St Kilda penguins - expectation vs reality

St Kilda beach 

Located a short tram ride away from Melbourne's CBD, St Kilda beach is a pleasant but lively location to soak up the sun. Home to hundreds of bars and restaurants, the location proves to be popular for short breaks for all ages, especially attracting backpackers. One of my personal favourites, and probably most iconic attraction at St Kilda beach is Luna Park. This amusement park is perfect for all ages and located right on the sea front. It instantly catches attention with the huge face at the theme park entrance.

Penguins

Now when I heard the news that St Kilda beach was the only place in the whole of Australia to see wild penguins I did get a bit excited. How could I miss an opportunity to see wild animals in their natural habitat?

The small penguins can be seen every night of the year on St Kilda pier and can be found in the breakwater area. The thing I found strange was that the penguins remain hidden until after sunset. So if you're considering seeing them in the summer months, make sure you're willing to stay up quite late.

What to expect

As the sun began to set, you could see the beach begin to clear and everyone head towards the pier. St Kilda can be quite busy at times, but nothing compared to the crowds for the penguins. Hundreds of people lined up trying to catch a glance at these wonderful little creatures. At times you could barely walk down the path to try and gain a half decent viewing location. I would strongly recommend arriving early to gain a good spot to see the penguins when there is still a bit of natural light left.

Fences lined the pier for crowd management as well as preventing people from going on to the rocks and disturbing the penguin nests. In my opinion this gave the area more of a zoo like feel compared to a wild experience, but the creatures were protected nevertheless. As the light began to fade away, the penguins slowly began to appear. You'd know when the penguins arrive as you would hear the crowds of people react!

As perfect as it would be to capture amazing photos of the penguins on your phone in the dark, flash photography and white light is banned. From time to time you could see someone use the flash on their camera, only to be followed by moaning from visitors and volunteers. I did see a number of people using red and blue lights to snap the penguins as these do not harm their eyes. Depending on the amount of light left in the sky it can be possible to secure a decent photo on a phone. Unfortunately I didn't get great photos, but it was more about the memory than the evidence.

Earthcare St Kilda 

Earthcare St Kilda are a not for profit organisation that help to monitor and protect the penguins. Each night 'Penguin Guides' can be seen wearing vests, and are dotted around the pier ready to answer visitor questions. I found these people to be distant, yet approachable and more than happy to answer any questions. You can find out more about their research on their website.

Stay home. Stay Safe.

~ LamaraTravels

Want to read more?
Read about Melbourne's Instagram Hub and where to get those perfect Instagram snaps!
Find out 'How coronavirus left me stranded...' in Australia...

Follow my socials:
Instagram: @LamaraTravels
Twitter: @LamaraTravels