Arrive before sunset
Gates and viewing areas open in the late afternoon. Come early to take your seat on the stands before the light goes — the penguins land shortly after dusk, whatever the clock says.
Phillip Island & the Penguin Parade
Ninety minutes south of Melbourne, the Summerland Peninsula holds one of the world's great wildlife encounters: every evening at dusk, little penguins return from the sea and cross the beach to their burrows, watched by visitors from boardwalks and tiered stands.
The nightly return
Why the parade happens
Little penguins spend the day — and often weeks at a time — hunting fish at sea. They wait for the cover of darkness to come ashore, then gather in small groups called rafts in the shallows before dashing up the beach together for safety. As the light fades, group after group lands and streams across the sand to burrows in the dunes.
Because the birds nest here in large numbers and return almost every night of the year, the spectacle is remarkably reliable — which is what makes Phillip Island the easiest place on earth to see wild penguins behaving naturally.
Duskwhen the penguins come ashore, every evening
33 cmthe little penguin — the smallest species of all
1 kmof boardwalk keeps visitors off the burrows
Year roundthe parade runs in every season
Plan your evening
Watching the parade well
A few simple things make the night better for you and safer for the penguins.
No photography
Cameras and phones are not permitted during the parade. Flash and screens disorient the birds, and the rule lets everyone simply watch. Leave the lens in your bag.
Dress warm
The peninsula is exposed and the sea breeze is cold after dark, even in summer. Bring layers, a windproof jacket and a hat — you may be seated outdoors for a while.
Stay on the boardwalks
The dunes are riddled with burrows. Keep to the raised walkways and give any penguin crossing your path plenty of room — they always have right of way.
Getting there
Phillip Island is about a 90-minute drive from Melbourne via the San Remo bridge. The nearest town is Cowes; the penguin colony sits at the western tip of the island.
More than penguins
The island also holds fur seal colonies, nesting seabirds and koalas in the manna gums — worth a full day before the evening's main event.
Keep exploring
See where else penguins gather
The little penguin shares the world with seventeen cousins. Follow them around the globe to the other wild shores where penguins gather.
Where to see penguins