Spectators sit in concrete-stepped stadiums looking down onto a floodlit beach, with taped narration in Japanese, Taiwanese and English. But don’t be too hard on it: ecological disaster would ensue if the penguins weren’t managed properly, and visitors would still flock here, harming the birds and eroding the sand dunes.
As it is, all the money made goes back into research and looking after the penguins, and into facilities such as the excellent Penguin Parade Visitor Centre (open from 10am; admission included in the parade ticket): the “Penguin Experience” here is a simulated underwater scene of the hazards of a penguin’s life, and there are also interactive displays, videos and even nesting boxes to which penguins have access from the outside, where you can watch the chicks.
The parade itself manages to transcend the setting in any case, as the penguins come pouring onto the beach, waddling comically once they leave their preferred environment. They start arriving soon after dark; fifty minutes later the floodlights are switched off and it’s all over, at which time (or before) you can move on to the extensive boardwalks over their burrows, with diffused lighting at regular intervals enabling you to watch their antics for hours after the parade finishes – they’re active most of the night. If you want to avoid the worst of the crowds, the quietest time to observe them is during the cold and windy winter (you’ll need water-or windproof clothing at any time of year). Remember too that you can see Little penguins close to St Kilda Pier in Melbourne and at many other beaches in southern and southeastern Australia, perhaps not in such large numbers, but with far fewer onlookers.