Day 15: Phillip Island and a Penguin Parade
True to our last-minuteness on this trip, we woke up with no clue what to do today. Finally, we decided to rent a (particularly expensive) car to take a trip to Phillip Island. The drive was short, and the rolling hills reminded us of our first love – New Zealand.
We arrived at the info centre in Phillip Island and the very helpful customer service lady helped us book a hotel for the night (at a discount – yay)! We then made it out to the main attraction! We got front-row seats on the boardwalk and waited…
When nightfall came, we saw them, sneaking in from the ocean like little stealth spies… clusters and clusters of tiny little 32-inch tall penguins! After spending days and sometimes weeks in the Bass Strait looking for food for their family at shore, the penguins come back to shore in the guise of darkness and sneak over to their burrows, trying to avoid predators by leaning low to the ground and coming up only in small groups. It was an amazing sight! Nature is truly wonderful!
We weren’t allowed to take pictures or get near them so as not to disturb their natural habitat and their nightly schedule, but it was truly fantastic! They trotted along, pausing at times like little statues – as if they knew someone was watching them.
When we followed the last of the penguins searching for his home as far as we could see, we dropped our stuff off at the hotel, and went to the one-road town to have one of the best Thai meals we have ever eaten – finally, some good food!
Now, time to rest on a full belly!
True to our last-minuteness on this trip, we woke up with no clue what to do today. Finally, we decided to rent a (particularly expensive) car to take a trip to Phillip Island. The drive was short, and the rolling hills reminded us of our first love – New Zealand.
We arrived at the info centre in Phillip Island and the very helpful customer service lady helped us book a hotel for the night (at a discount – yay)! We then made it out to the main attraction! We got front-row seats on the boardwalk and waited…
When nightfall came, we saw them, sneaking in from the ocean like little stealth spies… clusters and clusters of tiny little 32-inch tall penguins! After spending days and sometimes weeks in the Bass Strait looking for food for their family at shore, the penguins come back to shore in the guise of darkness and sneak over to their burrows, trying to avoid predators by leaning low to the ground and coming up only in small groups. It was an amazing sight! Nature is truly wonderful!
We weren’t allowed to take pictures or get near them so as not to disturb their natural habitat and their nightly schedule, but it was truly fantastic! They trotted along, pausing at times like little statues – as if they knew someone was watching them.
When we followed the last of the penguins searching for his home as far as we could see, we dropped our stuff off at the hotel, and went to the one-road town to have one of the best Thai meals we have ever eaten – finally, some good food!
Now, time to rest on a full belly!
Wild Kangaroos
Shores of Phillip Island
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