The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) has celebrated 100 years since the Phillip Island (Millowi) Penguin Parade was put on the map as a must-see experience.
In a statement, the Department said locals began gathering casually on the Summerland Peninsula to watch the nightly phenomenon of the little penguins returning to their burrows from the ocean.
“But 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,” DELWP said.
“The anniversary marks 100 years of ecotourism at the Summerland Peninsula, which sparked an incredible conservation story that showed the way for ecotourism in Australia,” it said.
DELWP said the penguin parade was a wonderful experience shared by generations of Victorians and by millions of people from more than 70 countries who had made the trek to see the little penguins’ nightly walk.
The Department said 25 million viewers from all over the world had also watched Live Penguin TV from their homes over the past two years.
“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,” it said.
“It is now the world’s largest colony of little penguins.”
DELWP said the anniversary was 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 the State’s stunning natural landscapes.
Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, Lily D’Ambrosio joined Phillip Island Nature Parks staff, Traditional Owners and local families to celebrate the milestone.
“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,” Ms D’Ambrosio said.
