At least four little penguins will arrive in Ballarat on June 28 for the July 1 opening, with the possibility of all eight being present for the first day.   

Ballarat Wildlife Park owner Greg Parker said while the initial aim was to have the pool enclosure completed by the end of July, the works were well ahead of schedule.   

“With the latest support from the government, the penguin project has been achieved more quickly and probably to a standard comparable with anywhere in the country,’ Mr Parker said. 

The state government chipped in $162,000 to the project which it anticipates will generate nine new jobs on top of the economic boost generated by additional tourism.     

The new exhibit will form an important part of the City of Ballarat’s expanded Winter Festival, which will take place across July. 

While landscaping works are expected to continue on the enclosure until the end of the year, visitors will be able to gain an underwater experience of the penguins through a viewing panel.   

Mr Parker said as well as providing a major tourist attraction, the penguins would allow the park to further extend its conservation efforts.   

The exhibit is part of the park’s long term master plan which will seek to include more exotic animals from around the world, rather than just Australian species.  

While the park is currently home to a number of foreign reptiles, it hopes to add foreign mammal and bird species over the next three years.   

“Penguins are part of conservation endeavors and because we haven’t previously represented marine environments, the penguins will be the ideal ambassador so we can advance a conservation message for that environment,” Mr Parker said.  

“It’s part of our long term vision however it’s coming to fruition a little bit faster than we were first thinking.”