Penguin Day !

Yesterday meant a very special trip. I had been promised a visit to Philip Island to see the Fairy Penguin Parade ! It was quite a distance, about an hour and a half north west and around a large bay and eventually onto the island which faces the Bass Straits and then eventually Tasmania, from whence the next stop is Antarctica ! The day was much cooler, even a very, very fleeting ( maybe 10second ) drop of rain, but the sun still shone and the sky was largely cloudfree. 

We saw wild wallabies as we went along, like small brown kangaroos which bounded over and across the road, it was like the deer on the top road from Inverness back to Skye except no warning at all, no white tail and no eyes just an enormous leap from the hedge sides, I assume !

We drove to the Penguin beach area and parked up in the mega sized car park. The day was an Australian public holiday, Labour Day infact, and the place was heaving with tourists, coaches and rows of camper vans. I slightly lost heart a bit at seeing the thousands of visitors, but need not have worried, there was plenty of uncrowded space from which we could watch the surf and high tide, bringing in the ‘rafts’ of tiny fragile looking fairy penguin. 

No photography of any kind, flash or no flash was allowed, cameras had to be put away in bags or pockets ! This dictum was translated into Chinese for the gazillions of Chinese tourists, and also into the local aboriginal language. I could take a few of the beach area before the curfew descended !

A rather too fast panorama, but you get the idea !

Enjoying the wait !

The start time for the little darlings to land after their all day swim was said to be 8.10pm and almost on the button the first three little chaps braved the waves and came gliding in onto the beach. They were so tiny, about the size of small parrot but round and with a fluffy covering of thick feathers to keep out the cold Antarctic sea temperatures. What absolute magic, up they came, and all waddled in a long parade to find their burrows and feed their chicks. I sat in wonder at seeing these little sweeties in the wild unperturbed by man. As the dark fell we walked along the boardwalks which are elevated above the burrows and they were just beside us, calm and peaceful, listening for their own chicks call then waddling in the general direction of that sound. Thrilling. I cannot think of a better word......

The sound was more a cacophony than a symphony, and absolutely tumultuous in volume. Have a listen, I could record on my phone so I tried my best. Halfway through wait for the increase in volume ! Wow ! 

This morning I am back to earth with an amble around a huge shopping mall called Bayside Shopping Centre. Lunch was a Schnitz - very popular here ! Chicken strips with a huge Cesar salad, numerous hard boiled eggs, Parmesan and bacon.......fantastic fare for a diabetic !