The Penguin Parade attracts more than half-a-million visitors annually to see the little penguins (Eudyptula minor), the world’s smallest, and probably cutest of their kind. The penguin complex includes concrete amphitheatres that hold up to 3800 spectators who come to see the little fellas just after sunset as they waddle from the sea to their land-based nests.
Penguin numbers swell in summer, after breeding, but they’re in residence year round. After the parade, hang around the boardwalks for a closer view as the stragglers search for their burrows and mates. Bring warm clothing. There are a variety of specialised tours where you can be accompanied by rangers to explain the behaviour of penguins, or see the penguins from the vantage of a Skybox (an elevated platform). There’s also a cafe and an interpretive centre at the complex.
