What is the first thing that you think of when you envision Australia? If you’re like most people, the first thing that comes to your mind is perhaps beautiful beaches, throwing a shrimp on the Barbie, or perhaps living in a land down under. If you are old enough, you may even think about Crocodile Dundee! In reality, however, Australia is perhaps one of the more diverse continents in the world, and just off the coast of Melbourne is Philip Island, a place that is going to prove that fact very clearly.
Melbourne is the second-largest city in Australia but Philip Island is just a small area although they have something huge when it comes to cuteness. After all, it is home to a very unique form of penguin that is absolutely adorable. They live inside of the beach dunes and they are known as fairy Penguins, or some people even call them “little penguins.” They are so small that they are only 1 foot tall and on Philip Island, travelers can take a look at them up close and personal. They are not going to see just one of these little penguins waddling along, they will see hundreds of them at a time!
Philip Island is home to more than 4000 fairy Penguins and they make the journey to their burrows every evening. Although there are 4000 penguins on the island at any given time, it is thought that there may be as many as 32,000 penguins that make up the colony in the waters around the island.
80% of the lifespan of one of these little penguins is spent in the cool waters looking for food, such as squid and anchovies. They spend the other 20% of their lives coming onshore to feed their young, breed and molt. They may even take a little rest, sometimes for months before heading back out to sea.
The problem is, they do have to cross an open beach and they are vulnerable to predators at that time. Since they are only 1 foot tall, they could easily be carried off by a seagull or a Sea hawk. In order to protect themselves, they gather in groups that are known as rafts just after sunset. Those groups make up the penguin parade.
If you are a visitor to Philip Island, you will be able to see the penguin parade as it happens. You can do so at the Philip Island Nature Parks, which was established in 1996 as a conservation organization to protect the island. This includes the fairy Penguins.
When should you visit? You can see the penguin parade anytime of the year but there are more Penguins at certain times. Visiting in the summer will allow you to see more Penguins but in the winter, they tend to stay out in the ocean and eat a lot of fish. That is good, because it can get chilly in the winter.
If you want the most comfortable temperatures for watching the penguin parade, come in the summer. By the way, summer in Australia is from December through February, and make sure that you show up at least an hour early to walk to the area where the parade takes place.
Although you can see the fairy Penguins on Philip Island, you can also find them south of Sydney, south of Perth and along the Australian southern coastline. Philip Island is still your best choice for seeing the penguin parade.
You can also find these Penguins along the New Zealand coastline, but they are known as blue Penguins because they are blue-tinted.