Best Time to Visit
During the day, the penguins are out in Port Phillip Bay hunting for fish and squid. They return back to the St Kilda breakwater each night, in small groups called rafts, around 30 minutes after sunset. This urban penguin colony has become one of Melbourne’s most beloved natural spectacles.
There are two 1-hour viewing sessions each night that you must book to attend. Times vary across the year; please check the local sunset forecast and your ticket information before visiting. Bookings through Phillip Island Nature Park
Little Penguins
Little Penguins (Eudyptula minor) are the smallest penguin species in the world. They are found along the southern coasts of Australia and New Zealand, including two colonies close to Melbourne on Phillip Island, and in St Kilda.
The St Kilda colony is the same species as the penguins on Phillip Island; they face many of the same threats, but live right on the edge of a major city, which brings its own unique set of challenges.
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The Penguin Life Cycle in St Kilda
Like all seabirds, Little Penguins have distinct breeding stages throughout the year. Our virtual penguin-viewing videos and research summaries explain these stages in more detail and show how our team monitors breeding success and moulting patterns.
Nest building
Usually starting in April. Within the gaps of the volcanic rocks on the breakwater, Little Penguins scrape out an indentation and line it with native saltbush twigs and vegetation; both parents work together to build and maintain the nest.
Incubation
Usually starting in July. A clutch of up to two eggs, each weighing around 55g, is incubated for about 35 days by both parents, taking turns until hatching.
A new hatchling!
At just one day old, the chick is covered in dark grey down, with eyes partly open; unable to regulate its own body temperature, it remains beneath a parent for warmth.
Sharing the load
The guard stage. During the early weeks (up to 2-3 weeks old), parents alternate between guarding the nest and going out to sea to feed, while the chick is guarded at all times.
Post-guard
Once the chick can regulate its temperature, both parents now leave the chick unattended while they spend each day looking for food, returning at night every 1-6 days to deliver food.
Dinner time
At dusk the chick calls for its parent, which returns from Port Phillip Bay to feed it by regurgitation; the chick vigorously begs for food from any adult who will listen.
Pre-fledging
As the chick grows, it moults out its down feathers and replaces them with waterproof adult blue feathers in preparation for leaving the nest.
Fledging
By around eight weeks of age, the chick is ready to leave the nest for the first time and head in to the bay; it instinctively swims, and may not return to the colony for up to a year.
The Penguin Connection
Earthcare volunteers and the St Kilda penguins have a long-standing connection that dates back to 1986. On the opening night for the new penguin viewing boardwalk in October 2025, Vice President Flossy Sperring said this:
Penguin Viewing
How to View the Penguins
Viewing takes place from a purpose-built boardwalk and viewing platform at the end of St Kilda Pier.
Sessions are free, but bookings are essential and numbers are capped to protect the colony.
Visitors can listen to audio commentary explaining penguin behaviour and conservation, and ask questions of the penguin team.
Please note penguin-friendly behaviour
No white light or flash photography
Stay on designated paths and platforms; do not climb on rocks
Never touch or feed wildlife, and keep noise to a minimum
A Brief History
Earthcare St Kilda began studying the little penguin colony at St Kilda Breakwater in 1986, starting with a small team of dedicated researchers. As the colony grew, so did public interest, leading volunteers to guide visitors on weekends and educate them about penguin conservation. Over 35 years, the program expanded to 30 research volunteers and around 180 penguin guides monitoring and sharing knowledge about the colony, even during holidays. COVID-19 temporarily closed the breakwater, giving penguins a much-needed break while research continued remotely, including interviews with guides to highlight the colony’s importance. Guided activities resumed in 2025 with a new viewing boardwalk, in collaboration with Parks Victoria, Simpsons Construction, and Monash University.