Huddled together, blasted by icy winds, waiting to catch a glimpse of tiny penguins waddling ashore.
It’s a core memory for countless Victorians and interstate and international tourists. But a few paces inland, in the precious Phillip Island coastal vegetation, another spectacle is unfolding.
The new boardwalk is being lowered into place by helicopter piece by piece.
Installation of a new elevated boardwalk has started in recent weeks. And just like the tourists who will eventually traverse its length, those installing the steel beams have been careful not to trample over penguin nesting grounds.
Helicopters have been used to carry each piece of steel into place, avoiding the need for heavy vehicles.
Wildlife officers have also been on-site, keeping an eye out for any too-curious penguins.
It’s all part of a $5 million refresh originally meant to be finished by July this year. The deadline was pushed back by six months – along with a slew of other infrastructure projects – in May’s state budget.
The Phillip Island Penguin Parade.Credit: Phillip Island Nature Parks
The race is now on for the new boardwalk and viewing stands to be finished by December – in time for the peak tourism season – and help the region bounce back from the pandemic slump. Summer is considered the best time to visit Phillip Island, home to the world’s largest colony of little penguins.
Environment Minister Steve Dimopoulos said the new “looped walking experience” would allow for greater accessibility and improve visitor flow.
But tender documents, seen by The Age, suggest ongoing coastal erosion exacerbated by climate change is also why the concrete viewing platforms – originally built in the 1960s – need to be upgraded.
“Erosion of sand from in front of and adjacent to the Penguin Parade viewing stands has been a management issue since their construction,” a coastal processes study from February this year says.
The viewing stands, build in the 1960s, are also being upgraded.
Technical drawings suggest December’s new-look stands will be built up and slightly set back over the existing seats, with a greater emphasis on wheelchair accessibility.
But the same technical study, part of tender documents released to firms vying to finish the current project, suggests this refresh won’t be the last.
It flags the eventual construction of “moveable, modular seating” once sand replacement becomes too costly or even impossible.
The beach where the Penguin Parade takes place is expected to erode by about 20 centimetres each year. This means the present-day shoreline could retreat by as much as four metres by 2040 and 10 metres by 2070.
Penguins on parade.Credit: Joe Armao
Phillip Island Nature Parks chief executive Catherine Basterfield said she was thankful for the government’s $5 million investment via Victoria’s Regional Tourism Investment Fund.
“Phillip Island is one of Australia’s must-see tourist destinations,” she said. “We are grateful for the government’s commitment in bettering our tourism offering, so the Penguin Parade can be enjoyed for generations to come.”
The attraction is still open while the refresh work continues.
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