In continuing my Magic of Melbourne series I should really call this post the magic of St Kilda but it would be too confusing. There is magic in seeing wild penguins though.
St Kilda Beach
St Kilda is a beach hang out spot located just south of Melbourne city. Maybe a 10 minute tram ride from the CBD (Central Business District).
The beach isn’t too bad actually with lots of space to roam plus a hive of activity of water sports.
Views Of St Kilda Beach
St Kilda normally draws a youngish crowd at night as it is the trendy place to be seen for many Melbournese. However it is not just the young party goers who hang out here.
As tourists to Melbourne many people will take the tours to Phillip Island to see penguins. This is a protected area and you will literally see loads of penguins. I’ve done the trip myself and really enjoyed it. The downsides of the trip was that it was quite pricey, you have to take maybe a two hour coach ride there and back and you are not allowed to take photos, not one. You do see hundreds of penguins though and I love penguins, they are so cute.
I did recently find out though that penguins have also been settling on the breakwater rocks at St Kilda. This has been happening since around the early 1970s and it is now a protected area.
The great thing about this is that it is free (well if you’ve already bought your Myki day/week pass for zone 1 it is). You can also take pictures although not with a flash. Bright lights are proven to make penguins stressful. Not only can this harm their health but they may regurgitate all the fish they’ve taken in that day. We don’t want all those baby penguins to go hungry now do we.
So excited to see penguins again I headed to St Kilda Pier one Saturday night.
Looking Down St Kilda Pier
The pier was originally built in 1904 but burnt down on 11th September 2003. It was since rebuilt in 2005 and now hosts a restaurant on it, although book in advance if you want to use it.
The pier is quite a stunning sight. You can also get some great landscape pictures of the Melbourne skyline.
Melbourne City Landscape From St Kilda Pier
Just past the restaurant are a few signs about penguins and what you’ll find at the breakwater at the end of the pier. Not only will you find penguins but a kind of water rat creature called Rakali also live on the rocks.
What You Will Find On St Kilda Breakwater
Just before sunset people head towards the breakwater viewing area to get a good spot.
The Viewing Area On St Kilda Breakwater
I’d get there early as it can get quite busy.
It Does Become Quite Busy On A Saturday Night
On the night I was there we were joined by three ladies in luminous yellow coats. They are there to look after the preservation of the penguins. They spent most of the time telling people to keep off the rocks since that is where the penguins live. In spite of their instructions some people were still stupid enough to go on the rocks which led the women to become more and more vocal.
The ladies in yellow coats also kept telling people not to use flash lights which inevitably some people ignored.
Melbourne At Sunset
Admittedly it was very dark once the sun went down and very difficult to get any decent pictures without a flash. To help us though the three ladies had red light torches. These have been proven not to be distressing for penguins. I think I even heard one of the ladies saying penguins were colour blind.
Penguin At St Kilda
I was able to see some penguins come to shore as they come home for the night. I probably saw maybe a dozen which was a little disappointing considering how many I saw in Phillip Island. However we were right beside the rocks and could see plenty of penguins either nesting for the night or stood on rocks as curious of us as we were of them.
Are You Looking At Me
I found that if you wait a little while after sunset most of the crowds disappear so you can get a much better view of them.
Two Penguins In The Red Light District
I really enjoyed my trip to St Kilda that night. I can’t think of anything which offers more magic of Melbourne than seeing real life penguins in their natural home.
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12 comments
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Agness
02/02/2013 at 12:41 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
This little penguin is so cute! You are so lucky. Amazing landscape I must admit
The Guy
02/02/2013 at 1:40 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Thanks Agness, they are adorable aren’t they
Karla
03/02/2013 at 8:25 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
You know I’ve been to Australia but haven’t visited Melbourne, so I guess a visit is in order!
Looks like a great city!
I agree with Agness, those penguins are super cute
Karla recently posted..Photo of the day: Playa Las Flores, San Miguel, El Salvador
The Guy
03/02/2013 at 10:10 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I agree Karla, you need to visit as soon as you can. It is a great city.
Bennett
04/02/2013 at 3:00 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
OH MY! St Kilda has been added to my places of MUST VISIT. Along with the penguins in Cape Town, these guys are now high on my list of priorities. Maybe I should skip my Sydney visit and just go to Melbourne instead… hmmm!
The Guy
04/02/2013 at 7:14 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
That is great news Bennett. Melbourne is often shunned from the highlights by Sydney. I’m glad that I’ve been able to remind people of the wonders of this fabulous city.
Phil
04/02/2013 at 4:03 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I love penguins! It does sound like a magical place.
Phil recently posted..You a runner? You jog? Not me!
The Guy
04/02/2013 at 7:14 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
It sure is Phil, a magical place. Any cute wildlife near you?
Franca
09/02/2013 at 5:54 pm (UTC 0) Link to this comment
I went to Melbourne years ago and I remember loving St. Kilda, I didn’t see any penguins though, I didn’t even know there were any in that area, such a shame.
I went to Phillip Island to see them and it was magical!
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The Guy
10/02/2013 at 9:49 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Thanks for visiting Franca. Philip Island really is magical isn’t it?
I’ve been going frequently to Melbourne for over a decade and only heard about the penguins this time. Shall we keep it as our little secret?
Suzy
18/02/2013 at 1:56 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
How cool! I didn’t penguins weren’t friends of the camera’s flash.
Suzy recently posted..The Sicilian Love Story
The Guy
18/02/2013 at 7:19 am (UTC 0) Link to this comment
Hi Suzy. Yes a bright flash is not good news as it can raise their heart rate and potentially risk them bringing up all that food they’d been fishing for. Not good if they have little baby penguins waiting back at the nest.