Not far south from Melbourne you will find a small island called “Phillip Island” which is home to Australia’s biggest penguin colony. We feel that, apart from the Great Ocean Road, it’s the true highlight of the Victoria’s state that attracts thousands of tourists every day and night!
First something about the island itself. This is a popular tourist destination and offers a variety of activities. It boasts breathtaking beauty with rugged coastline, idyllic beaches and native wildlife encounters. The entire island has plenty of places to relax and a number of scenic villages to discover. Apart from the chocolate factory and local wine tasting, you can spend your time meeting sleepy koalas, noisy birdlife and playful seals in their natural habitat, marvel at the majestic pelicans as they swoop to scoop a fish from the sea. Spot wallabies grazing at sunset as well as witness the migrating whales off the southern coast. You can discover quiet bays and some of the best surf beaches in Australia. Seaside townships of Cowes and San Remo offer boutiques, markets and a range of restaurants, cafes and bars.
All these rare animals might be out in the water for as long as several weeks. They fish during the daylight and power-nap on the surface of water at night time. If they decide to come back to the shore it’s always the same route and the same burrow on land. The spectacular come back to the beach is always in a big group as the penguins feel much safer close to each other. This is why you can expect around a thousand little creatures that will parade right next to you. The occurance can be observed from the platform located on the shore as well as from the special underground cave. Then you are also able to take a closer look at their “homes”. After the parade you need to check under your car to make sure a little penguin hasn’t decided to hide there. Their burrows can be as far as 2 kilometers in land so they walk quite a long distance before finally taking some rest or laying eggs.
1. Little penguins spend 80% of their lives at the sea searching for food and travel as far as 50km per
day.
