09 Jul Sights to See – St.Kilda Pier Penguin Colony, St Kilda, Australia
You’ll find the little birds tucked withing the rocks of this Australian Beach.
St. Kilda Pier Offers an unusual gem of a natural wildlife experience within the shadows of an Australian Metropolis, as it’s home to several thousand penguins.
An active colony of little penguins (formerly know as “fairy ” Penguins) has lived at the breakwater at the end of the pier in St. Kilda, a small suburb of Melbourne, since the pier’s construction in the mid – 1950s.
A small but dedicated group of volunteers look after the penguins, helping keep them safe from wayward tourists. the volunteers will point out penguins nestled among the rocks and help people locate the animals wh8ile also protecting them from overeager visitors.
Crowds of people arrive most evenings, but often leave shortly after sundown. Occasion ally, you can find the penguins hiding in the rocks in daylight hours, but they’ll be more active and mobile after dark. TO see the most activity, come prepared to stay well into the night. Make sure you the birds plenty of space and move if they scamper across the place you’re standing.
Know before you go
The Penguins are mostly active after nightfall. There are no available restrooms and temperatures drop significantly on the pier after sundown.
Do not feed, touch, or handle them, and move if they start coming towards you. Do not crowd them if they happen to be away from the protective fences, and stay off the rocks that lead down to the water. Do not use flash photography or white flashes (red filtered illumination is alright) to view or photograph the penguins. It can sicken or injure penguins, and you’ll at best get a good dose of crowd shaming.