Penguin Parade

We left Melbourne on a grey morning. Our intent on the trip was to head 140km south to Phillip Island to see the Little Blue or Fairy Penguins but the prospect of sitting in cool drizzle after dark for 2 or 3 hours was not very enticing. We decided to drive to the island as planned and then judge what we would do once we arrived.

The further south we drove, the better the weather and by the time we reached Phillip Island, it was sunny and clear. We drove straight to the tourism information booth to find accommodation and to buy our tickets to see the penguins.

Phillip Island is a tourist destination that is visited by 3.5 million people each year. The Penguin Parade at the Phillip Island Nature Park attracts visitors from all over the world. They come to see one of the few areas where this species of penguin can be seen. We had just enough time to check in and get to the Penguin Parade. We arrived at the beach with plenty of time to spare. The view was magnificent but unfortunately we were not permitted to take ANY pictures once we left the main building.

I spoke to one of the Island's Guides and he told me that years ago, before the bridge joined the island to the mainland, the island was home to 100's of 1000's of penguins. When the bridge was built and people began to make their homes on the island, the habitat of the penguins was disturbed. People also brought their dogs and cats and this led to a rapid decline of the penguins.

The land the Nature Park is on is protected for the penguins. There are viewing stands up the banks and a boardwalk that meanders through the property. We found a spot on the boardwalk to wait and the kids were allowed to go down to a designated area on the beach to wait.

What happens is that at dark, the penguins come to shore on "rafts" or groups of 10 to 20 penguins - they do this for safety from predators. Once they reach shore, they assemble in their groups and move up the bank into the vegetation to find their burrows. There are thousands of burrows and each penguin knows which is his home. Once there, they recover from the weeks they've spent fishing and "party" with family and friends until heading back out to sea. They are only 33cm tall and are a lovely blue colour. They are the smallest of the penguin species.

There were over 600 penguins who came in on the night we were there. It was funny because you'd be staring out at the sea and a wave would come in and then like magic, the penguins would appear on the shore and start waddling up the bank in their groups. They walk RIGHT by you without paying you any attention. We were fascinated by them and how cute they were. Sam and Jake kept quoting Madagascar as the little groups would pass by: "Cute and cuddly boys, cute and cuddly." It was a worthwhile experience - one we will remember for a long time.
To visit the penguin parade and see what we saw, click the youtube video below: