05.01.10

Elisa and Frank picked us up early today and took us to Phillip Island. It was about a 1 hour and 45 minute drive, but we really enjoyed the scenery. Phillip Island is a popular place for holidays, but seeing as though we are in the Autumn, it was sparse of vacationers and tourists. Our first stop was at a little beach where it was known for its surfing. There had to be 8 or 10 surfers out just today and they were actually getting some waves. The view was awesome, though it was quite windy. We stopped shortly for a glimpse and then headed into town to one of Elisa's and Frank's favorite Italian restaurants. After, John and I bought some ’chips’ (fries) and fed them to seagulls. It was neat because they would just hover in the wind waiting for you to give them something to eat! I have never been so close to a flying bird before… or that many for that matter! (We got a great video of it too!)
One of the first things that I noticed about Phillip Island is the smell. The whole drive there we rode with the windows up, so when I first stepped out of the car is when I got smacked by the exotically fresh air!
It was sweet, but not like sugar, like from a flower. I imagined that this is what bee's must smell that makes nectar become so irresistible. The air was chilly and the wind was brisk, but is smelled warm. Like a house smells warm when you bake bread. The best part is the tiniest scent of salt. Every time I go to Myrtle Beach or Florida, it smells like salt and sand and ocean. Here, you really have to sniff around to catch that same smell. It's wonderful when the wind starts blowing and you finally do catch a whiff. I just wanted to sit down and smell, as odd as that sounds, but it really was something else.
Well, we first walked to see the koalas. Now the koalas are wild but are in a protected area. It would be like if you went to the Metro parks to see deer. They had made pathways and bridges and put up little educational plaques every so often. We did see a few koalas though, and it was really exciting! It's just so neat to see these large fuzzy balls curled up in the cracks of two branches. Some of the branches they were sitting on were so thin it looked like the koala bear was wearing a thong! They only eat eucalyptus leaves from the gum trees. The leaves are actually made up of some type of narcotic/alcohol base which makes them super sleepy and slow. They say that if it weren't for the drug like effect, the koalas would otherwise be very aggressive and dangerous. We got some awesome pictures though and have them posted in the gallery.
While we were there we also saw some wallabies! They look just like kangaroos but are much smaller. Full grown, they get to be about 2 ½ to 3 feet, where Kangaroos are 6, 7 or even 8 feet tall! The other major difference is in color. Wallabies are multi colored and normally darker shades, where kangaroos are shades of sandy reds and tans! Wallabies will have a color tipped tail or toes and have much smaller and round faces, where kangaroos have longer noses and are much more square. Even Aussies commonly mistake wallabies for kangaroos, so there are the facts for all of you that are unsure of the difference. We did see quite a few wallabies all throughout the day and really close up for that matter. We saw more kangaroos as well, but not nearly as close.
After, we headed over to another park like area that was on the side of the cliffs by the water. It over looked some giant rock islands, one of which was inhabited by sea lions. We did catch a glimpse of them through binoculars, but no picture. They had built pathways along the side of the cliffs which is made up these really pretty green plants. It covered all the hills and mountains which I thought was exceptionally beautiful. This is also the home of the tiny penguins. Only about a foot tall, these little buggers go out to sea every morning before dawn for food and come back just after dusk. They come to shore only under the cover of darkness to avoid predators on land, like large birds of prey, foxes and other wild animals. Once they get the guts to cross shore, they waddle themselves to their little burrows inside the cliff-side and under the green foliage. We actually got to see them do this! It was so neat to watch them come to shore in their small groups and hurry home. The sounds and calls they make to each other is so odd, but really pretty. We weren't supposed to, but managed to get some great footage of them on the video camera. (We will post it on the gallery page as well.)
I really loved these little penguins. They remind me of myself ...so adventurous and brave and all they want to do is get out to sea to swim, play and eat. At the end of the day though, they always manage to find their way back home!