By Cara Waters
Viewing the penguins at St Kilda will remain free after the state government dumped a plan to charge visitors $24 each to view the beloved little birds.
Watching the penguins return to their burrows along the breakwater has always been a free activity, but Parks Victoria sought to impose a fee after the $53 million redevelopment of St Kilda Pier.
At their peak, the St Kilda penguins attracted crowds of thousands in 2019.Credit: Simon Schluter
Environmental group Earthcare – which used to provide volunteers to assist with the viewing – and other St Kilda stakeholders were told last week that the plan to charge each visitor had been approved by Environment Minister Steve Dimopoulos.
The group rallied more than 500 community members to write a letter to Dimopoulos, urging him to reconsider the planned charges.
On Monday, a government spokeswoman said there would be no fee to see the penguins when the pier was reopened, expected to be before the end of the year.
“St Kilda’s iconic penguins are beloved by Victorians and visitors from across the globe – they 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.
The colony on the breakwater at St Kilda is home to about 1300 little penguins. It had 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 2022, since when there has been no public penguin viewing.
The new 450-metre curved pier includes a wider disability-compliant walkway, new toilets and tiered seating. A new boardwalk design will keep penguins separate from crowds, but a ticketing system will be required to manage visitors.
Earthcare St Kilda vice president and research co-ordinator Dr Florence Sperring said the group’s volunteers had acted as evening penguin guides for 25 years before the renovation of the pier, talking to visitors and making sure the pathway was clear for the penguins to return to their burrows.
The St Kilda pier on Monday. The renovation is ongoing. Credit: Eddie Jim
She said the group was pleased the government had ditched its plans to charge for access.
“As one of the few natural spaces so close to Melbourne CBD, the St Kilda penguin colony must remain financially accessible to the community of Melbourne,” she said.
But Sperring said she was disappointed that there appeared to be no future role for Earthcare volunteers after the Phillip Island Nature Parks – which runs the penguin parade there – was tapped to run the viewing program in St Kilda.
“We have deep roots in the community and have established a family of volunteers,” Sperring said. “We would be sad to see the end of an era of Earthcare volunteers protecting the colony and educating the community.”
Tourists watch penguins at St Kilda Pier in January 2020 before the redevelopment of the pier began. Credit: Joe Armao
The government spokeswoman said: “The best organisation to run this viewing experience at St Kilda Pier is Phillip Island Nature Parks.”
The fee U-turn comes after the state government last week announced a comprehensive review of Parks Victoria, after Dimopoulos said it was not meeting community expectations.
Last week, Matthew Jackson, a former chief executive of Phillip Island Nature Parks, left his position as Parks Victoria chief executive.
“Parks Victoria’s current operations need to be improved to meet community expectations,” Dimopoulos said in a statement at the time.
Dimopoulos and Parks Victoria were contacted for comment.
Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.