The parade
From sea to burrows.
Phillipislandtourism — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Magnus Kjaergaard — CC BY 3.0 · Magnus Kjaergaard — CC BY 3.0 · The 3B's from Melbourne, Australia — CC BY 2.0
The best-known wildlife experience near Melbourne: every evening at sunset thousands of little penguins, the world's smallest, come out of the sea in groups and waddle across the sand to their burrows in the dunes, in front of the visitors' stands. It is run by a nature park on Phillip Island with a long history of protecting these birds; the state even bought and cleared a whole housing estate that threatened their habitat to give it back to them. The visitor centre explains the penguins' lives and daily trips at sea. Photography and video are banned outright during the parade to protect the penguins, so visitors enjoy it with their own eyes. There are general stands and premium ones closer to the path at higher prices, and the island also has a fur seal colony and a koala reserve. General viewing is about A$34 per adult, per visitor guides. Evenings on the beach are cold and windy even in summer, so bring warm clothes and book ahead.
From sea to burrows.
Penguin life.
On the island.
Summerlands, Phillip Island, about two hours south-east of Melbourne
No, photography and video are banned during the parade to protect the penguins.