Pelican Feeding at the Entrance Waterfront-Central Coast

The Pelican Feed is a daily feeding activity done on the Entrance waterfront. Locals and tourists flock to the area to see hundreds of Pelicans converging in the feeding platform to the delight of the crowd that has come to see them.

The Australian Pelican

The Australian pelican is a large waterbird that is native to the waters of Australia, Fiji, and New Guinea. It is characterized by its white feathers, black wings, and a pink bill that is reported to be the largest in the world. They used their large bills to snatch fish from the water. They also eat insects, shrimps, and other aquatic crustaceans. They live in large expanses of open water, water reservoirs, large lakes, swamp, and rivers.

The Australian pelican has a wingspan of 1.2- 2.6 meters and weighs from 3 – 7 kilograms, which makes them one of Australias heaviest flying bird species. Female pelicans are much smaller than their male counterparts. The Australian pelican is usually colored white with black color in its wings.

Pelican Feeding at the Entrance Waterfront

The Pelican Feeding starts at 3:30 on The Entrance waterfront and is considered Central Coast’s most popular attraction to locals and tourists. Like clockwork, the pelicans will gather in the area to wait for their free meal of fish. The Pelican Feed started around 20 years ago when staff from Clifford’s fish and chips would feed the pelicans with their scraps. It became a tradition, and Jimbo’s Seafood took over the feeding. Locals will then notice groups of pelicans crossing the roads going towards Jimbo’s to ask for fish from their staff.

The Entrance Town Center Management improved facilities in 1996; they built a feeding platform known as Pelican Plaza. With help from many volunteers and sponsors, the pelicans can feed on fresh fish 365 days a year and make it an exciting daily spectacle.

The Entrance Waterfront has been dubbed as the Pelican Capital of Australia. Crowds of people will converge every day to see the pelicans enjoy their free meal of fresh fish.

Aside from feeding the pelicans, the volunteers are also on the lookout for problems that they might have. They look at their medical conditions, tangled lines, and hooks that may have accidentally attached to the pelicans. Thye capture these pelicans removed the tangled lines and fish hooks. Injuries caused by the ingestion of rubbish and plastic are also common.

The entrance to Pelican Feeding at the Entrance Waterfront is free of charge. Still, visitors are encouraged to donate for the pelican’s food and medical equipment used for healing injured pelicans. The Central Coast Council is a major sponsor of the pelican feed.

Dine at The Entrance

Visitors can dine in the different restaurants available in The Entrance. Enjoy Italian food after watching the Pelican feeding at the Italian Cake Shop and coffee. Indulge yourself with sweet Italian style cakes, cannoli, and other desserts. Please drop by the Arabian Lounge and tryout their middle-east inspired menu.

There are different restaurants you can choose from; try the Bang Rak Thai Restaurant for appetizing Thai inspired food. Enjoy Tiger Prawns, fish cocktails, burger, oysters, fresh fish, and salads at the Big Tuna Fish Co. You can also Go to Bay Organics that specializes in serving quality local organic produce. They prepare using quality and sustainable ingredients.

How to Get to There

The Entrance is located an hour away from both Newcastle and Sydney. From Sydney, visitors can take the M1 Motorway north and take The Entrance/Yarramalong exit. If you are traveling from Newcastle, take the M1 Motorway south and then take The Entrance/Yarramalong exit.