Penguins for free

Can you see penguins for free in Melbourne?

Yes. About 1,400 little penguins nest in the rocks of the St Kilda breakwater, and free guided viewing sessions run every night on the new platform.

The colony started small: 57 penguins at the first count in 1986. It has grown on the breakwater ever since. The new St Kilda Pier opened in December 2024, and a 150-metre elevated viewing platform followed in October 2025. Since 29 October 2025, Phillip Island Nature Parks has run two free guided sessions every night, with Earthcare St Kilda.

The platform keeps people at a distance from the rocks, uses wildlife-friendly lighting and closes each night after the sessions, as Parks Victoria explains. Outside the sessions there is no penguin viewing on the pier.

How do you book the free St Kilda penguin sessions?

Online through Phillip Island Nature Parks. New tickets are released every Tuesday at 10 am (Melbourne time) for the following week, and they go fast.

Each session takes 150 people. When weekly releases started on 31 March 2026, the local site G'day St Kilda reported that the whole Tuesday allotment was gone in about 30 minutes. Be online at 10 am sharp. If you miss out, check back: cancelled tickets return to the booking page.

• Cost: free, but a ticket is essential.
• Valid for: the date and session printed on it only. Late arrival can forfeit your place, so arrive 10 minutes early.
• On the day: you get a text reminder, and you show the e-ticket on your phone.
• Weather: sessions can be cancelled in extreme weather.

What happens at a St Kilda penguin session?

A guide walks you onto the platform to watch penguins land on the rocks and settle into their nests. Each session lasts about 45 minutes.

Session one starts about 30 minutes after sunset, as the penguins come ashore. Session two starts about 90 minutes after sunset, when they settle into the rocks. The first is better for the arrivals; the second is calmer, with penguins calling and moving between nests.

The rules are close to the parade's, with one big difference: photos without flash are allowed at St Kilda. Flash, torches and bright lights are banned. No takeaway food on the platform during sessions, no alcohol on the pier, no rubbish bins (take your litter home), and no umbrellas: bring a raincoat. The pier is cold and windy even after a hot day.

How do you get to St Kilda Pier?

By tram: routes 12, 16 and 96 stop near the pier. The platform is about 450 metres out along it.

Route 12 runs along Collins Street, route 16 along Swanston Street and route 96 along Bourke Street. By car it is about 25 minutes from the CBD, but paid parking on the foreshore is limited. The walkway on the new pier is fully accessible, with an accessible toilet in the pavilion at the entrance.

All ages are welcome. For small children, the early session and a warm layer make all the difference.

Can you see the Penguin Parade on Phillip Island without paying?

No. The penguins land inside the Penguin Parade grounds at Summerlands, and the only way to watch them there is with a ticket.

There is no free viewing area at the parade, and searching other beaches for penguins after dark disturbs birds protected under Victoria's Wildlife Act 1975. The cheapest legal options:

• General Viewing: A$34 adult, A$17 child, A$85 for a family of four. Under-4s are free but need a ticket.
• Pensioner rate: A$23.80 with an eligible card. Companion Card holders get one free admission, booked by phone.
• Guided Daytime Adventure Tour: A$25 for a daytime walk through restored penguin habitat on the Summerland Peninsula, looking for burrows and tracks. You won't see the evening parade on it.

Ticket prices and types are all in the Penguin Parade ticket guide.

The lowest-priced way to see the parade itself: General Viewing, sold by Nature Parks, with free cancellation up to 2 days before.

★ 4.2 · 2 hours · from $24

Explore the General Viewing ticket → Tour details

Is St Kilda as good as the Penguin Parade?

No, but it is a different thing. St Kilda gives you a smaller colony landing on rocks; Phillip Island gives you hundreds or thousands crossing an open beach.

Phillip Island's colony is about 40,000 birds, described by Nature Parks as the largest little penguin colony in the world, against about 1,400 at St Kilda. Busy nights on the island see thousands cross. At St Kilda the birds are on rocks below a platform, so you see fewer at once and more slowly.

Our take: do St Kilda if you are in Melbourne for a short stay, on a budget, or want photos. Do the parade if you have a free day and want the scale. Plenty of people do both.

When is the best time to see the St Kilda penguins?

At and just after sunset, on the first session. The penguins spend the day feeding in Port Phillip Bay and come back to the rocks at dusk.

Session times follow sunset, so they shift through the year. Check your ticket for the exact time. Spring and summer are the breeding season, when chicks wait in the rocks and adults come in to feed them; the Phillip Island arrival times follow the same sunset pattern.

Parks Victoria has an H5 bird flu alert for the state, and some St Kilda penguins are being health checked, microchipped and vaccinated against H5 avian influenza in August and September 2026. The St Kilda update follows the program and the pier.

What are the rules for watching penguins in the wild?

Don't touch, feed or approach them, keep your distance, and never use a flash or torch. Little penguins are protected under the Wildlife Act 1975.

Penguins have sensitive eyes, and sudden light can frighten or disorientate them. Stay on paths and platforms, keep away from nesting rocks and dunes, and leave dogs at home. If you find a sick or injured penguin anywhere in Port Phillip Bay, call the Zoos Victoria Marine Response Unit on 1300 245 678, and don't approach sick or dead birds yourself.

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