Tips and Tricks for Phillip Island Penguin Parade
The Penguin Parade at Phillip Island is a once in a lifetime experience you won’t want to miss. Phillip Island is located about 90 minutes from the city center of Melbourne (pronounced Mel-bin) and it is worth the drive! The drive itself is quite scenic with the bay popping through the trees every few miles. The penguin parade is a nightly event that draws millions from all over the world so prepare for crowds and bring warm clothes and a blanket! But, even in the heat of summer the beach can get a bit chilly at night in Melbourne and a blanket can double as a seat cushion. They open the doors out to the grandstands an hour before sunset and there will likely be a line. Also, please know that they don’t allow photography of the penguins! Photographs below are from the Phillip Island Penguin Parade Photographer and permission has been granted for using their photographs here:
There are a few ticket options depending on your budget and the type of experience you’re looking for. So, let me guide you through a couple of different options. The cheapest option is general admission, which will grant you a seat in the grandstands to watch the penguins come out of the water at sunset and onto the beach. If you go this route you will definitely want to arrive at least an hour and a half before sunset to get in the front of the line. As you make your way out to the grandstand you’ll find two sets of stands facing the beach with a large grassy area between the two. The grassy area in the middle is where the penguins will be heading when they come out of the water so try to get a seat in the first few rows as close as possible to the grassy area in the middle. If you can’t get a seat up front, try to get ones overlooking the grassy patch in the center. These little penguins are only about 12 inches tall so catching a seat in the first few rows is important for a good view!
A popular ticket option is called Penguins Plus. It sells out early, so buying tickets online for this option beforehand is recommended. Penguins Plus grants you a seat in a slightly more secluded location away from the grandstands. The audience is smaller so there are only a few rows of seats. It is set a little farther back from the beach so it’s not very easy to see the penguins coming out of the water but they use a very popular pathway that goes right by the penguins plus viewing area. People sitting in the front row get within just a few feet of these little penguins as they make their way to the burrows for the evening. When the penguins first come out of the water, they are often a little afraid of predators as they make their way across the beach so from the penguins plus section you’ll see penguins that are a bit more relaxed and happy.
The area in front is the Penguins Plus area, the two sets of grandstands in the distance are for general admission.
As you can see from the photo above, the boardwalk leading to the Penguins Plus area is quite long. It is open to everyone until about halfway down the boardwalk where they close it off for Penguins Plus ticket holders only. Penguins waddle alongside the whole length of the boardwalk and past the tented building on the left side of the photo. Sometimes they’re even wandering around the main building and in the parking lot! So if you are a general admission ticket holder you’ll still get to watch plenty of penguins go waddling past the boardwalk after sunset.
When we went to the penguin parade, we chose the Aboriginal Heritage Tour. This offers the best viewing experiences from both the Grandstands and Penguins Plus viewing area. Your tour begins about 20-30 minutes before sunset the guide walks through the boardwalks, giving you a little bit of history on the island. Then you make your way to the grandstands where you have the very front row reserved for your group. After watching the first few groups of penguins coming out of the water your guide will gather you up and you’ll head over to the penguins plus area to watch the penguins waddle down the pathway. Having a tour guide made sure we didn’t miss out on everything the experience had to offer. Our guide pointed out wild wallabies that we wouldn’t have noticed otherwise and gave us plenty of background information on the penguins.
The main building at the penguin parade features two gift shops and a small cafeteria. There is also a small theater showing an informational video about the island on a loop and an exhibit on little blue penguins. In the exhibit there are a series of small viewing windows that house penguin chicks and if you’re lucky you just might see a few! While there are more ticket options available than what we’ve covered, we felt the Aboriginal Heritage tour offered the best bang for your buck!
*All photos were obtained with permission from Phillip Island Parks.
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