When little penguins come ashore at Godfreys Beach, what time to be on the platform tonight, and how to watch without harming them.
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Little penguins come ashore at Godfreys Beach at dusk to nest. This tells you when they're here, what time to be on the platform tonight, and how to watch without driving them back out to sea.
Tonight
Out of seasonThey come back to the colony to nest from around September. Outside the season you will not see them come ashore here.
That is roughly 70 days away.
Little penguins are ashore roughly September to April, with the best viewing about October to March. They are at sea the rest of the year.
Little penguins are easily frightened. A torch beam or a raised voice can keep them at sea for hours — time they need to feed their chicks. These are the rules that protect them; please keep to all of them.
Red light only — never white, never flash
Use only a dim red-light torch (red cellophane over the lens works), and never point it at the water or straight at a penguin. No camera flash on the beach at all.
Keep your distance — at least three metres
Stay back and let them pass. Never block the path between the sea and their burrows, and never touch or try to handle a bird.
Come from the land, stay on the platform
Approach from the land side and watch from the viewing platform or path — don’t walk along the beach, which cuts across the route they take home.
Quiet and still
Keep your voice down and your movements small. Noise and sudden movement send them back into the surf.
Never bring a dog or cat
Not even on a lead. Their scent alone frightens the colony and they are one of the biggest threats to it. Penguins are protected wildlife — it is illegal to catch or harass them.
An elevated timber boardwalk at the eastern end of Godfreys Beach, below the cemetery and the Nut. It has dim red lights that don't disturb the birds, and it's step-free — reachable with a pram or wheelchair. Free, and no booking.
Source: Stanley & the Tarkine, checked 22 June 2026 (yesterday).
Dogs are not allowed at the eastern, penguin end of Godfreys Beach, near the cemetery and the Nut. The off-leash dog area is a separate stretch further along. Never bring a dog near the colony — even on a lead, their scent alone frightens the birds.
Source: Circular Head Council, checked 22 June 2026 (yesterday).
Around late summer (roughly December to February) the penguins moult their feathers and stay on land for a couple of weeks at a stretch, because new feathers aren't yet waterproof. They're about, but resting rather than coming and going to fish.
Source: NRE Tasmania, checked 22 June 2026 (yesterday).
These are wild birds — no night is guaranteed
This page gives you the season and the dusk times, not a promise. Some nights many penguins come in; some nights few, or late. The weather and the moon change things.
On the night, follow the volunteer penguin guides if they’re there — they know this colony and they’ll point the birds out. The links above carry the official rules and the latest word on viewing.
Sunset and dusk are calculated for the Godfreys Beach viewing platform and can be a few minutes out. Times are shown in the local clock.