Phillip Island is one of the most popular spots for Melbourne masses to escape to in Summer time. It’s situated in the Western Port, about 2 hours drive south east from the city, which cuts through the beautiful Gippsland countryside: once you finally escape the tedious sprawl of the South Eastern suburbs that is. At just 26km wide by 9km tall, nothing is more than a 20 mins drive away along the single main artery which circumnavigates the island, connected to the rest of Victoria by a single road bridge.
We too were drawn in by the latter, but not by the usual crowd pleasing Aussie favourites of Koalas, Kangaroos, or Wallabies. We were in search of Penguins. Yep, those cute wobbly little birds that live in the snow capped and ice filled oceans of Antarctica. And we hadn’t gone mad. Australia’s largest colony of Little Blue Penguins is found on the southern shore of Phillip Island, adding several thousand permanent residents to its growing human population.
Contrary to my misguided belief, penguins don’t only live in extremely cold conditions. All penguin species are indeed found in the southern hemisphere, but outside Antarctica, penguins can inhabit deserted regions and rocky islands in temperate climates too, with the absence of land predators for the flightless bird as big a reason to settle as any other. Which made Phillip Island a perfect home for them, and there were once up to a dozen colonies dotted round the island. Unfortunately our over eagerness to visit them, to live on the island like them, and introduce inherent dangers into their lives, means that just this one colony remains. Thankfully it appears to be thriving.
The world’s smallest (and cutest) penguins are marketed shamelessly as a tourist attraction. Try googling ‘Penguin Parade’, and you will find a staggering 258,000 hits. And it’s the same on the island. They appear on leaflets, billboards, mugs, key rings, road signs, ponchos, hats, t shirts, in numerous cuddly toy re-incarnations, amongst many other things (including of course several variations of fridge magnet.) My wife’s personal favourite was spotting a bag of ‘penguin poo’ hanging on a shelf – we were a touch disappointed to find out it was actually chocolate covered peanuts. If it were possible, I have no doubt the penguins would be opening local supermarkets, and having guest appearances on Sunrise.
The Penguins also have one of the most amazing seaside residences purpose built for them. Their cliff side burrows now come with luxury walkway entrances, outdoor floodlights and boardwalks as standard. Their human admirers are also well taken care of with a state of the art visitor centre, cafes, stores, and beachside concrete bleachers for them to sit and admire from a safe distance. There is plenty of seating to cope with the thousands of daily summer visitors, and a confusing amount of seating choices, with a Penguin Sky Box VIP option for the ultimate choice in luxury. I am pretty sure this comes with popcorn.
I am stating this all up front so we are all on the same page. If you are expecting an isolated wilderness experience with Penguins, then you may end up a little disappointed. The name Penguin Parade is completely apt. At sunset everyday, the hordes of furry little critters return from their 2-3 day feeding trips to go back to the safety of their burrows. This means they come out from the sea and need to waddle across the beach to the safety of the cliffs. It is a public Parade of the highest order, with up to 4 thousand people here to watch them at the height of summer. So, you will definitely be sharing your Penguin experience with hordes of other people.
However, it really doesn’t matter. This is a still a completely breathtaking event.
The Centre’s rangers can predict when they will appear with amazing accuracy. So with 5 minutes to go, the few hundred of us here brave enough to face the harsh winters evening are told over tannoys that the floodlights will come on, and they will start arriving shortly. The noise levels drop. We all face out to sea with expectation. A show of hands begins to point to the sea. “They’re here,” somebody whispers.
And right on cue, they start arriving.
They are hard to see at first, with their little dark blue heads bobbing above the sea water, just 5-6 yards out in the high tide. Fighting the waves is a real struggle for them, one minute they are surfing towards the sand, the next they are swept back to sea. But they all stick together before circling back to try again. Eventually they spot a break in the waves, and the first few manage to get to their feet, and wobble excitedly to the shore. They are quickly followed by the rest of the crew in a long line, and save a few falls and mishaps, their procession onto the shore is much quicker than you would expect. Their bright white chests stand out as they disappear into the long grass and hides of the sloping cliffs. It is a mesmerising sight.
The next group appears a few minutes later, seemingly aware that the lead group had made it safely to shore. There are 2 key entrances for them into the cliffs, one on either side of the spectator stands. Groups now regularly arrive at one or both of them. They seem to be completely unaware of the crowd, the noise or the powerful floodlights. What stands out most is their camaraderie. When a large group arrives, and the first few make it out of the water, they will all turn back into the frothing sea if a few of them fail to materialise, only to try the whole thing again as a unit. If a single penguin is washed back in and loses its comrades, it seems to head back to sea to find another group to join on the beach landing. It’s fascinating to watch.
Some twenty minutes later, you are encouraged by the rangers to wander along the boardwalks back to the visitor centre to watch the penguins head towards their burrows. This is where you really do see them at their best, and you can get within touching distance of them. They march along well trodden paths still in their groups, waddling at 45 degree angles so as not to lose their footing, gradually breaking up as they recognise their burrows. Here they stand to attention outside their homes sticking out their chests and furiously wagging their extended arms, cooing and crying when a passing penguin strays too close.
It’s quite incredible just how far they walk inland to nest. In fact we spot a group stopping for a rest close by the visitor building – some 100-200m from the shoreline. They are actually relaxed enough to cross the visitor path. What’s more they seem to expect you to move out of their way by waiting and bobbing their heads at you – a ranger excitedly asking us to move back to allow them through.
I could tell you a lot more about Phillip Island, about the English sounding resort towns like Cowes and Rhyll, about the gorgeous Cape Woolamai coastal park, the stunning surf and the roaming Wallabies. But these are merely side shows to the main attraction. You should come to Phillip Island, like many thousands do, for the Penguin Parade. I have no doubt you will leave just as happy as we all did, having enjoyed the experience and safe in the knowledge that for once, the tourist side show is what is actually funding and protecting this unque colony.
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