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Australia 2009 Day 5
Oct. 19th, 2009 10:56 pmIn which we meet a lot of animals and see a little more of Australia than just the city.
On the first day we arrived, we were informed that we really should see the penguin parade on Philips Island. We looked at the various tours and went with Bunyip tours. We scheduled for Monday and it was going to be an all day trip. So did a number of our fellow Americans and more than half the bus was Armageddon guests. We had a great time.
We got to see going out some of the damage from the wildfires last year that got really close to Melbourne. The land has started to bounce back due to a mild winter and a lot of rain. But there are signs of the fire among the greenery. Our first stop was a Wildlife Conservation Park. We were greeted by a cockatoo named Duncan who said, “Hello!” which amused Caroline a lot. The two of them were saying hello to each other.
Our guide took us around and we got to see a Koala up close. He was sleeping but we got pictures anyway. We saw a wombat and a tazie devil (as they call them here). Then we got to feed the wallabies and kangaroos. That was amazing. You squat down and show them the food and if they are hungry, they will come over and eat out of your hand. Caroline had so much fun with that. I did too. We even got to see some of the babies hopping around and looking cute. We fed some Emus too but they were mean about it.
On our next stop, we went to a local historical farm and watched sheep being sheered the old fashion way. The sheep wasn’t too happy about it but it made of an interesting demo. The wool was full of lanolin and made one’s hands slippery. There was a civil war cannon on display from the American Civil war, which was a gift from the south to the governor of the island. The farm had original furniture on display and some beautiful quilts.
We had pizza on a beach and then went to the Nobbies to see what was there. It was so beautiful. Peaceful it was not due to a plethora of seagulls screaming at each other. Our guide showed us little penguins (formerly called fairy penguins) nesting on the bluffs and some of the other sites. I took a ton of pictures which I will post after we get back to the states.
We went to the Penguin Parade where you can watch the penguins return from the surf to the bluffs at sunset. It was magical to watch these little birds come out of the surf, group up, and then charge the beach to get to the bluffs. I have no pictures of that because they forbid cameras and video but I think we will all remember what we saw. We then watched them all the way back to the center and then onto the bus for the trip back to the hotel.
It was a great tour and the perfect length for us. We all had a good time.
I am grateful we saw what we saw.
On the first day we arrived, we were informed that we really should see the penguin parade on Philips Island. We looked at the various tours and went with Bunyip tours. We scheduled for Monday and it was going to be an all day trip. So did a number of our fellow Americans and more than half the bus was Armageddon guests. We had a great time.
We got to see going out some of the damage from the wildfires last year that got really close to Melbourne. The land has started to bounce back due to a mild winter and a lot of rain. But there are signs of the fire among the greenery. Our first stop was a Wildlife Conservation Park. We were greeted by a cockatoo named Duncan who said, “Hello!” which amused Caroline a lot. The two of them were saying hello to each other.
Our guide took us around and we got to see a Koala up close. He was sleeping but we got pictures anyway. We saw a wombat and a tazie devil (as they call them here). Then we got to feed the wallabies and kangaroos. That was amazing. You squat down and show them the food and if they are hungry, they will come over and eat out of your hand. Caroline had so much fun with that. I did too. We even got to see some of the babies hopping around and looking cute. We fed some Emus too but they were mean about it.
On our next stop, we went to a local historical farm and watched sheep being sheered the old fashion way. The sheep wasn’t too happy about it but it made of an interesting demo. The wool was full of lanolin and made one’s hands slippery. There was a civil war cannon on display from the American Civil war, which was a gift from the south to the governor of the island. The farm had original furniture on display and some beautiful quilts.
We had pizza on a beach and then went to the Nobbies to see what was there. It was so beautiful. Peaceful it was not due to a plethora of seagulls screaming at each other. Our guide showed us little penguins (formerly called fairy penguins) nesting on the bluffs and some of the other sites. I took a ton of pictures which I will post after we get back to the states.
We went to the Penguin Parade where you can watch the penguins return from the surf to the bluffs at sunset. It was magical to watch these little birds come out of the surf, group up, and then charge the beach to get to the bluffs. I have no pictures of that because they forbid cameras and video but I think we will all remember what we saw. We then watched them all the way back to the center and then onto the bus for the trip back to the hotel.
It was a great tour and the perfect length for us. We all had a good time.
I am grateful we saw what we saw.
