•  Activities
  •  Melbourne, Phillip Island
  •  Melbourne Phillip Island Nature Parks Penguin Parade Standard Viewing

Melbourne Phillip Island Nature Parks Penguin Parade Standard Viewing

  • Melbourne, Phillip Island
  • 3 hours (approx.)
  • Free Cancellation
  • 24 Working Hours Confirmation

Standard Inclusions
  • General viewing at Penguin Parade

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ENQUIRIES

1 Key Facts

Included

  • General viewing at Penguin Parade

Included

  • 1. Transport from/to hotels
  • 2. Food & beverages not listed as Inclusions
  • 3. Souvenirs
  • 4. Travel Insurance
Destination Melbourne, Phillip Island
Address Penguin Parade/Nobbies Centre/Antarctic Journey: 1019 Ventnor Rd, Summerlands VIC 3922 Koala Conservation Centre: 1810 Phillip Island Rd, Phillip Island VIC 3923 Churchill Island Heritage Farm: 246 Samuel Amess Dr, Churchill Island VIC 3925
How to get there ● By Car
Phillip Island is located 90 minutes drive from Melbourne. Allow a further 20 minutes from the bridge to get to the Penguin Parade. Free car parking on site.

● By Bus
Public transport is limited on Phillip Island. V-line operates a bus to Phillip Island’s main town, Cowes, from Southern Cross Station in Melbourne city. Please note that the V-line bus does not go to the Penguin Parade and there are no return buses to Melbourne at the conclusion of the Penguin Parade.
Operating hours
Penguin Parade Visitor Centre 10:00 - Late
Penguin Parade Vary by seasons. Please refer to "Other Information" Section
Christmas Day (25 December) 14:00 - Late
Check-in requirements General Viewing ticket holders should plan to arrive at least 1 hour before penguin arrival time.
What to bring/wear The Penguin Parade is at sunset and outside. We suggest you bring warm clothes and a rain coat if it looks like rain. A rug to sit on the seats is also handy. Please note – unfortunately cameras or camcorders cannot be used at the Penguin Parade.
Other info ● Video and photography is not permitted at the Penguin Parade or any of the penguin viewing options.

● The Penguin Parade occurs every evening at sunset for duration of 1 hour. Visitors must arrive at the visitor centre before the Penguins cross the beach, however to experience all the activities and attractions on offer it is recommended that you arrive 1-2 hours before sunset.

● The penguins are wild birds. Numbers and arrival times will vary with the life-cycle  activity and weather.

● Penguin Arrival Time (Guideline Only)
January: 20:45
February: 20:30
March: 20:00
April: 19:00 (Daylight Saving Time) / 18:00 (Non-Day Light Saving Time)
May: 17:30
June: 17:15
July: 17:45
August: 18:00
September: 18:15
October: 18:45 (Non-Day Light Saving Time) / 19:45 (Daylight Saving Time)
November: 20:15
December: 20:30

2 Overview

The Summerland Peninsula in the south-west of Phillip Island is home to an estimated 32,000 little penguins – one of the largest colonies in Australia. The Penguin Parade represents approximately 10 per cent of the colony. Each night at sunset, little penguins (numbering in the hundreds or thousands depending on the season) make the march across the beach and return to their burrow homes in the sand dunes.

Penguin Parade

 

Standard Viewing

Can you hear the 'huk-huk' of penguins as they gather in their groups and begin moving towards the shore? Watch closely as they emerge from the waves, then waddle across the beach toward their burrows in the dunes.

 

Phillip Island Nature Parks

Phillip Island is part of the UNESCO Western Port Biosphere Reserve and encompasses wildlife sanctuaries, wetlands, woodlands and breathtaking coastlines which are protected and managed by world-renowned environmental and research programs. Habitat within Phillip Island Nature Parks supports significant populations of little penguins, hooded plovers, short-tailed shearwaters and other international migratory bird species, and mammals such as koalas, possums, wallabies, Australian fur seals and bats. 

 

Fun Facts
  • Little penguins are the smallest of the 17 penguin species and the only penguin that lives permanently in Australia.
  • There are approximately 32,000 breeding penguins on Phillip Island.
  • The first tourists visited the Penguin Parade in the 1920s.
  • In 1955 the State Goverment established a large reserve over the penguin colony.
  • The Little Penguin Scientific Advisory Committee was formed in 1966 and penguin counts and research programmes began.
  • The Phillip Island Nature Parks were established in 1996.

 

Meet the world’s smallest (and cutest) penguins at the world-famous Penguin Parade

Only 90 minutes from Melbourne, Phillip Island features spectacular coastal scenery and plenty of Australian wildlife.

Phillip Island is a not-for-profit organisation. Revenue raised contributes to research, environment and education projects.

Tiered seating in the General Viewing stands overlooking Summerland Beach.

Mating and Egg laying from August to November. Chick feeding in December and January. Moulting from February to April. Nest building from May to July.

Experience the magic of little penguins returning home at sunset to one of the largest penguin colonies in Australia

Dusk at the Penguin Parade

Visitor Centre. Currently under upgrading. New Visitor Centre for the Penguin Parade is due to be completed in late 2019

3 Policy

Cancellation Policy

If you cancel at least 7 day(s) in advance of the scheduled departure, there is no cancellation fee. If you cancel between 0 and 6 day(s) in advance of the scheduled departure, there is a 100 percent cancellation fee. If no show, no refund.

4 Yotpo Reviews

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