Phillip Island Penguin Parade

Post

Subscribe

No trip to Phillip Island is complete without the Penguin Parade of little penguins. Phillip Island is beautiful, with several national parks you can walk around, and see if you can capture a glimpse of seals or whales, but the real highlight is the nightly penguin parade.





The Penguin Parade gives visitors a chance to watch the world’s largest colony of little penguins return to their burrows from the ocean. You’ll be able to watch from various platforms as they waddle out of the sea in groups, checking to make sure the coast is clear before they make their way up to their burrows for the night to tend to eggs and babies. Seeing this is quite an experience, as you search the shoreline for the waddling penguins, and some vantage points are clearer than others, so check out what the viewing options are and what their availability is on the Penguin Parade website when you book so you get the best information possible prior to your visit.





The Penguin Parade Visitor Centre opens at 5pm, to allow people enough time to get there, grab something to eat or head over to the shop before heading down to the parade viewing platforms. Phillip Island Nature Parks advise getting there about an hour before the penguins arrive, you should be able to download the penguin arrival calendar in PDF form on the website, and there are specific reminders for each ticket you get. The following information is taken directly from the website:

• General Viewing - ticket holders should plan to arrive at least 1 hour before penguin arrival time.
• Penguins Plus - ticket holders should plan to arrive at least 1 hour before penguin arrival time.
• Underground - ticket holders should plan to arrive 30 minutes before penguin arrival time.
• Guided tours - each has a specific departure time, so please check your tickets.

Ensure you pre-book particularly during school holidays or peak times during December and January so you don’t miss out on this fantastic experience.




The platforms are tiered seats, so everyone has the chance to see what is going on, and enjoy this experience that will stay with you for a long time. This is a chance to see the little penguins in their natural habitat in the national park, whilst learning more about them and what they do out in the ocean before they come back.


Ticket prices taken from the website:

General

Adult (16 years+) - $32.00
Child (4-15 years) - $16.00 (children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult)
Family (2 adults and 2 children) - $80.00
Australian Pensioner (ID required) - $22.40

Penguin Discovery Experience:

Penguin Discovery Experience (16 years+) - $85.00

Penguins Plus:

Adult (16 years+) - $80.00
Child (4-15 years) - $40.00 (children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult)
Family (2 adults and 2 children) - $200.00

Underground viewing:

Adult (16 years+) - $90.00
Child (4-15 years) - $45.00 (children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult)
Family (2 adults and 2 children) - $225.00

Guided Penguin tour:

Guided Penguin Tour (12 years+) - $100.00 (children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult)

Ultimate adventure tour:

Ultimate Adventure Tour (16 years+) - $120.00
In an unlikely scenario of unusually lower penguin numbers or higher than predicted tides the Ultimate Adventure Tour will be replaced with a Guided Penguin Tour

Family Wildlife Tours- Adult (16 years+) - $85.00
Child (4-15 years) - $42.50/persons under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult
Family (2 adults and 2 children) - $212.50
Australian Pensioner (ID required) - $59.50 available Fri & Sat, available nightly through the school holidays


There is no photography allowed during the parade, which the volunteers will explain to you, and you will be able to download images from their website for your own use, which they informed us about. This is where the images in this article come from.


The Penguin Parade is committed to accessibility, and the website has an accessibility guide you can download. The website lists the following options for visitors with mobility needs:

Visitors with Mobility needs:
- Wide pathways for wheelchairs and prams
- Allocated car parking spaces for people with accessibility issues
- Ramp access through the visitor centre and along the boardwalks
- Pram parking at the penguin viewing stands
- A complimentary wheelchair for use inside the visitor centre
- Interpretive displays at wheelchair eye height
- An accessible-height ticketing counter
- Complimentary buggy service available for visitors with Mobility needs. Located at beach doors, please ask any of our staff if you or a guest requires this service.
- Exclusive wheelchair access viewing areas in General Viewing, Penguins Plus and Underground Viewing

A Changing Places facility which includes the following:
- a height-adjustable adult-sized change table
- a constant-charging ceiling track hoist system
- a centrally located peninsula toilet
- circulation spaces as defined in the design specifications
- an automatic door with a clear opening of 950 mm at a minimum (1100 mm for beach and lake locations)
- a privacy screen

They have fantastic information about how they work accessibility into the experience for the parade, so make sure you get the information you need from the website to make sure your visit is accessible. It’s a great experience and one that everyone is sure to get something out of when they go.

%wnmelbourne

#phillip_island
#nature
#holiday
#things_to_do
#family_friendly
#wildlife
#environment