Phillip Island Fun

Early Australian settlement

One of the top places to visit in the state of Victoria is Phillip Island, an attraction about two hours southeast of Melbourne. It's known for giving the public access to the famous penguin parade, but there are other places to visit there as well, such as Churchill Island, the Koala Conservation Centre, and Nobbies Island, all of which my friends and I visited a few weeks ago.

Highland cows

Once we arrived at Phillip Island, we stopped at Pannys Phillip Island Chocolate Factory for some lunch and dessert. As a side note, I would highly recommend the cookies 'n cream cheesecake. Seriously heaven in every bite.

Posing with the koala

After that, we made our way to Churchill Island Heritage Farm, where we had the ability to see a traditional Australian working farm, including a restored farmhouse, cottages, and outbuildings that date back to the 1850s. It's also home to Clydesdale horses, sheep, peacocks, and highland cattle. From here, we were able to have a picturesque view of Western Port as well.

From there, we drove to the Koala Conservation Centre and hoped to see some wild koalas in

Finally got a photo of a wallaby

their natural habitat. Before going, I had heard mixed reviews of the place, with most friends reporting that while they caught glimpses of koalas, they were sleeping so high up in the trees that it was difficult to see them without binoculars. When we first arrived, it seemed like that was what our experience was going to be like; however, our luck changed about halfway through our visit when there were a few koalas eating eucalyptus leaves closer to the ground. One of them

Phillip Island's rugged south coast

even climbed down from the gumtree, walked along the handrail to another tree, and started calling out to the koala that was eating there. It was a pretty unique sight to see.

Following the conservation centre, we stopped at the Nobbies Centre, which overlooks Bass Strait, including Seal Rocks,

Sunset over the island

which is a breeding ground for Australian fur seals.
Unfortunately, the seal colony was about two kilometres
from the shore so it was too far to see it even with our binoculars; however, there were special cameras available in the centre to view the seals.

Our final attraction of the day was the penguin parade, which happens right after the sun sets. We had been told to go early

Be mindful of the penguins

since the bleachers fill up rather quickly, but we were especially fortunate because just as we arrived, spectators in the front row were being told to move down to make room for other people so the five of us fit right in there. As expected, a group of little penguins returned from the ocean and hovered along the shore for a short while before dashing across the beach to their sand dune burrows. They're funny to watch because once they come in from the water, their hesitation and anxiety is so apparent before they make a beeline for their homes. We watched this happen a few times before walking back to the information centre. On our way there, we could see the penguins continuing their journey back to their burrows for the night.