I adore travelling in Autumn and thank goodness we are currently allowed to travel, at least within our own state. Some are venturing further afield, but there is the risk of sudden border closures and having to quarantine when we have Covid flair-ups. They are now becoming less often and less severe, still you have to be on your guard.
One such trip was a few days with our daughter at Phillip Island. This is a hotspot at Easter, but we actually went the week before, when it was nice and quiet, then spent a quiet Easter at home working on the gardens! Such a good plan.
San Remo
Just before you cross the bridge onto Phillip Island you hit the sleepy seaside town of San Remo, lovely spot for brunch and a little exploring. There is a terrific view of the bridge and pelicans at play right on the foreshore. Everyday at 12 noon there is usually pelican feeding, which has only just started back up, thanks to Covid. We missed it this day, but we did eventually head back there.
Phillip Island
Phillip Island itself is not that big, but it is jam packed with things to do and see, perfect for a mini get away. Apart a two hour drive from home, perhaps 2 1/2 hours from Melbourne, it is located off the coast of Victoria. Rugged and isolated on one side, beautiful beaches on the other. Terrific surfing and nature abound. Penguins, seals, whale watching and so much more. Sadly we saw no whales or seals on this trip, but we did see penguins.
Pyramid Rock
Our first stop while waiting for our holiday house to be ready was nearby Pyramid Rock. A short easy walk from the carpark, it offers beautiful views along a rugged coastline.
The Nobbies
The Nobbies information centre is located at Seal Rock, so named for the frequent seals and sea lions who visit, sadly we saw none this day. Nor did we see any wales either. We did walk the board walk and see the Nobbies and watch the Cape Baron Geese
We had booked tickets to see the penguin parade that evening, the night before they had 1255 penguins come up on shore, sadly we only had a 100 or so, still so cute to see the come up from the beach and waddle to their burrows. Our Little penguins are the smallest in the world, they used to be called fairy penguins until the political correctness nazi jumped on that one! They are about 30cm tall…so cute!
Sadly no photos are allowed as this can confuse and harm the penguins, especially if flash is used. This is from the visitor centre. Going for a drive nearby just before sunset, you can see lots of swamp wallabies (think small kangaroo).
Swamp Wallaby
I’ll leave it here for now, we spent 4 lovely days on Phillip Island, exploring the coast and spending time with the native animals…
~ Julz
Julie Powell - Photographer & Graphic Artist 