Phillip Island, Australia

Time to show all you guys the other place we went last weekend, and that was Phillip Island.

Phillip Island is most famously known for the penguin parades which occur every evening on the island. The only problem is... you aren't allowed to take pictures during the parade.

However, you are allowed to take pictures everywhere else! So I did. :)
It was really cold and rainy during the day. At lunch it was pouring. So while the weather was not the most enjoyable, the sights more than made up for the cold wetness.

 This beach was one of the first ones we saw upon entering the island. these beaches are a lot more... turfy (not a word I know). Meaning there are shrubs and rocks almost right up to the water. Looks quite nice, but makes you think twice about pulling off your shoes and running down the beach. :)

Phillip Island has really pretty rolling hills covered in short bushes. In some ways it does look like a desert, but in others a tropical landscape. I liked it. :)

 Another image of the landscape, stylized in sepia tones...

 One thing you immediately notice about this island's beaches, is the enormous amount of surf that is present. There were tons of waves that looked great for surfing... I say that no because I surf, but because surfers come to this island to catch some waves in the summer. It was rather cold to be doing that now.

 During lunch at a cafe, this old car pulled up and parked right outside where we were eating.  I don't know what kind of car it is, but thought it looked pretty cool. :)

 The bird you see here is called a Purple Swamphen. There were several of these milling about on the grounds. They moved a lot though, so it was difficult to finally get a pic of them.

 

If you are thinking "Goose!" you would be correct. This is called a Cape Barren Goose. They make the funniest low grunting noise without opening their beaks. We saw one goose with a little group os goslings. They were very fun to watch.

One place we went to while waiting for it to become dusk, as that is when the penguins come in from the ocean, was called "The Nobbies" This was on the very southernmost tip of Phillip Island, and had TONS of seals on the rocks. Unfortunately they were so far away, we had to use a special made camera to zoom in on them. It was also awe inspiring to see surf hitting against the rocks.

God is so good to us. After it had rained all day long, we went to the penguin center and prepared ourselves for a long outside wait in the 40 degree weather, in the rain, with ocean winds... to see the penguins come home.
   Right as we stepped out of the van, the sky started to clear, and this double rainbow appeared. It remained clear for the most part the entire rest of the evening. So while it was still cold, it wasn't raining like it had been the whole day.

This little box is a penguin house! Rangers and community groups in the past have come down to the island and built these little boxes so the penguins have a place to live. They are about 2 feet wide and 18" tall. 

So, you already know that picture taking of the penguins was a big nono... However, here are some pictures I found online... so you can see what we saw. :)

This one is really old, but we were really that close!

If you would like to see more, just google "Phillip Island Penguin Parade" :)

So that was our trip to Phillip Island! We saw some incredible stuff and made a lot of good memories. 

Austin