Can We Find Penguins In Port Fairy?
Being a nature lover, when you head towards Port Fairy and aim at seeing the animals in their natural habitat or environment — it is a double pleasure when you end up seeing the charismatics little birds. At some point in time, you might wonder “Are there penguins existing in Port Fairy?”
At Port Fairy, there are no penguins, unfortunately, even if sometimes you could catch the sight of either injured or tired birds occasionally at Port Fairy. Nevertheless, two of the six main colonies of penguins of Victoria are there on the islands situated within Port Fairy’s 22 kilometers radius.
Read the guidance till the end to learn about the island and how can you visit them.
What Are the Penguins Types Available in Victoria?
Penguins are found in Port Fairy and even in Victoria. There is only one penguin type in Victoria, who are the Little Penguins or the Fairy Penguins. The Little Penguins are the smallest species of penguins. On average, the Little Penguins weigh 1 kg, and they around 35 cm by average height.
The Little Penguins are present on Australia’s and New Zealand’s shores, even if they are spending 80% of their time at sea.
Where Are the Penguins Located Near Port Fairy?
Near Port Fairy, penguins are having two permanent colonies — both are on the islands, namely the Lady Julia Percy Islands (Deer Maar) penguin colony around 22 kilometers southwest of Port Fairy, and the Middle Island Penguin colony just off the Warrnambool coast.
So, after visiting Port Fairy with your family, relax for a day or two at the family accommodation in Port Fairy and then reserve a day to the Lady Julia Percy (Deer Maar) Penguin Colony and the other at Middle Island Penguin Colony, where you can meet the Maremma dogs.
Lady Julia Percy Island (Deer Maar) Penguin Colony
The Deer Maar or the Lady Julia Percy Island in the Indigenous Gunditjmara language is a small island measuring about 2 kilometers in length and 1 kilometer wide. It has provided as home to about 2000 breeding Little Penguins pairs living alongside the largest Australian Fur Seal colony. It is thought that around 27000 live here.
The sea lions, elephant seals, and many sea birds like the petrels, shearwater, and prions occasionally visit the place.
In fact, you can visit Port Fairy on the sightseeing tours for around 4 hours on departing from Port Fairy. Rather, it is the best way for seeing the Little Penguins near Port Fairy.
Middle Island Penguin Colony
Middle Island Penguin Colony is the real conservation success story.
Located just at a few hundred meters off of Warrnambool’s foreshore, the Middle Island Penguin Colony is home to many Little Penguin colonies for a number of years. In 2005, it was regarded only 10 penguins had remained since the foxes making their way at low tide had devastated them.
In 2006, Middle Island was close to the public for ensuring the visitors are not trampling the eggs. As the guardians, Maremma Sheepdogs were first brought to the island for the penguins’ protection against the foxes. It did positively affect the colony, and recently 180 birds were spotted.
Right now you cannot visit the Middle Island, but you can always book a tour for meeting the Maremma dogs. Here you can learn about the Little Penguins and check out the conservation works taking place here. With the profits, the project is going on.
Penguins are indeed the most adorable birds, and nature lovers have a special feeling for the penguins. Lady Julia Percy Island In Port Fairy is a noteworthy island where the tourists are welcome for visiting the lovely creature. When you have prepared to visit Port Fairy, then make sure not to miss the Lady Percy Island to witness the penguin colony.
