St Kilda and the Little Penguins

There are two places in Melbourne where penguins nest and you can see them at sunset as they swim into shore, Phillip Island and St Kilda Pier. Phillip Island is not accessible via public transit, so to see the penguins there would get pricey between having to arrange for transportation and pay an admittance fee. St Kilda has a smaller penguin colony, but it's free and a tram stops nearby. It was a no-brainer; we headed to St Kilda. 

St Kilda and Altona are the same distance from Melbourne city center, but St Kilda is on the east side of the bay and Altona is on the west. We have heard two things that stand out about St Kilda. That it has a young, hip vibe and that it has several delicious cakeries on Aucland Street. So, besides seeing the penguins we had to check out the town. 

Here's the consensus: St Kilda did seem very young and hip (think Eastown, Grand Rapids on steroids). And, there are four cakeries in a row on Aucland Street with tantalizing display cases. Of course we had to assess the tastiness, so we indulged in two desserts from two different shops. We were not disappointed. 

Brandon checking out the tempting window display

Almond pastry

Chocolate mousse layer cake: This was the dessert winner. 

Enjoying our dessert and playing with mirrors at a cakery

We then walked off our sugar high as we headed to the pier for sunset. On the way we saw the iconic Melbourne amusement park, Luna Park. 

Yes, the entrance is a giant mouth

We couldn't resist!

We continued our walk along the beach to the pier. At the end of the pier, there were some people gathering near some breakwater rocks and a sign, so we figured we were in the right place. 

They are actually called "Little penguins"...I'm not just calling them that

As the sky darkened we saw some baby penguins creep out of the crevices between rocks and start looking for their parents. Some of them were quite talkative and extroverted and hammed it up for the camera. No flash photography is allowed to avoid scaring the penguins, and there are some barriers to prevent contact. But the view was still better than I expected. 

Three noisy baby penguins peering out

This one was more quiet and shy

But this one was definitely posing for all the cameras

Eventually, the parent penguins began returning for the evening. They were harder to see as it was darker and they were underwater most of the time before scurrying across a small sandy area and into the rocks. But, we did have a beautiful view of Melbourne all lit up at night. 

Two or three of the parent penguins returning (dark splotches)

The picture, of course, does not do it justice

Right before we left, I stood on the boardwalk near the sandy area and told Brandon we could leave after one of the penguins ran nearby. Not twenty seconds later, two penguins made a run for the rocks and I could clearly see their penguin march and hear the pitter-patter of their feet as they crossed the small stretch of sand and dove under the boardwalk right beneath my feet. I was very excited! It's like the little penguins came right to me! Brandon will attest to it. It was a great way to end our memorable evening.