Phillips Island: Fairy Penguins and Koalas

This was the day we took a day trip out to Phillips Island, about an hour and a half outside of Melbourne. Our first stop was to a trout farm where we were able to have some fresh rainbow trout with chips. So tasty. You can come to this little farm to go fishing, and then the restaurant will cook your fish. They also raise their own herbs, which they use in cooking.
















After our lunch, we stopped by a koala conservation center to see more koalas. We couldn't really get enough of these cute little creatures.








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The only thing to see at this conservatory is koalas, but their eucalyptus habitat is surrounded by wooden fences to keep out the predators. As they live high up in the trees, you were able to walk along a raised boardwalk and search the tree tops for them. Some were fairly active, while others were just plain exhausted and sleeping. It was pretty cute.

Since we weren't actually allowed to touch or hold the koalas in this part of Australia, we had to settle for getting our picture taken with a giant stuffed animal. I admit, I would have bought something like this if it was on sale, and if I could have figured out a way to get it on the plane.

 The most anticipated stop on this day trip was the chance to see the Penguin Parade. The smallest penguins in the world live on Phillips Island, and are often called fairy penguins. As the sun goes down, these little creatures swim in from the surf and make the dangerous trek across the beach to their little burrows, feeding their families from the week's hunting expedition. In order to see these creatures, the humans become the caged ones confined to a long boardwalk and seating area to protect these delicate burrows from being destroyed.

While we were waiting for the sun to go down, we had some time to walk along the coast line and catch some spectacular ocean views, and even a close up glimpse of a penguin burrow. It was incredible windy but beautiful. The birds were dotted everywhere, as well as the wallabies along the side of the road. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get a picture of those jumping wallabies.

Finally it was time to take our seats and wait for the penguins. Worth every minute to watch those little guys come in. We watched until it was too dark to see them, and even walked along next to them on the boardwalk. They waddled in clumps, each branching off at different places to get home.

Occasionally a baby penguin would pop out of the burrow and squawk, looking for it's returning parent. So ridiculously cool. Because these fairy penguins are a very delicate breed, and suffered a devastating population loss from human interaction, picture taking is not allowed of this critters, and it's enforced pretty strictly. The nice part about that, you get to actually enjoy the experience with your own eyes instead of through a camera lens. In the meantime, I downloaded a few fun photos of the Penguin Parade from their website. If you ever get the chance to see the Penguin Parade, take it.