"If you look to your left just slightly, you'll see the first penguin coming out of the water now," a voice whispers softly in your ear.

You look quickly where directed. It has grown dark now that the sun is setting, but there is still some light to see by - you think, though you're not sure, that you see a little figure bobbing in the water. You raise your night vision goggles to your eyes, and now you can see clearly - yes, it's a tiny penguin, just coming to shore.

You watch for a few moments, then pull the goggles down so that you can see it directly on the beach. Within minutes, dozens of tiny Fairy Penguins are coming ashore, waddling your way.

"Here they come," your ranger's voice says in your ear, very softly, "be quiet now."

And in moments, they are all around you, so close you could almost touch them. For a while, you can see them unaided, but as the night darkens, the night vision goggles allow you to see them more clearly. All around you, you can hear them calling each other, as dozens and dozens of tiny blue penguins come ashore after a long day.

And here you sit, on the beach, with all these penguins around you, experiencing the most amazing night of your entire life.

That's what it's like for a maximum of 15 people each evening at Phillip Island's Penguin Parade - and I can tell you, it was certainly one of the most amazing experiences in my life when I was fortunate enough to participate.

The Ultimate Penguin Encounter

Called the Ultimate Penguin Tour, the small group (in our case, only 8 people, but never more than 15) meet with a Park Ranger about an hour before sun sets to get a briefing and given your gear: camofaluge clothing, night vision goggles, a headset, backpack (including an emergency flashlight), and a small beach lounger.

The group is then taken to a small secluded beach that is normally closed to the public - no one but the park rangers, the penguins, and this evening tour group are allowed on it. Here, you set up against a sand dune and await the setting of the sun. Usually, just before full nightfall, the first of the Fairy Penguins (now known as Little Penguins) came ashore. And soon there are dozens of them, sometimes even a hundred or more, coming up to home all around you.

While the Penguin Parade boardwalk might see more penguins, no one else will experience them like this - in their natural homes, coming up on all sides all around you, calling out to each other.

It lasts an hour or more, until the large groups stop coming ashore. Then you quietly leave and make the twenty minute walk back to the center - pausing whenever a penguin crosses your path to let them continue unhindered.

Penguins on Parade

For most visitors to the Melbourne area, the penguins are seen on Summerland Beach at the boardwalk viewing area. Tiered seating allows a 180 degree viewing of the hundreds of penguins who come onshore every night. Or take a stroll around the elevated boardwalks which cross above many penguin roosts in the dunes underneath.

A Viewing Platform, allowing a maximum of 150 people and for an additional fee, allows a closer look at the penguins as the parade up the beach. For those who might enjoy an evening as a ranger might, a maximum of five people can join a ranger in the Sky Box, a prime position overlooking the penguins as they come up the beach, and assist the ranger in counting the number of penguins who come onshore - an important part of the conservation efforts here on Phillip Island.

Easy to Reach

The great thing about the Penguin Parade on Phillip Island - and what helps make it the number two popular tourist attraction in Australia - is that it is very easy to reach. A two-hour drive out of Melbourne on major roads take you directly to the island, and directly from there to the Penguin Centre.

For tourists, especially those who don't want to drive during their vacations, there are many wonderful tour operators that include an evening at Phillip Island at the end of the day. AAT Kings offers several, ranging from Penguin-only tours, to ones that include a Melbourne City Tour, Warrook Farm, or the Puffing Billy steam train ride through the rainforest. APT offers similar tours.

Among my personal favorites, however, are the tours offered by Australia Wild Escapes, who seek to take you off the beaten path. Accommodating only small groups of no more than 10 to 15 people, you are picked up from your hotel in the early afternoon in luxury air-conditioned vehicles. In one tour, you visit a working dairy farm, Caldermeade, where after a nice tour you are served afternoon tea and cakes, and head into a valley where the world's longest earthworm calls home. In another, you head to a local winery, Gutries, where you experience a wonderful wine tasting of the locally produced and sold vintages, before having afternoon tea and cakes. Then both tours continue through the region, pointing out scenic spots, and then a visit to a secluded beach on Phillip Island to spot local birds and wildlife. Afterwards, you arrive at the Koala Sanctuary to see some of the cute and cuddly animals, and perhaps glimpse some wild wallabies. Next stop is the Penguin Centre to watch the Little Penguins Parade, with finally a dinner at a local spot in Cowes before being delivered back to your hotel.

Watching these amazing little penguins find their way up to shore, calling to each other in a 'Hey, honey, I'm home!' and 'Hey there, Bob, how are you? Good fishing today?' kind of way makes for a truly unforgettable experience. And sitting there on the beach among them? Priceless!