Melbourne’s iconic St Kilda penguin colony has reopened for public viewing after four years — and the rush to see it has been so intense that free viewing tickets are now unavailable until 2026.Perched on the breakwater at the end of St Kilda Pier, the colony has returned to public access following a $53 million renovation project.Viewings resumed on 29 October under a new online booking system, offering two one-hour sessions each night, capped at 150 visitors.
But within a single day of going live, more than five months’ worth of sessions were fully booked. Tickets are now unavailable until the end of March 2026, with April bookings yet to be released.
Melbourne resident Lisa Andrews said she had only just managed to secure her spots.
“I saw it come up on Facebook, and I logged straight in, and I booked three tickets straight away, and then I was telling friends, and I went back on, and there was nothing available,” she told SBS News.
Frustration over advance ticketing
SBS News spoke to local residents and tourists at St Kilda Pier to gather their views on the new ticketing system.St Kilda local Rhianna, who was visiting the pier with her family from the United Kingdom, said she was unable to secure tickets through what she described as a “convoluted” system.”It was a bit confusing and it wasn’t exactly clear when you could see what was available next,” she said.Italian tourist Gabriele Tuccillo, in Melbourne on a working holiday visa, also had no tickets and said the booking system is “weird” for allowing reservations so far in advance.
“What if I actually did book it in March? And then at some point, you know, I’m not going to be in Melbourne,” he said.
St Kilda’s penguin viewing ticketing system has drawn criticism as visitors struggle to secure spots. Source: SBS News
Cambodian international student Bon shared similar concerns.”I don’t think six months in advance is a good time frame. Maybe a week or a month is probably better,” he said.
The St Kilda penguins have faced many issues over the year, including flash photography, selfie sticks, overcrowding and even physical attacks.
Why St Kilda’s penguin viewing now requires tickets
The St Kilda penguins have long faced issues such as flash photography, selfie sticks, overcrowding and even physical attacks.Local volunteer group Earthcare St Kilda has protected and researched the penguin colony since 1982, providing volunteer guides for daily viewings.The group’s vice president, Flossy Sperring, said they once dealt with crowds of up to 2,000 people, prompting them to request a dedicated viewing platform from Parks Victoria, a state government agency responsible for managing public land.”People were sticking their selfie sticks into penguin nests, and back then people were allowed all over these rocks as well,” she said.
“There were just people literally everywhere as penguins were coming up; there would just be people sitting on the rocks in front of their nests.”
The penguins at St Kilda pier have long been a popular tourist attraction. Source: Supplied / Phillip Island Nature Parks
The viewing platform was eventually built as part of the Victorian government’s St Kilda Pier redevelopment. Because the platform has limited capacity, a ticketing system was introduced when the penguin colony reopened in October.Sperring said Earthcare had initially hoped to help manage the penguin experience alongside Parks Victoria after the renovations.
“We had hoped that we would be able to manage the penguin viewing experience, because we have an understanding of what locals want,” she said.
Phillip Island Nature Parks responds to ticketing backlash
However, the two-year ticketing contract was instead awarded to Phillip Island Nature Parks, the conservation organisation behind the Phillip Island Penguin Parade, where tickets cost $33 each.
During the four years St Kilda’s colony was closed for renovations, Phillip Island became the nearest place for visitors to see little penguins in the wild.
Phillip Island Nature Parks has responded to criticism of the ticketing system.Mark Anderson, general manager of tourism at Nature Parks, told SBS News, “We had an overwhelming response for tickets in the first release”, which “unfortunately meant that some people have missed out”.”We plan to start releasing tickets more regularly in the new year, with a shorter booking window, and we are currently looking at ways to give priority access to local residents,” he said.Until these changes take effect, Nature Parks said visitors can either wait for the next ticket release or attempt to secure earlier tickets that may become available through cancellations.But Sperring noted there is little incentive for people to cancel free tickets.”Because it’s free, what’s happening is a lot of people aren’t actually showing up, and so we’re not at full capacity,” she said.
“So, it would be really great if people could actually come in as walk-ins, if it’s not busy.”
Tickets for the penguin viewing experience at Melbourne’s St Kilda Pier are now unavailable until the end of March 2026, with April bookings yet to be released. Source: SBS News
Anderson said Phillip Island Nature Parks sends reminder emails urging visitors to cancel their tickets if they can no longer attend.”We encourage people to cancel early if their plans change so they can be re-booked,” he said.But Sperring said people are “a little bit annoyed” they cannot cancel tickets online.”They [ticketholders] have to phone Phillip Island to cancel up, and I think that means that a lot of people aren’t doing that, and so then we’re ending up with the boardwalk not being at full capacity,” she said.Despite booking tickets online, ticketholders must call or email Phillip Island Nature Parks directly to cancel. The organisation said online cancellations are coming soon.SBS News observed some walk-in visitors were able to access the boardwalk when space allowed.
Anderson confirmed there is “some availability for walk-ins if numbers allow”.
SBS News observed some walk-in visitors were able to access the boardwalk when space allowed. Source: SBS News
To test how workable walk-ins really are, SBS News tried to enter the earlier session on two separate nights with similar weather, but was unable to get in.
On the third attempt, Phillip Island Nature Parks staff told us that tickets had become available, which could then be booked online at the gate.
Will St Kilda penguin viewing experience stay free?
Penguin viewing at St Kilda Pier has always been free.Before the pier reopened in October, plans to introduce a $24 ticket fee were scrapped following public backlash.When asked whether the St Kilda Penguin Viewing Experience will be “free forever”, Phillip Island Nature Parks CEO Catherine Basterfield could not confirm.”I’m not in a place to answer that one, but it’s free now,” she said on ABC Radio Melbourne in October.
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