Phillip Island Penguin Parade

Nov 12, 2011 by Joel

On Wednesday 9th November I took a tour from Melbourne to Phillip Island with A Tour With A Difference. The tour included a number of stops along the way, however the primary destination was a stop at The Penguin Parade. While this is just one part of the tour, when I really thought about it this experience did deserve it’s own place on my blog. Literally because it is one of the most memorable experiences of my travels to date.

The tour arrived at The Penguin Parade about 7.30pm, not long before a heavy downpour of rain had swept across the island and although gone it left everything a little damp. This was not a big issue though as the tour provided rain poncho’s and a water proof rug/mat.

There were quite a few people arriving at the visitor’s centre, all making their way down to the viewing area’s. The tour guide kept us moving to ensure the best spots we could to see the Penguins. This was not as much of a concern for me as I had chosen to pay a little extra for the Penguins Plus option. I am glad I made this choice, it was well and truly worth it.

Penguins Plus

If you ever get the chance to visit The Penguin Parade, this option is well worth the extra money. First, you are seated in a smaller viewing area which is situated in a place where a greater number of penguins generally pass by. Second, you get a brief audio tour which details a little bit more about the Little Penguins. The audio tour is a good way to fill in the time after finding a seat while awaiting the arrival of the Little Penguins. Third a short talk by one of the rangers, letting you know what you can expect to see and some other relevant information. Finally a free drink after the Little Penguin Viewing is finished.

Dusk Approaches

By the time we had gone through the visitor Centre, collected the audio tour, and found our way down to the viewing area it was approximately 7.40pm. While it was kind of a dull evening anyway due to the clouds, it was still a little while before the Little Penguins were likely to appear. In this time the ranger gave us the short introduction on just where to look to see the Little Penguins, and I was able to listen to all of the audio tour.

Then just as almost all of the light had faded out of the sky, at around 8.20pm. First one, then two Little Penguins pop up over the top of the rocks. Then it seemed like an army of the Little Penguins just came over the top of the rocks in waves. I had begun trying to count them coming up over the rocks. However by the time I counted to thirty there were easily three times the number in view and there were more and more coming every minute.

In the Penguins Plus area, depending on just where you can get a seat, you are literally sitting as close as one to two meters from the Penguins. Not only this, many of the Little Penguins stop right in front of the viewing area, to preen their features, or just as a rest after their scurry across the beach. At one point it seemed like there easily could have been a couple of hundred of them right there in front of us.

More Viewing Opportunities

While you do get to see a very large number of Little Penguins all at once in the Penguins Plus viewing area. Nobody wherever they were sitting will miss out on seeing some of these cute Little Penguins. On the walk back to the visitors centre either side of the pathway is just buzzing with the activity of these Little Penguins. Because all the way back is covered with their nests.

Walking along you can be right there next to one of the Little Penguins. With just a matter of centimetre’s and a fence separating you. It is just amazing seeing the Little Penguins going about their daily lives, in such a natural environment for them.

About the Little Penguins*

The Little Penguin is the smallest of all penguin species, growing to a height of between 30-33cm (12-13inches) and weighing between 1 to 1.5 kilograms. The areas that they are found in most commonly are the Australia and New Zealand coasts, although there are also possible records from Chile.

The Phillip Island colony at Summerlands Peninsula on the south-western coast of Phillip Island is home to approx 32,000 Little Penguins. Every sunset anywhere from a few hundred to over one thousands Little Penguins can be seen crossing the beach and returning to their nests.

*Information source from Wikipedia & Phillip Island Nature Parks.

The Numbers

As it was something of interest to me I found out just how many Little Penguins were present on the night of my tour. A total of 1,415 Little Penguins crossed the Beach, with a total of 880 of them passing by the Penguins Plus viewing area. Considering just how close to the main thoroughfare for the Little Penguins the viewing area is, it makes that much more sense to choose this option.

Adopt A Penguin

Through visiting the Penguin Parade you get to see just how cute these Little Penguins are. However in the visitors centre and through the ranger talk you also learn about the challenges they face for survival. Challenges not just from other predators in their environment, but also man made events. I really found this to be interesting and as such decided to make the small donation to Adopt a Penguin.

The program has a number of different options, however I choose the full Adopt a Penguin option, for $75 each year. With the donation you get to adopt a penguin of your own (in spirit of course, not to take home), a photo of your penguin, Penguin Foundation membership, Adoption certificate, regular updates on your penguin, a Little Penguin fact sheet. Also included is one Free entry to the Penguin Parade, and an exclusive initiation to a Penguin Foundation Members open day.

My Primary motivation behind the choice to donate to the Adopt A Penguin program was not for what you get, but for what the Little Penguins can get from the donation. Things such as rescue and rehabilitation in the even of a man made disaster, protection for the Little Penguins in the natural environment, building of new nesting areas to ensure Phillip Island Little Penguins can reproduce, and research and monitoring of Little Penguins health and behaviour.

You can find more information about the Adopt A Penguin program at the Penguin Foundaton website.

How To See The Little Penguins

There are a couple of options to get to see the Little Penguins. The first is to take a tour like I choose to do. The tour I took was called Phillip Island Penguins & More – Day Tour. This tour is offered by A Tour With a Difference, and at the time cost $130 for the tour including dinner, plus $18 for the Penguin Plus premium viewing. You can contact A Tour With A Difference on 1300 36 27 36.

Taking the tour is a great option as included with the tour is a lot more then just The Penguin Parade. There were five other stops including Gurdies Winery, Phillip Island Chocolate factory, Woolamai Surf Beach, Phillip Island Wildlife Park or Free time in Cowes, Nobbies Conservation Centre and Seal Rocks. Plus Dinner was included at a small restaurant in Cowes.

Your other option is to drive down to Phillip Island yourself to visit the Penguin Parade. From Melbourne it is about a 90 minute drive to Phillip Island Nature Parks. However this options does make your day somewhat more flexible, as there is a lot to see between Melbourne and Phillip Island. Ideally for the opportunity to get a good seat I would suggest arriving around one hour before sunset, and if possible choosing the Penguins Plus option.

The Standard Admission price is $21.65 for Adults and $10.80 for children (4-15 years). While Penguin Plus is available for $41.20 for Adults and $20.60 for children (4-15 years). There are a range of other viewing and tour options available with varying prices depending on inclusions, as well as Family Passes and special pensioner rates available. The best places to find the latest and most up to date pricing is on the website though at www.penguins.org.au.

Note – this post is based on my actual experience and some information provided may have been sourced from Wikipedia, A Tour With A Difference, and Phillip Island Nature Parks. The information provided was true and accurate based on these sources at time of publication, however some information may change over time. Especially when it comes to prices quoted above please be sure to check for the latest information from the supplier of the product as prices can change.