Not far from the centre of Tasmania's fourth largest city, a colony of the world's smallest penguins has been thriving, and their habitat is about to expand into an existing car park.
Key points:
- Little penguins are found in colonies across southern Australia
- The habitat for a colony of the penguins in the Tasmanian city of Burnie is being expanded
- It is part of a University of Tasmania campus move, with work expected to be complete later this year
The bright lights and loud noises of Burnie have not been a deterrent for hundreds of penguins who set up home on the foreshore in the north-west Tasmanian city.
Dr Perviz Marker is the coordinator of the Friends of Burnie Penguins (FOBP) volunteer group and said work had begun to transform car parks adjacent to the colony into new penguin habitat.
"It's a unique opportunity to enhance the area environmentally and see native vegetation return to the area," she said.
The area, which is normally fairly quiet during the colder months, will be regenerated with hundreds of native plants, and penguin burrows will be installed to support the colony's growth.
An existing pathway along the coast will be elevated and tunnels positioned beneath it so penguins can access the new area directly from the beach.
"We are really excited about the new development in the area and have been collaborating with the University of Tasmania (UTAS) since 2016 to bring this to fruition," Dr Marker said.
Little penguins are found along the southern coastline of mainland Australia, but most of the population is in Tasmania.
FOBP provides a free interpretative guided experience every night between October and March, with visitors able to walk within metres of the birds as they return from a day of fishing, or when they venture out of their burrows.
Dr Marker said nearly 10,000 people visited the colony last season.
A university-driven project
The work at the site is part of the university's campus move to the area.
UTAS Cradle Coast Pro Vice-Chancellor Associate Professor Sonya Stanford said preserving and increasing the penguin habitat had been a significant priority.
"It was important the final landscape design achieved the best outcomes for the local colony, so the university engaged Friends of Burnie Penguins, who manage the observation centre and visitor-guided viewing onsite, in a co-design process, alongside the landscape architects," she said.
"The volunteers do a tremendous amount of work as guardians of the penguins and by donating their time to educate people about these creatures, which complements West Park's long history as a place of community and learning.
"Construction activity is currently underway to prepare the landscape for its upcoming transformation, which the community can discover and enjoy when it is fully complete later this year."
About 35 people volunteered with FOBP, and Dr Marker said they would be looking to recruit more volunteers later this year.