Phillip Island Ranger-Guided Penguin Tour

The general organisation of the tour: On arrival at the Penguin Parade  I was given a badge which showed which tour I was on and advised where to meet my ranger.

The briefing by my ranger Maddie. It was clear and there were plenty of opportunities to ask questions. Our group of eight was presented with binoculars, a headset to allow us to hear her commentary and a chair/pillow to sit on. (The tour also includes a free soft drink.)

We started our tour by one of the large signs in the visitor  centre where Maddie explained the history of the parade, its aim and programs. After this we headed to the general viewing area where the first two rows were reserved for those on the guided tour.

Watching the penguins waddle across the beach. At different times Maddie provided commentary on what we were seeing and pointed out where the penguins were coming from – as it turned out there were lots of penguins crossing the sand at a number of locations.

After around 20 minutes Maddie suggested we move to the Penguin Plus boardwalk area where she provided more information on the many penguins we saw walking from the beach to their burrows and answered the numerous questions the group asked during this time.