What comes to mind when you think of penguins? The large Emperor penguin as it awkwardly waddles along the snow in the Antarctic, probably. There are seventeen species and all of them live in the southern hemisphere. So I shouldn’t have been surprised when I found out that there’s a species in Phillip Island, Australia; I always would have thought that Australia was way too hot for them, but not for the Little Penguin!
Known also as the Fairy penguin (which I prefer). They can be found in several places in Australia, like Melbourne and Phillip Island, and in New Zealand too. They are the smallest species and are nocturnal, so a lot of people can be found eagerly waiting for them on certain southern coast beaches… quietly anticipating the moment they come forth out of the water to go home to their even littler ones.
Fair penguins only grow to about 33cm and are the only penguins I’ve ever seen in the wild – yet. So when I got the chance to go to Phillip Island in Australia it was a no-brainer. Any experience where I can ethically see animals in the wild is such a joy to do. I hadn’t been travelling in the country for long and Melbourne was the first place I touched down. Coincidentally, this is a great location for them.
In this post I want to tell you this story and hopefully get you thinking about wildlife either locally or globally; what you would like to see and learn more about, and inspire you to do so.
The Phillip Island experience
This only takes one day, especially if you’re driving from Melbourne, which only takes approximately two hours. Leaving in the morning will give you plenty of time to enjoy the drive and surrounding area, like Mornington Peninsula.
I booked a day tour with a group of friends in Melbourne through Autopia Tours. It wasn’t an early start for us as the coach picked us up around midday. This depended on where you lived, and it was much less stressful than having to rent out a car for a day. It was way too hot to be dealing with that!
We took a couple of detours as we had time to kill before nightfall and the penguin parade. Our first pit-stop was at Maru koala and animal park. It’s a great opportunity to learn about Australia’s incredible native animals, and I got to wander around and feed kangaroos. This is always an amazing experience! They also do regular talks about the animals. It’s a great opportunity to learn more about them, their conservation projects, and how you can help. For some refreshment, there was a quick stop at the Phillip Island Chocolate Factory – what a treat!
Cruising the boardwalk
Laden with chocolate we needed to make use of the sugar rush and got a good chance to stretch my legs. There are some coastal walks here with spectacular views. I will never get tired of seeing Australia’s coast, and my favourite hikes are ones where you can see the sea. Be sure to pack sun cream and plenty of water though as that sun gets to you quickly! Never underestimate the sun out there, as I have painfully found out many times. We did the Nobbies Coastal Boardwalk, and as it does have the boardwalk it’s easy to navigate. Winding through the headland and nature reserve it provides some breathtaking views.
There is a stop at the WWF Antarctic Journey. This is an opportunity to rest or keep exploring, and I kept exploring of course! Never pass up the moment to explore and learn, you can rest later! It’s in the Nobbies Centre and the exhibition takes you on a virtual journey of the Antarctic; it’s immersive, interactive, and beautiful with its artistic installations that will leave you in awe. It’s great fun with entertaining picture opportunities with virtual penguins whilst floating atop a sheet of ice.
The anticipation
After that, it’s time for the main event. I recommend getting there earlier like our tour did to get a good seat and settle in for the nature show. There is an information centre, café and restaurant for refreshments. A hot tea later and we are finally on the beach!
The beach is the focus. Raised seating and walkways allow the penguins to return home undisturbed and to keep their burrows safe. Without this, everyone would crowd onto the beach too close to them and this would have a detrimental effect on the colony. It’s vital to keep our distance, keep quiet, and not take pictures. Phone use is banned for the event. The last thing that’s needed is the penguins becoming disorientated and losing their burrows where their babies are hungrily waiting.
We took our seats and waited patiently as we watched the brilliant sunset before us. We listened to the rangers talk about the penguins we so eagerly wanted to see. Hugging our hot drinks, we huddled together in our jumpers as the temperature started to dip and the buzz grew. Straining our eyes for the first signs of the little guys returning home. The suspense! Little penguins are nocturnal, so they won’t return until the sun has set, after being out fishing all day.
There were many false starts as someone thought they saw one. Some mistook a bird for one, or just generally thought that they could see them bobbing in the surf of the water. The wait felt eternal as we sat still, the crowd growing quieter as time went on. As though not to discourage the little guys.
A memorable experience
Autopia Tours gave a great experience, and as a company they also believe in sustainability, protecting animals and the environment, and teaching others how to do so too. It’s so important to be environmentally aware when travelling, and to respect the local environment and wildlife. If we don’t respect the environment it will soon no longer be there to enjoy and learn from! The tour was reasonably priced too at $140 and offered add-ons, like better seating for the penguin parade.
I would highly recommend exploring Phillip Island, it’s an easy way to see local animals, breathtaking coastal walks and spend an evening doing something completely different and magical. It’s an inspiring way to make the most out of your day.
An important aspect of the penguin parade is no photography or filming. This is to protect the penguins and to keep them coming safely back to the area. As people in general – me included – are normally glued to their phones, I am guilty of constantly whipping out my phone to take pictures, it was relaxing and freeing to put my phone away. It allowed me to settle into the moment and enjoy what I was experiencing, instead of being worried about getting a good photo. I focused on what I was seeing and feeling, which makes for much better memories instead of taking a blur of pictures. As soon as darkness falls it’s impossible to take good pictures without using flash anyway, so you are only going to get crappy photos and miss the moment.
Look on official website pages like this one to get free access to much better professional photos.
Time for penguins
But wait, was that one? And another one? Finally! The crowd was now completely silent as everyone leaned forward in anticipation. Yep, here they come! It was 9pm and it was just dark enough for them to return now. They bobbed out of the water and made their way up the beach. Just a few at first, then the numbers swelled until you couldn’t count them. It was a steady wave of penguins that separated and flowed around us like its own river. They didn’t pay us any attention – which was how it should be. They came out together in groups of about six, a defense against any predators. Then shuffled to the burrows, eager to get home.
People gasped with wonder and eyes lit up, and everyone was captured by the incredible scene before them. We were allowed to stand up and wander along the boardwalk. Looking over the wooden railings to see the steady stream of penguins flowing up the paths. They called out to their young to find their burrows. I could hear the babies squawking back in almost a frenzy to get their dinner and be reunited again. In the hushed darkness people watched, and learned, and gained a deeper respect for wildlife. There were of course a few people that broke the rules. Some took pictures with the flash on, having loud conversations, but quickly learned about the importance of not doing that.
It was difficult to tear myself away from the beach but eventually the coach had to leave, and we had to make our way back to Melbourne. The drive back felt like a long one and we had been out for a total of twelve hours. It was a long day but totally worth the experience.
What did it teach me?
Overall, it taught me to put my phone down a bit more and take in everything that is around me. It is much more calming and engaging, and allows you to learn more about the world around you. Keeping with the penguin theme, I also visited the Fairy Penguins in St Kilda, Melbourne.
With the corona virus pandemic, it is difficult to book tours to Phillip Island, and do things in general at the moment. In all honesty this is giving nature a big break and a chance to recover from the heavy footfalls of humans. Now is the perfect time to reflect, learn and improve our ways to help and preserve nature in the future. Wildlife parks and nature reserves like Phillip Island are making positive impacts, and every person can make a difference.
