Ferns and penguins

Sat 9th Sept

Awoke to a blustery cool Melbourne but the weather still didn’t dampen the view from the house. In the morning, Haeli took me out around the local area – windy roads lined with huge trees and ferns interspersed with pretty villages and gardens. We took a walk in one of the gardens (think we were the only ones there) and then checked out the fantastic sights of Safeway!

The afternoon was spent travelling south to Phillip Island. Crossing the bridge from the mainland to the Island, it was great to be by the coast again. Everything in Phillip Island seems to be based on the Isle of Wight – names such as Cowes, Ryde, Ventnor etc. It’s a bit like the Isle of Wight, apart from more sandy beaches and the presence of the little penguins. We had lunch in the back of the car as it was too windy to eat outside (unless you wanted to see flying crackers and dips!) and then explored the penguin centre.

Waiting for the penguins to come ashore was a testing experience, wrapped in about 4 layers of clothing to try and keep warm from the cold wind, but finally the little things waddled up in a procession lasting nearly an hour, seemingly oblivious of the people sat gawping at them. They seemed to be having fun, apart from the few who were having a few problems remembering where they lived or deliberating on whether they wanted to stop off at the penguin pub on the way home. I haven’t got any photos as you can’t take any as it scares the poor blighters (sorry Mum – fridge magnet is on the way!!).

From the cold to the hot as we stopped off at a Mexican restaurant before the journey home and a good nights sleep.