Phillip Island

 1019 Ventnor Rd, Summerlands VIC 3922, Australia +61 3 5951 2800 Website 10am – 6pm Melbourne Campervan Hire

deadpantottom (contributor)

Phillip Island seems to be well known for the penguin parade, but there is more to do and see to make the long trip truly worthwhile. I know in asking about the island, there were many that said “don’t bother”, but we ended up taking a tour out that direction, and found it very worthwhile. The big difference is probably us “furr-i-ners”, who can truly marvel at the uniqueness of native wildlife, and the native Aussies, who take such for granted. (Wonder if y’all would be impressed with a skunk at your backdoor?)

I can’t get enough of the koalas and wallabies, and there was plenty of exposure here. My pre-conceived notion from the description was this was going to be like a zoo-type setting; instead, their are boardwalk areas set up throughout the trees the koalas are living in, so you can get up close and personal to them. Most were snoozing away, since they do sleep about 20 hours a day, but we came across one that was truly pigging out, and could care less about all of us so close to her.

Also, as we wandered about, we came across quite a few wallabies that we had to stalk to see how good of a close-up picture we could get. Wasn’t sure at times who was staring harder at who…
If you are a visitor to Melbourne, I would definitely say you need to see the penguin parade, but do make sure you take time to stop by the koala center — they are just too sweet to pass up.
The cost for just the center is about AU$10, though some internet sites are slightly less, and if you get all the Phillip Island parks together, it will be cheaper.

teadpine (contributor)

If you are a nature lover, and especially if Australian wildlife is new to you, do not let the nay-sayers cloud your thinking about a trip to see this nightly phenomenon. It is truly amazing, and so very precious. But, definitely combine the trip with a visit to the Koala Conservation Center, and maybe other parts of the island.

There are many ways you can get the history and education of the penguins prior to the event. What you will see, though, is come night fall, the “little penguins” come back from their hunt for food in wave after wave. You can see big bundles of penguins in the waves, then there they are waddling up the sand. We sat in the premium seating, so we had beautiful views of them just stopping in front of us, grooming each other, then going in waves up the hill to their burrows. At the same time, there were some wallabies that seemed to be a bit miffed at not being paid attention to, so first of all, across the top of the hillside they went, making a beautiful silhoutte. That didn’t seem to be good enough, though, as later, there they came across the beach.

We took a bus tour that got us to the island, took us to Churchill Island, Koala Conservation Center, then the Penguin Parade. Paid an extra $10 for the premium seating, and it was well worth it (plus, included a “complimentary drink”). After being trampled in Sydney on NYE, I was delighted to be in these up-close bleachers where I could have reached out and touched the penguins. Then, walking back up the boardwalk, we were walking right next to the penguins still waddling to their burrows — all protected from the crowds of people. There was also a ranger there giving us a pre-briefing before the first wave came in — I’m sure the crowds over in the main seating get that, also, but not as easy to hear.

Another benefit of the bus tour, we were taken along a back road prior to going into the visitor center; here we saw alot of the burrows, and even saw many of the chicks peaking out, looking for their parents with dinner. If you do drive yourself, make sure you go early and take that back road — and take it SLOWLY — we had some very impatient people speeding past us, don’t know why they were there!

Warnings: they are NOT kidding when they say to dress warm. We were there in “summer”, and it was very cold. It was cold at the Koala joint in the daytime; can’t imagine how really chilly it gets in winter. Also, because people would not obey rules in the past, you cannot take pictures at all, period. They will take your camera away if they catch you.

ziggyplugby (contributor)

Did the Penguin Parade day-tour to Philip Island twice (02 and 08) with Gowest Tours.

The tour goes through The Dandenongs, making stops along the way before finally hitting Philip Island in the late evening for the main show.

The morning saw stops made at a local vineyard, The Gurdies Winery, and then on to Maru Koala and Fauna Park, a wildlife park where you can mingle with kangaroos, emus, cockatoos, dingoes and wombats and eventually, a koala conservatory. (Note: Photo with koala is a separate A$15, circa 2008)

The tour smartly stopped the overloading of Australiasia fauna by making a stop at The Nobbies and Seal Rocks on Philip Island in the afternoon. This area offers spectacular coastal viewing from the boardwalks and lookout points set amongst natural sea bird gardens. Plenty of screeching seagulls here. 1.5 kms offshore from The Nobbies are Seal Rocks, home to Australia’s largest Australian Fur Seal colony.

Let the wind literally knocks your sense off. It was very windy and very chilly here. Come prepared for the chills. Unfortunately, my tour arrived at a time (Oz autumn) when the seals had more or less left the spot, which was a real pity.

The last stop was of course the Philip Island Nature Park for the main show: The Little Penguins. The duration of the Parade is about 50 mins when the penguins first crossed the beach. PLEASE COME PREPARED FOR THE COLD. There is no shelter. Many tours arrived with thick blankets as you stood behind a barricade in the chilling howling winds, straining your neck for the first sighting. Do go down to the beach early; there is no announcements. (Folks can sign up for the Penguin Plus Package for another A$11, circa 2008, just so to increase chances for a sighting)

Visitors then followed the penguins back to their nests on covered boardwalks. No one is allowed to step onto the sand. Photography & video cameras are NOT allowed. The Visitor Centre has a carnival-like atmosphere, with souvenir shops and cafes. I did not enjoy it that much, compared to the more simpler understated but practical approach on Tasmania. It was almost like a theme park.

clewtephra (contributor)

1. The penguins at Phillip Island are the smallest of 17 species of penguins in the world (they are only 33cm tall) … their largest Antarctic cousin is the Emperor Penguin, standing up to 130 cm tall.

2. Penguins are found only in the southern hemisphere; so you will never see a penguin and Polar Bear together in the wild!

3. The name ‘Little Penguin’ is now used instead of ‘Fairy Penguin’ as it is a more accurate translation of their scientific name, Eudyptula minor.

4. A Little Penguin can actually sleep at sea, dozing as it floats on the surface.

5. A Little Penguin can stay at sea for weeks, diving for fish, yet its waterproof feathers keep its skin absolutely dry.

6. Penguins may swim 15 – 20 kilometres a day searching for small fish to eat. One penguin was recorded travelling 100 kilometres in one day!

7. A Little Penguin has been recorded diving to 65 metres!

8. The Little Penguin’s dark feathers are not black like other penguins. They are a deep, rich blue. Their colour camouflages them from above and below the surface of the ocean.

9. Natural hazards for penguins are sharks, birds of prey, rough weather and fish shortages.

10. A penguin’s biggest danger is humans. They die from our plastic rubbish, oil spills at sea and on land from cars and introduced animals such as foxes, cats and dogs.

11. A fox may kill as many as 30 or 40 penguins in one night. The fox is the penguins’ main predator and keeps the rangers busy protecting the penguins.

Quoted from http://www.penguins.org.au

You can adopt a penguin at A$75 at Philip Island. Details at www.penguinfoundation.org.au/

obeyskew (contributor)

This is simply the most unforgetable experience during my visit to Melbourne…

Watching the little penguins emerge from the sea, waiting for their other members to reach the beach safely before they waddle ashore to their sand dune burrows together.

I noticed that they will not waddle ashore if there are no more than 3 of them.. They are fully aware of their surroundings and will swim to the area where they are little lights.. So if you sitting in the centre of the viewing gallery, chances of you seeing them is very slim…. Cos they will swim to the sides where the lights are not so bright…

We were amazed by the very 1st batch of penguins that came on shore.. We were totally unaware that hundreds of them were already making their way to their burrows.. They were almost camouflage by the darkness… And they were quiet when making their way up..

Few minutes later, we saw another group came on shore.. 2 were left behind cos they took so long to get to the beach and the wave keep pulling them back to the sea… so the 2 penguins waited for the others to come along.. waited and waited and not a single penguin was in sight so they decided to swim back to sea! Oh my!! They really will not waddle back to their burrows….

This is a truly memorable natural wildlife experience.

After 30 mins or so, once most of the penguins are back on shore, you can watch and enjoy all the ‘penguin action’ on the elevated boardwalks without disturbing them or their burrow homes.. You can hear them making so much noises, searching for their families…

To Allow the native animals to live in a natural habitat, no outdoor Photography and filming is allowed – even without a flash. Photographing Little Penguins disturbs and frightens them.

Oh when you are there, do send out a postcard to your family… You will get a special Philip Island stamped on your postcard!

delightfuljoy (contributor)

A 2 hours drive from Melbourne lies Phillip Island. We went there to watch the Penguin Parade, where we saw little fairy penguins (the smallest of the penguin species) that came out of the sea at dusk to bring food back to their chicks in the burrows on the grassy bankside. As soon as daylight faded, we saw a few penguins swim up to the shore, to check the lighting. On a few occasions, they decided it was still too light to make the trip across the sand, as they would’ve been too vulnerable to predators, so dipped back into the sea. Then they re-emerged again, waited a while for some more penguins to emerge (safety in numbers), then once safe, they waddled over the sand in a huddle to the grassland. Some penguins just couldn’t walk in a straigt line, waddling from side-to-side, and some kept falling over on their way over (like a slapstick comedy). It was a funny sight. As they approached the grassland, they walked up the grassy banks, in single-file, and found their way to their burrows. They were SO SO cute, I wished I could’ve p-p-picked up a penguin!!!

No photography or filming is allowed during the Penguin Parade to avoid scaring the penguins. The best position to view the penguins is on the boardwalk just behind the skybox. From here, you’ll get a clear view of the beach and you can see the penguins’ burrows, where at times, a penguin will pop out to wait for their relative to return from the sea.

quarticfrow (contributor)

Phillip Island has so many activities. The Penguin Parade can be booked out so it’s best to enquire online. It is the same if you are wanting accommodation during peak periods. The Island community provides an online Tourist Service which will also show you how to get to the island and to the main attractions. Best of it’s free, and non-commercial although you can find and book online at all the main backpackers, caravan parks and motels.

Every month there are many other events that happen on Phillip Island that you can attend that aren’t in the normal tourist guides. Like markets, art displays, world surfing championships and different types and levels of motorycle and car racing. You can get into a lot of this for free.

This community guide was the only one that had up to date calendars and replied to general enquiries rather than just one’s they might make money from. Very family friendly. Hope that helps!

roundingtop (contributor)

The Penguin Parade is located on Phillip Island, only 140km south-east of Melbourne. It is part of Phillip Island Nature Park. The area is a reserve designed to protect and promote awareness of Little Penguins (previously called Fairy Penguins).

The Parade is open every day of the year. The best time to visit is at sunset/dusk if you wish to see the actual “penguin parade”. This is when the penguins cross Summerland Beach to return to their sand-dune burrows. This “parade” can be experienced from environmentally friendly observation boardwalks and viewing stands.

Penguin Parade and Visitor Centre
$16.00- Adult
$8.00- Child (4-16yrs)

Latest Images of Phillip Island, Melbourne