Could there be a more intriguing name for a town? How did it get this name and what would I find? The answer to the latter question is lots of penguin sculptures, some 3 metres tall and waste bins adorned with penguins!
The town was named by the botanist Ronald Campbell Gunn for the Little Penguin rookeries that are common along the less populated areas of this coast.
Some of my tour companions were able to see Little Penguins yesterday evening after dinner in Burnie. They are officially known as "Little Penguins" but many locals refer to them by the less PC name of Fairy Penguins. They nest between September and March but stay at sea during the day and only come ashore at dusk to avoid predators and disappear into their nest burrows. It was too dark to take photos but the screenshot above shows you what I missed.
Penguin was first settled in 1861 as a timber town. The area's dense bushland and easy access to the sea led to Penguin becoming a significant port town, with large quantities of timber shipped across the Bass Strait to Victoria, where the 1850s gold rushes were taking place.
Penguin is home to the Big Penguin, (See photo) made of ferro cement by the Goliath Cement Co of Railton and later coated with fibreglass. It's located in the town's centre opposite the Post Office. Unveiled on 25 October 1975, it was erected to commemorate the centenary of the naming of the town. Concerns were raised in 2008 as to the possibility of asbestos contamination, but the Big Penguin was given the all clear.
I learnt from this website (An ABC TV News Site),
that each year since 2018 many shops decorate themselves in pink; Pink Up Your Town is a fundraising activity for the local McGrath Foundation. It also sees the community coming together to revitalise the foreshore under a 7-Day Makeover programme, which has continually brightened the town since its inception.
The second photo shows that the 'Big Fella' is regularly redecorated, for this town makeover.
There are many more bins around decorated with Fairy - sorry Little Penguins that I began to photo and as I did so, a local man said to me "You Like our bins then?" He went on to explain, with some passion, that the town council had wanted to replace the original metal, penguin adorned bins with new bins that weren't in keeping with the bird theme. This prompted outrage from locals, who rallied against the council, submitting a petition to save them. Ultimately, hearing the community's cries, the council decided not just to keep the bins, but to bring in more. An interesting encounter that prompted me to take a few more photos of these bins!
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