We decided we needed another weekend adventure that involved some cute little Australian animals… and what could be better then a few little baby penguins? We had no idea what we were in for. We hoped to see some but not like this!
We drove out to Phillip Island with the intention of watching the penguin parade but we had no idea we would be seeing them ‘up close and personal’.
Once are arrived at the island we had a few hours to spare so we checked out the visitors center and rode down to a little beach close to where the Penguin Parade takes place.
After hiking around some of the shoreline, catching a few sprays of the ocean, spotting a few wild kangaroos, and seeking a few shells we then stumbled amongst hundreds of baby penguins waiting in their burrows for their mothers to return from the sea.
It was an incredible site!!!
Dale captured these Kangaroos in mid-air… they almost look like they are flying!
Amongst the shoreline we found so much natural beauty we could hardly tear ourselves away to get to the Penguin Parade. Besides, after seeing all these baby penguins up close, we almost didn’t go to the Penguin Parade.
But our ‘Chauffeur’ was ready and willing to drive us to our next destination. Marissa was excited to have a few minutes to drive like an Aussie but who really looks more scared?
The Penguin Parade is truly remarkable as you watch hundreds of adult penguins swim then waddle up on the beach for their nightly strut back to their babies and burrows. After spending an exhausting day at sea looking for food – they are back. It is really inconceivable to us that they return home every night at almost the exact time, day after day. Apparently they have a built in time clock that is always right on time (I could certainly use this some days!). When you go to their website they actually have a count down as to how many hours and minutes until the penguins arrive.
As we stated before we weren’t sure if we wanted to watch the parade because we had already seen so many baby penguins BUT this was a great way to not only witness the amazing natural spectacle and help support what they are doing to preserve their natural habitats. This is a non-profit organization that does much to take care of the penguins and give them refuge but it also controls the masses of people that come to see them so that their homes are not destroyed.
Because we did not leave until after 9 pm we arrived much later then we wanted at our fun little hotel… The Fish Creek Hotel.
Built in 1939 this gem from the past has a great garden area surrounding it with picnic tables and lots of grass for kids to roam. We actually stayed in the little hotel units in the back which where clean, comfortable and inviting. Unfortunately because we arrived late and left early we were never able to sample food from their scrumptious lunch or dinner menu. We would highly recommend you stop if you are near by as they use fresh local produce and seafood, as often as possible. This charming place is only 25 min. from the gates of the next part of our adventure….Wilsons Promontory.
Travel Saving Tips:
1- For the Penguin Parade were able to get a 20% discount but we already had found a coupon for 20% off at a local hotel. Most hotels have travel books with coupons for the areas where you are staying – even if you are not staying in a hotel you can stop and see what pamplets they have to offer. They are free to anyone.
2- We found that the most exciting part of our day was walking on the beach for FREE and watching all the baby penguins and wild kangaroos. No cost for this ‘tour’.
3- Always ask when you call or arrive at a hotel and want to know pricing, “Is that the best you can do?”. We LOVE this question (which we got from a great friend of ours, Richard Paul Evans), we have saved thousands of dollars over the years!
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