Melbourne – the first city I landed in when I spent a year travelling in Australia. I had my expectations of Australia, like the hot days, kangaroos, and beautiful landscapes… I did not expect to encounter penguins! When I visited Phillip Island I was lucky to experience the penguin parade and see these magical birds. So it got me thinking about things that I could do to help. Sometimes, the eagerness to experience the wildlife of a country overrides the need to preserve it. Instead of helping it can be a hindrance.
The challenge is to find the balance where you can have those experiences and learn from them. As I watched the penguin parade on Phillip Island I was overwhelmed with fascination. Although there was a good balance there and it was safe for the penguins, that’s not always the case.
In this post, I want to tell you about my experience at St Kilda Pier. Overall it wasn’t completely negative, but it did get me thinking about the way people interact with local wildlife. A day spent volunteering felt like a lot better use of my time.
St kilda
St Kilda is a bustle of activity, especially for backpackers. It’s always busy along the main strip with its restaurants, bars, and cafes. There’s Luna Park (the entrance still creeps me out) which is always a fun afternoon spent riding their fairground rides. The beach is always busy and I’ve spent many days relaxing there, even on Christmas Day! I vibe with how the Aussies live. From the beach, the pier stretches out into the sea. On one side it houses the small boats in the harbour; on the other, it opens to the sea and all of the backpackers nestled down for a day of sunbathing.
Penguins at the pier
At the end of St Kilda’s pier, there’s a colony of about 1,400 Fairy penguins. They broke away from Phillip Island and made their home here, and people can go see them every night once the sun sets. People eagerly await their arrival and catch glimpses of them waddling around. Chat with the dedicated volunteers who are there every night to protect them and answer any questions.
As I stood shivering at the end of this windy pier one evening, awaiting the arrival of the stars of the show and aware that I am being a tourist. I want to see the penguins like everyone else. But a nagging feeling was rising in the back of my mind. The crowd was only getting larger and there was no crowd control. It was just the volunteers who were there to help educate, not police officers. Some people were rushing about and using the torchlight on their phones to search for the Fairy penguins. I felt like I was encroaching on their safe space, their homes which they come back to after fishing.
Tip: the best time to see them is at dusk
When the sun set and the first little guys began to climb up the rocks the crowd ebbed and flowed around them. They formed circles that the volunteers made sure to keep loose to give them some space. The volunteers had red-tinted flashlights to highlight the penguins. This doesn’t cause them harm like a camera flash does. They also provided us with a wealth of information which was great, but a lot of people seemed more concerned about just snapping a picture. Those pictures won’t be good quality as flashes are banned – it can cause disorientation and they can lose their way. It’s too dark so there’s not much point.
What resulted was the penguins wandering around trying to find their burrows whilst being swarmed by people. Some were not respectful at all, pushing their phones right up in their faces and using the camera flash. Others were making a lot of noise. The majority of people were well-behaved, but the actions of a few left me feeling guilty for being there.
Volunteering for the day
Has anyone else experienced this? The excitement to see wildlife but the worry of disturbing them? As a backpacker, I try to be conscious about my carbon footprint. One of the little things I do is carry my water bottle. My Star Wars one is starting to look a little beaten up now but it’s been a reliable companion for over a year and a half. I also have a mug for my compulsive tea drinking. I’m constantly trying to find little ways I can improve. Volunteering with eco-projects through Workaway and random opportunities is always a wealth of knowledge. It’s great to give back a little whilst you’re backpacking around a country.
One such opportunity to help presented itself whilst I was staying in Nomads Hostel in the CBD. It’s now moved to Base in St Kilda. I saw a poster that they were looking for volunteers to do the regular beach clean-up. This seemed like a much better use of my day than wandering around with no goal in mind. So I signed up, packed my trusted water bottle and Factor 50 sun cream (my pale skin cowers in the Aussie sun), and caught the tram down to St Kilda beach. I vividly remember it being ridiculously hot as it was the height of summer at the end of January. I was determined to be a little eco-warrior for the day.
St Kilda pier extends far into the sea and feels like a long way from the mainland. Like it’s cut off and distant from the bustle of the city. It could be quite easy to forget the city exists as the white noise becomes muffled. Eventually gives way to the waves rolling up against the rocks.
A great way to help out
The group of volunteers was mustered along the beach and given a fetching high-vis and a hat. I was quickly grateful for this sun protection, and after a quick briefing, we were put to work!
The first little job was to gather up buckets of sand and pour it in between the rocks to help stabilise them. The very end of the pier is gated as that’s where most of the burrows are, and it was a privilege to work in this area. We cleaned up any rubbish that had found its way in between the rocks before moving on to the beach itself.
Even when a beach doesn’t look that dirty it’s surprising how much litter you can find! Aside from the general litter like plastic bags and beer cans, we quickly filled up our buckets with smaller stuff – cigarette butts, shards of glass, and small fragments of plastic. All of these smaller pieces are a danger to local wildlife as they can be swallowed. There’s also the danger to the general public – no one wants to cut their feet on glass whilst trying to enjoy a day at the beach.
I could’ve spent the whole day cleaning up the beach! But the sun was beating down on us by the early afternoon, so we all retreated to the shaded grass and did some propagation for plants. Once they’ve grown more they can be added to the penguin’s habitat. All the while you are listening, talking, and learning with the rest of the group who have at least one interest the same as yours. So that’s a win!
These small meaningful tasks are so helpful to the regular volunteers who look after the St Kilda Breakwater. If I had stayed in Melbourne for a significant amount of time I definitely would have done it regularly. To be able to make small changes can make a big difference, never let it put you off!
A matter for debate
There is the usual debate I have with myself when travelling – what activities do I want to do, and how best do I go about it?
The environment is always in the back of my mind and I constantly think of ways to reduce, reuse and recycle. I didn’t feel comfortable crowding around a lone penguin who was trying to find their way home to their babies to feed them; I felt better watching from a safe distance so as not to disturb them. I felt even better volunteering my time to clean up their habitat and make it safer for everyone. Humans do enough damage, myself included, so I try to reduce that whenever I can. You don’t even need to spend a significant amount of time volunteering. Next time you visit a beach, if you see any litter just pick it up and put it in a bin. If everyone did just a small thing it would make a world of difference.
The organisation that volunteers at St Kilda is Earthcare. They have a great website, and if you ever find yourself in Melbourne, pop down and check them out!
