will share stories of those who succumbed to small pox and other epidemics.
Cost: From $20 | Duration: 60 mins | When: Private group bookings & special occasions
This 60-minute tour is an opportunity to explore a historic destination that was off-limits to the public for 150+ years.
Cost: $10 per person (BYO device) | Available: Anytime
Cockatoo Island’s dock workers were renowned for building and repairing the most complex ships. Guided by their stories, you'll step back into the island’s shipbuilding heyday
Cost: $5 per booklet (includes a pencil & paper flags) | Available: 10am to 4pm daily
Across 8 exciting stops, you'll explore historic buildings, hear the First Nations story of Burriburri the whale, play a convict game and meet an ancient amphibian.
Cost: $10 per person (BYO device) | Available: Anytime
Delve into the history of Cockatoo Island's remnant penal establishment and learn about the sorts of characters who served out sentences on the island.
Celebrate the spring school holidays with a guided nature experience!
Running Friday 10 October, ‘Walk on the Wild Side’ is an opportunity for families to enjoy a scenic loop of North Head Sanctuary, Manly and learn about the animals that inhabit this beautiful headland.
Learn more about our extraordinary places on Sydney Harbour.
Our places 
Chowder Bay
