Wow, what an island! After travelling from Wollongong, picking up a few new friends along the way at Sydney and Melbourne Airports, we arrived at Phillip Island just on sunset. We were welcomed with the beautiful sight of the sun reflecting on the ocean and turning the clouds a beautiful pink/orange. We knew we were going to be in for a great week!
We saw every sight there was to see on Phillip Island and I’m pretty sure we saw every type of animal that lives there too! We attended the famous Penguin Parade where we saw 1613 penguins emerge from the ocean at sunset to find their homes for the night; they were so close to us on the boardwalk, we could almost pat them!
We also visited the Koala Conservation Centre and walked among the gum trees spotting the furry little creatures.
During out sightseeing travels, we stopped at many of the lookouts on the island looking in every direction. One highlight was our stop at the The Nobbies; if we REALLY squinted, we could see the world’s largest fur seal colony sunbathing on the rocks! We also saw kangaroos, joeys, sheep, Cape Barren geese, Eastern Barred bandicoots and an echidna!
We also ventured onto Churchill Island where we happened upon a true beast; a real life Clydesdale. We took plenty of photos of the barnyard, who knew farm animals could be so cute! They also had a homestead set up exactly how you would’ve found it in the olden days! We couldn’t drive back into town and past the Phillip Island Chocolate Factory without stopping in to check it out either! With a behind the scenes, “Willy Wonka-esque” tour, we played arcade games for free chocolate and got to see the world’s largest chocolate fountain! This got us salivating for the gift shop at the end of the tour where we all stocked up on some sweet goodies.
More animals? Absolutely! We visited the Nobbies Ocean Discovery centre too where our minds were blown by the cinematic experience that was “The Antarctic Journey”. Huge projection screens showing marine life from more penguins, sharks, jellyfish, sharks and whales!
Between all the animal-spotting, sightseeing and walking trails, we all spent hours getting to know each other and laughing together. It was a great trip had by all and one we won’t forget anytime soon!
