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Phillip Island Nature Park and the very popular little penguins − were put on the map as a must-see experience 100 years ago.

Locals began gathering casually on the Summerland Peninsula to watch the nightly phenomenon of the little penguins returning to their burrows from the ocean.

It was a visit by the Governor of Victoria, the Earl of Stradbroke, in November 1921 that really launched the penguin parade as one of Victoria’s premier tourist attractions.

This anniversary marks 100 years of ecotourism at the Summerland Peninsula, which sparked an incredible conservation story that showed the way for ecotourism in Australia.

Penguin numbers on the island have almost tripled since the mid-1980s − from 12,000 to around 32,000 breeding birds today thanks to extensive conservation work. It is now the world’s largest colony of little penguins.

The parade is a conservation success story that has, over years and decades, involved the removal of a housing estate on the Summerland Peninsula and the eradicating of predators including foxes from Phillip Island.

The Victorian Government has provided $48.2 million for a major redevelopment of the attraction’s Visitor Centre, which opened in 2019, replacing the outdated 1988 facility with a larger and better equipped centre.

Over the past 100 years, tens of millions of people from more than 70 countries are estimated to have visited to watch the nightly parade of penguins – and that’s just in person.  Another 25 million viewers watched Live Penguin TV from their homes during the COVID pandemic restrictions.

Phillip Island forms part of the traditional lands of the Bunurong People, whose connection with the Summerland Peninsula and its Little Penguins extends for thousands of years.

Phillip Island Nature Parks Chief Executive Catherine Basterfield advised “we are delighted to be back at full capacity so visitors can join us in celebrating this milestone – and we look forward to a fantastic 100 years ahead, making people smile while they share in protecting the penguins.”

This anniversary is a celebration of the penguin parade itself, Phillip Island Nature Parks, conservation efforts through a range of Victorian Government and non-government agencies and of Victoria’s stunning natural landscapes.

Image courtesy delwp.vic.gov.au/

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