Little penguins are one of the smallest penguins species in the world. They live in Southern Australia and New Zealand. There is an estimated 32,000 little penguins that live on Phillip Island forming one of the largest colonies of this species in the world.
Now, imagine being face to face with these little penguins as they emerge from the ocean and waddle past you to return to their nests. I held my breath as I sat on the first row of the tiered seating in the Penguin Plus viewing arena, less than an arm's length away from these adorable birds. This is also the reason why I would strongly recommend you go for this option if you are going for the Penguin Parade located on Philip Island, a mere 90 minutes drive away from Melbourne. Not only that, a park ranger was next to us giving us commentaries on the little penguins.
Depending on the season of the year you choose to visit, the penguins could either be moulting, egg laying, chick raising, nest building or engaging in a combination of these activities. I was there during the breeding season hence we were able to observe the different behaviour of the male and female little penguins. Known as "shell-gritters", the female penguins would usually make their way to the beach to search for grit while the male penguins will be gathering nesting materials to prepare the burrow for egg laying.
During Spring and Winter, the little penguins can travel across to Port Phillip Bay to search for food. They can stay out at sea for longer periods of time (>20 days) in winter time looking for fish. If the little penguin chicks are less than 2 weeks old, the parents will have to return frequently to the burrow to feed the chicks. Male and female penguins take turns to head out to sea to search for food and stay home to look after the kids! Talk about sharing the load of raising kids!
The Phillip Island Nature Park was built around the natural habitat of the little penguins and the park rangers are active in protecting these little penguins hence the penguins movements are being tracked daily. On the day I was there, the number of penguins crossing the Summerland beach the night before was 866! These little penguins leave their burrows an hour before sunrise and can swim up to 100 kilometers daily before returning at dusk.
There are 4 different ticket options at the Penguin Parade. The general viewing ticket holders will be sitting a distance away from the ocean and since it can accommodate many people, you might not be able to see the penguins up close as they are crossing the beach. Penguin Plus, where I was seated allowed me an up-close encounter with these charming creatures. You can also opt for the underground level viewing where you are at eye-level with the penguins or the ranger-guided tours where you will enjoy a personalized tour and commentary!
If you are visiting the Penguin parade, do remember to get there early as front row seats are snapped up very quickly. I stayed there for 1.5 hours after the first penguin sighting so even if you did not manage to get a good seat, people do move to the boardwalks and you can take their place right in front to cosy up with the little ones. While you might be very tempted to caress them, please do not do so and also no photography is allowed as penguins have sensitive eyes and bright lights will scare and confuse them. Remember we are only guests in their natural habitat!
The picture of the little penguins above was taken from
https://www.backpackerdeals.com/australia/melbourne/phillip-island-day-tour-penguin-parade.
