Royal Penguin Colony - Macquarie Island

This Royal Penguin colony is at Sandy Bay on Macquarie Island (Macquarie Island is home to about 3 million Royal penguins), amid hummocky grass about 100m inland and 50m above sea level up a steep slope. It is both noisy and smelly, and is reached (by humans) via flights of wooden steps and a boardwalk from the beach, which is the preserve of the king penguin colonies and the elephant seals. The royals therefore have to 'run the gauntlet' in getting to and from the water across the beach and up onto the grassy escarpment.