By Cara Waters
A visit to see St Kilda’s penguins could come at a cost once the $53 million redevelopment of St Kilda Pier is complete.
Watching the little penguins return to their burrows along the breakwater has always been a free activity, but Parks Victoria is considering charging to see them.
The St Kilda penguins became a drawcard for large crowds. Credit: Simon Schluter
Residents have expressed concern about privatising the foreshore, with some dubbing the proposal “CityLink for penguins” and posting on Facebook that “it was one thing that lower-income families could enjoy without cost, run by dedicated volunteers, and of course, they’ve found a way to charge”.
A Parks Victoria spokeswoman said it was investigating options for how evening penguin viewing would be run once the pier redevelopment was complete, and the experience could be similar to that on Phillip Island.
Tickets to the Phillip Island penguin parade are priced from $30 for tiered seating to $95 for a guided ranger tour.
Parks Victoria acting regional director Jodi Heath said requiring bookings could help to protect the penguin colony by managing visitor numbers.
“The famous St Kilda Pier penguin colony will be better protected, with a new viewing platform forming part of the new pier which is designed to allow the penguins to move freely without intrusion,” she said. “We will always put protection of the penguin colony first. The pier is already a popular site and visitor numbers will increase once the spectacular $53 million pier is completed.”
The colony on the breakwater at St Kilda is home to 1300 little penguins and has been coming under increasing pressure from large crowds as people gathered to see the birds return to their burrows at sunset.
The pier was closed for redevelopment in March last year and there has been no public penguin viewing since.
Before the closure, volunteers from environmental group Earthcare acted as penguin guides each evening, talking to people who came to see the birds and making sure the pathway for the penguins to return to their burrows was clear.
Penguin guide volunteer Flossy Sperring at the St Kilda Pier, where construction of the new $53 million curved pier is under way. Credit: Eddie Jim
Flossy Sperring volunteered weekly and said that in summer the crowds were “pretty full on”, with thousands at the site some nights, including busloads of tourists.
“It’s sort of turned more into just traffic management and people management, so trying to make sure that people were not using white light, not getting too close to penguins,” she said. “All the people would be completely crowding the top of the breakwater to the point where it was difficult to even move through as a human, but they’re on the same path as the penguins needed to walk across as well.”
There have also been several instances of violent attacks on some of the penguins. One died after being thrown against a wall in 2021 and another was kicked to death in 2016.
Sperring said she was undecided if a fee to see the penguins would help.
“It can’t be too expensive. We can’t have it turn into the next [Phillip Island] penguin parade, because it’s a local treasure, and this has been an important way for the community to connect to nature in a semi-urban area,” she said. “This is a way for people to feel like they’re out of the city and connect back with this beautiful little creature, so to take that away from them and put a paywall in front of it, I think would be unfair.”
An artist’s render of the redeveloped St Kilda Pier.
Sperring said if a charge was introduced, there should be a locals’ discount and the money should be used to help protect the penguins.
She said the redeveloped pier would be better for the penguin colony as the design included a boardwalk for people, which is separate from the path the penguins take.
Construction of the new 450-metre curved pier is expected to be finished next year and will include a wider, disability-compliant walkway, new toilets and tiered seating.
Expressions of interest for a commercial operator of the St Kilda Pier kiosk are due to be advertised in the next few weeks.
”All of the volunteers are so passionate and committed, and we just definitely need to be involved with [the penguins] once it reopens,” Sperring said. “We haven’t been told how it’s going to look, but we’re hoping, and we have been told that we will be able to still be involved in some way.“
Local resident Chris Forte said he was concerned charging for the St Kilda penguins would make it “more corporatised”.
“My real issue is failing to capitalise on an opportunity to make the whole pier a much more inclusive, accessible and exciting place to go,” he said.
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