Penguin Plus — Attraction in Summerlands

Penguin Plus at Phillip Island – Worth It?

We chose Penguin Plus over the standard viewing area. The main difference is seating location and crowd size. Penguin Plus is smaller, and closer to one of the penguin paths. If you sit right up front, you’ll see penguins coming out of the water and walking past you toward their burrows.

If you’re seated farther back (like we were), your view may be limited at first—but once people start leaving after 15–20 minutes, you can often move closer. The penguins come in waves over 30–45 minutes, so you’ll still get to see plenty even if you don’t have a perfect view right away.

Photos/videos are not allowed once the penguins start arriving. Penguins are very small, and there are thousands across the island. You’ll see them again as you walk back to the visitor centre—along the boardwalks, in the grass, near burrows. They’re noisy and visible everywhere in that zone.

Bottom line: Penguin Plus is worth it if you arrive early and get a front spot. If not, it’s still a great experience—and the standard viewing area will also give you access to the post-parade walk, where penguins...

Although being there early means you have to brave more time in the elements (i was there in June, winter time) but it was totally worth it. Getting a good seat to watch the cute little penguins surf up to the beach and waddle to their homes. Up close along the boardwalks, we can really appreciate the antics of the little ones in great detail. There are many waves of them coming up, the day before we went, they counted 1500+, so don't worry about missing the action. Also, personally, i felt the Penguin Plus tickets were most worth it. You can see the penguins surf up onto the beach which the underground ones may find difficult to witness.

The rangers were very courteous in enforcing the sitting rule and the no photography rule. Although i felt what they wanted more to do was to tell people about the trivia and facts. If only we can all be gracious and remain seated and not try to sneak in a photo or two. (A couple even used an umbrella to hide their phones just to sneak in a photo. Why, i cannot understand.)

The new visitor center, which looks huge, will be ready in...

The place itself is great — amazing atmosphere, beautiful setup, well-lit, and the penguin experience is really special. The staff and volunteers were friendly and helpful, no complaints there.

Unfortunately, the overall experience was spoiled by some locals or visitors who acted like self-appointed rule enforcers. I wasn’t filming anything and had no intention to — I was just enjoying the moment. Meanwhile, other visitors were openly using their phones to record or even trying to touch the penguins, which is clearly against the rules.

Despite that, those people weren’t stopped, but I was suddenly shouted at for just holding a camera. The reaction was completely inconsistent. It wasn’t the staff — they were professional — but some people sitting around who started yelling at others for no real reason.

The place is absolutely worth visiting, but the lack of clear and fair enforcement of rules, combined with aggressive behavior from random individuals, left a bad aftertaste. Come for the penguins — just be prepared for...