First Australian hantavirus cruise ship passenger speaks from quarantine

Peter Marsh has spoken to the ABC from a quarantine facility in WA. (ABC News)

Peter Marsh was among a group of six people repatriated to Australia last month after the deadly hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius, something he says was a "huge shock".

The 82-year-old says spending five weeks so far in quarantine at a facility in Western Australia has been "somewhat tiresome" but well worthwhile.

The quarantine period is due to end next Tuesday, and Mr Marsh and his fellow passengers are expected to fly to their homes in New South Wales and Queensland.

The first Australian to speak publicly about being onboard the hantavirus-struck cruise ship has shared his experience after spending five weeks in a quarantine facility in Western Australia.

Four Australian citizens, one permanent resident and one New Zealander were repatriated to Australia on May 15, after an outbreak of the rodent-borne illness on the MV Hondius.

Ever since, the group has been completing a six-week quarantine period at the Bullsbrook Centre for National Resilience, about 40 kilometres north-east of Perth.

Australian passenger Peter Marsh, who spoke exclusively to the ABC from inside the Western Australian quarantine centre, said he had no bad feelings about how things had played out.

"The first person who died, obviously, was the person who brought the virus onto the ship, but he had no knowledge that was going to happen, and he had no symptoms when he got on the ship, and he paid the ultimate price.

"And the [cruise company], once they became aware of what was going on, they worked assiduously to minimise the risk for the rest of us.

"We've also, I think, been very lucky that the Australian government has stepped up to bring us back to Australia under quarantine.

"While it's been somewhat tiresome being locked up for this six-week period, I think that if one person is saved from getting sick, let alone dying, as a result of our quarantining, then it's all well worthwhile."

An avid birder, Mr Marsh joined the cruise with a birding group from Sydney.

Initially, it was all he had hoped for, but then passengers started getting sick.

"It was a very gradual process, and the gentleman who died first, it seemed like a once-only event," he said.

"When we heard that the first deceased's wife had died, there was a huge shock, and everybody began to think, well, maybe this is something that's catching."

Once the illness was identified as hantavirus, stress levels onboard the MV Hondius began to rise.

Peter Marsh and five other passengers from the ship arrived back in Australia a m