The Family Holiday Part 3

It was a beautiful day when we decided that we would take a trip to Phillip Island to see the famed penguins there.

And so we set off towards the the south tip of Melbourne, and it was a day when God was just showing off - it was a perfect myriad of a multi-toned blue of the skies scattered with slow, pregnant, dirty-white clouds harmonizing perfectly with the lush green grass beneath, evidence of the recent heavy rainfall.

The sun was out in full force, making everything bright and beautiful, breathing life into the trees and bushes, dancing on the surface of nearby lakes. We had to stop several times to savour the handiworks of God.



There are many things that you can do at Philip Island, apart from ogling at Mother Nature - the penguins are a highlight, of course, but there is a chocolate factory (and Mr. Willy Wonka) on the island, and also a koala conservatory and the grand prix circuit for those V8 races, of course.

We had a bit of time to kill, and seriously, we should have gone to the chocolate factory and rolled around in their pools of chocolate and dipped in their caramel lakes, but we ended up going to the Nobbies and the koala conservatory instead.

The Nobbies is the southern most tip of the island, and even on a day like this where the sun was turned all the way up, the cold breeze from the Southern Pole still managed to cause us to shiver.

We met some natives there:

The Eskinuit tribe of Philip Island - as you can see, their men wear this ridiculous headgear to keep themselves warm. You can tell who are the leaders of the tribe because they are the only ones allowed to wear sunglasses. Their women are demure and often unhappy to be photographed. Hahaha!

We shared a lunch of D's patented chicken and avocado sandwich, and we walked along the boardwalk, and wasted money on the binoculars which were supposed to help us see seals lying in the rocks in the distance. We saw them, alright, laughing at us for having wasted money trying to spot them.

We then went to the Koala conservatory, for which I will not put up any pictures, because, to be frank, I have had enough of freakin' (Aloha, my love!) koalas.

The March of the Penguins

It drew nearer to evening, and time to head back to the Phillip Island Penguin Parade.

It was a really interesting experience - we were all seated on these terraced seats facing the beach as we waited for night to arrive, and for the penguins to return from a hard day's work of foraging for fishes for their young ones.

The evening wind blew delightfully on our faces as we waited with every one for the penguins to show. The dusk sky was a soft indigo on the horizon - the colour of a gentle bruise which the sky would nurse back to health the next morning.

And soon, the cloak of night was thrown upon us, and we waited and waited, peering out into the darkness. And suddenly it happened - first a head peered out of the waves crashing onto the shore. And then another, and another. And soon, a whole group of penguins stood at the beachside, calling out their unique quacks, waiting for the whole herd to arrive before heading back to their nests in the hillside.

It was interesting watching the social etiquette of another of God's creatures. I felt almost intrusive as I watched the penguins wait for everyone in the group to show, as they waddled clumsily initially and then began their headlong rush into their homes on the hill. They run in packs because they do not want to be eaten.

The guide explained to us that the very reason the penguins had white bellies and black backs were so as to be invisible to the birds of prey above, and the lurking sea creatures below when they go out to fish for food.

As the novelty of watching the fairy penguins' landing and charging up the hills began to wear off, we walked along the boardwalk and had the pleasure of seeing them in their natural habitat. My brother and sister were fortunate enough to see a few penguins get slap happy - their art of lovemaking was sadomasochistic, and not to mention, decidedly public.

Unfortunately, they had a strict no photographs rule in the Penguin Parade, and so I have had to take a picture off the internet instead:


Surprise! Now imagine getting slap happy with him!

Okay, so they looked a little more like this:



Walking in the dark and listening to the calls of the penguins echo through the hills was a humbling experience. It was like standing in another city, listening to the sounds of civilisation echo - another of God's amazing creatures, supposedly of a lesser intelligence, but with their own community rules and looking after the interests of not only themselves, but others as well.

Naturally, we went crazy at the souvenir shop later, buying all penguin related items before heading home under the blanket of stars and the Southern Cross.