Before we left Melbourne, we had one last adventure planned—one that turned out to be one of the most unforgettable. Our generous hosts and wonderful friends, Jan and Jim, took us on a day trip to Phillip Island, about a two-hour drive. Along the way, we stopped for what might’ve been the best fish and chips I’ve ever had at the San Remo Fisherman’s Co-op. It was our “tea” for the evening—what Aussies call dinner—and the perfect fuel for the penguin magic to come.

The real reason for the trip was something I hadn’t even known existed before arriving in Australia: the Penguin Parade. I imagined a few penguins waddling in from the waves, maybe putting on a little show for the crowd. I was not quite prepared for what was to come!

As the sun began to sink into the sea, the beach filled with people, all facing the shoreline, whispering with expectation. Then—one by one, two by two, and eventually more than I could count—hundreds of tiny penguins came splashing out of the surf. They squeaked, they squawked, and they waddled their way across the sand—some confident, some cautious, all absolutely adorable.

Dressed in their petite blue tuxedos, these fairy penguins (also called Little Blues) are the smallest penguins in the world, standing just 40–45 cm (about 15–18 inches) tall and weighing under a kilo (just over 2 pounds). They’re slate grey on top, white underneath, and sporting little blue flippers that seem more decorative than functional—but don’t let that fool you, they are impressive swimmers.

These sweet babies live here on Phillip Island, along with 40,000 of their closest friends, and every evening they make this epic march home from the sea to their burrows. The Penguin Foundation works to protect them, and you can see conservation in action as the viewing areas are thoughtfully designed to minimize disruption to the penguins’ routine. The whole experience was magical—right down to the fairy penguins themselves. It wasn’t until recently that I learned about something penguins do called “pebbling”—when trying to impress a potential mate, they offer a small pebble as a token of affection. It’s such a sweet image, and it’s exactly what I hope to do here with this blog: share memories, fun stories, nuggets of knowledge, and hopefully a few laughs to brighten your day. Maybe those tiny tuxedoed charmers weren’t dropping literal stones at our feet, but the whole evening felt like a beach scattered with heart-shaped pebbles.