Fat Little Fairies

The Penguin Parade at Phillip Island, just outside Melbourne, is one of the most famous tourist attractions in Australia and visited each year by half a million people. The phenomenon at Phillip Island has made Australia's Fairy Penguin Eudyptula minor famous all around the world. What is less well known is that these penguins can still be found in many other places in southern coastal Australia.

A hundred years ago, penguins were a common sight along southern mainland Australia. Today, however, human development, feral animals and traffic have forced most penguins to retreat to islands off the coast where they are relatively safe.