This past weekend, Caitlin Dan and I ventured off to Phillip Island and I think it was a well worth trip. Exhausting but exciting at the same time. I'm following through and checking things off my list of things to see and its only been a month since I have been in this amazing country. I'm trying to make the most of this experience so with every trip I feel more and more accomplished in doing so.
I set my alarm for 6 am because Dan, another international student, was picking me up at 7 am sharp. I met Dan at the International student orientation, he is from Singapore and was in the military before he came to Australia. He has very good english and knows the strangest facts about birds and trees but i guess thats what you get for being an outdoor education student. Anyways, as soon as my alarm went off I decided It was way too early to get up so I layed in my bed for the next 20 minutes or so. Then I got up to call Ryan before I changed and whatnot. Unfourtunately, he was busy still at work so we didnt really have a chance to talk before I left for the weekend. He asked when he would be able to talk to me next and I told him I would call him when I got in on sunday but it would probably be the early hours of the morning then. Chances are we wont talk until I wake up monday morning, but thats just how things go. I am in another country and want to experience as much as I can and thank goodness he understands and supports me on that 110%.
Dan pulled into the halls a little after 7am, we loaded my stuff into the back of the car and headed out of town. We were staying over night somewhere and I wasnt sure of what the arrangments were going to be like so I made sure to grab the comforter off my bed. After everything was loaded in, we all got in...and again I forgot Dan had to get in on the right side because thats the drivers side. Thank goodness Dan is use to driving on the left side because thats what they did on SIngapre as well! It really didnt matter I guess for me as Caitlyn was in the front giving directions and all I had to do was sit back and relax until we got there which was just under 4 hours. On our way there, we were lucky enough to see "Hanging Rock". I read about this, but really it wasnt all that exciting. Its just a sacred rock of the Wurundjeri people. They made a book about it and I think they even made a movie. But, I dont think either were very big because I hadnt even heard of either one. But, I guess Hanging Rock is just another one of those things to check off my "I've been there & seen it" list.
As we continued down the freeway or highway- I dont really know the difference but here they have both, we came to some objects on the side of the freeway which I guess would be considered art because Melbourne is all about art and we were almost through the city of Melbourne. Anyways on the left was some bright yellow part arch that just came straight out in an angle. On the other side were about 6 red pilliars which were all different lengths. I dont really understand what it was, or why they felt the urge to put it on the freeway but they did. It all seemed very strange to me. We continued down the freeway trying to make sense of the way Australians cummute. Freeways turn into highways with the same name (not that i ever knew there was a difference) and highways turn into freeways with the same name. Almost all highways are marked with a letter and a number...M420 is the one one we needed the most.
We arrived at Phillip Island in just under 4 hours, which was the exact time the tour book told us it would take. As we got to the Island we decided to drive across the Island to the Penguin Parade to get our tickets and figure out how that works first since it was our main reason for the trip. Once we got to the Penguin Parade we parked in one of the 5 carparks (known as a parking lot in america) and wondered inside trying to figure out what package we wanted to purchase. There was a 3 parks pass which included tickets for the Penguin Parade, the Koala Conservation Centre and Churchill Island. But unfortunately, the others werent too big on seeing Churchill Island so we decided to skip that and just buy general admission ticket for the Penguins which was about $20.
If you ever make it to Phillip Island, I would go to churchill Island. Maybe sometime i'll make it back here to go but there was so much we wanted to see, I guess not going to that wasnt all that big a deal since the others didnt want to go. But anyways Churchill Island is a farm. It was where the first agricultural came from in Australia and the first house erected by white settlers. The history just all sounded really neat and interesting to me, but not many people are into the history of another country but their own. I just find it intriguing.
After getting our tickets for the Penguin Parade we poked around the building a little to see what else we could find. The lady at the front desk told us we needed to be back by 5 pm because they unlock the doors then and it could take up to an hour for the penguins to be brave enough to come out of sea and to run home. Anyways we poked around to see what was around. The beach was closed for the winter so unfortunately that was out of the question. We went to the gift shop but we were planning on coming back around 4 so we knew we would have some time to spare and there would be time for that then. So the only thing left to do was go through the penguin exhibit in which we could look through glass holes that look into their burrows to see if there were any penguins home. It was neat, but I think I only got to see one or two because penguins go fishing and swimming all day long and then they come back at night to their burrows.
Next on our agenda was to go look at the Nobbies and Seal Rocks since we were already on this side of the Island, it made sense to go and take a look at this. These rocks were home to Australia's largest Colony of Seals. But, unfortunately we didnt see any seals and I think it was just because it was winter and it was VERY windy out. We werent in the best conditions for walking around on the cliff, and to add to that I wasn't dressed for it either. But nevertheless, its another thing to add to that list of things I've done even if the weather wasnt the best. I enjoyed looking around on the cliff and I even got to see some penguin burrows.
Next, we jumped in the car and headed to the complete opposite side of the Island then we were currently at. We were planning on going to the Koala Conservation Centre next. This was nothing like what I expected but I guess for $9 it was what I got. Basically you just walk along the boardwalks to see if you can spot a Koala. they had signs and facts about them along the way. But, I think seeing them in the zoo in cairns was much more interesting and exciting. Because Koala's sleep 20 hours out of the day its hard to find any activity but for what we saw I think we came out very lucky. We saw some sratching and some eating so we were lucky. Also I found it interesting that they only live to be 12 years old. For them to reproduce is like a one nigth stand for humans, very quick and will never last more than 2 minutes. No personal attachment- when its over they move on to sleeping for the rest of the day.
Because we were all soo hungry, we ventured off to Cowes which was the north end of the Island. We found a nice Fish and Chips place and had a bite to eat. I'm not really sure why i got the fish & chips because I didnt eat the fish at all. The fries were VERY Salty, the chicken fingers were chicken fingers but very dry and bland to my tasting. Calameri rings were also served with this meal which were very good. I'm more use to fried Calamari- but I guess any calamari will work. To top off this meal they didnt have Ketchup or Tomato Paste which they call it- because Australians arnt fond of spreads or sauces on their foods. After filling ourselves up, we headed down Churchill street which was about 2 roundabouts from where we were. Cowes Caravan Park was the one advertised in my tour book so we decided to stick with that one. This is the part where I was really lost, i mean I didnt really know for sure what a caravan park was. I thought maybe we were going to be staying in some sort of cabin. But, that was not the case. Dan had a tent that he was going to pitch and caitlyn and I were just going to sleep in the car. This will definatly be an experience, because I cant say I have ever slept in a car before this trip! But in all actuality, if your going for cheap its the way to go.
Since we were all checked in, and had time to waste until we had to be back at the Penguin Parade Caitlyn, Dan and I decided to walk down to the beach. It was alot different than any beach I have ever been to in the US, but I can now say I have been to an Australian beach! Of course it wasnt warm enough to lay on the beach so we just played around a bit. I touched the water, and played with the sand. I took some photos to document my short experience on this beach. The sand here was alot thicker, and the color was a more orangey color. It was covered with seaweed and many, many rocks that I just knew Ryan would love to tell me about if he was here- dont worry I took some pictures for you! Dan, Caitlyn, and I tried to get a picture with us all on our Australian beach, but of course had a bit of trouble. We tried an autotimer, but only manged to get our legs and feet. Eventually a woman came by and gladly took our picture for us.
We headed back to the Penguin parade and arrived around 4, we now had an hour to spare before the doors opened to the beaches. After shopping in the giftshop a little, and laughing at Caitlyn getting her picture taken with some Penguins I went and talked to the woman who sold us our tickets- just to waste time. She explained that a saturdat night would have a tirn out in thousands of people. She was right, even at four the place was already filled with people. With nothing left to do, we were the first lined up at the doors about quarter till. We just chatted a bit before the ranger explained that there is no photography or film allowed at all on the beaches for the penguins protection. She also explained that it could take up to an hour for the penguins to get brave enough to come out of the water and waddle up to their burrows. She said that they may make several attempts before they come out, because they are scared of their surroundings- and I would be scared too if I saw 1000's of people watching me waddle home everyday.
Once we got onto the beach, we were lucky to get a good seat on the actual sand at that. Most people had to sit on bleachers and benches which were all soaked from the rain, and the sand was wet but not as wet. It was hard to wait in the FREEZZZING cold for the penguins to decide when they wanted to come out of the water. It was winter so it was cold and raining- but at least now I can check yet another thing off my list and I have been to the Bass Strait.
We, being the tourists that we were waited to see a couple groups of about 10 penguins cross as well as one brave little soldier who crossed all alone. After seeing the little loner, we decided to make our way across the boardwalk to see them settling into their burrows for the night. As we were leaving and heading to the Carpark the Ranger advised and reminded us to look under our car before we leave because Penguins have burrows between each carpark and can easier be misguided. Fourtunatly, we were ok and so were the penguins and everyone made it out safely.
By the time we got back to the campsite, it was only 7 pm. Because it was such a small Island there wasnt much to do, even on a saturady night. I was hoping for a bar to be able to sit at in the heat and just relax- we couldnt even find anything like that. Eventually, looking through guidebooks and maps we came across some sort of bowling entertainment place, we we decided to check it out. We bowled on game, in which i was terrible at...kinda embarrassed to tell you my score. I know Ms. Sharon wouldnt be so proud of me for it, but I'm right on your level Ryan. It was a whopping 62!!! Yeah, cant even remember the last time I actually went bowling. Anyways, from bowling we moved on to air hockey. We each played 2 games before our hands and arms hurt from smacking that damn puck around. We ended the night with some ice cream and hung out on the couches inside. As the night neared 9 pm- we all agreed it was time to go back to the campsite and park it for the night.
i wasnt all that excited about sleeping in the car, but I didnt really have any other options so i went with it. Dan set up his tent in a matter of minutes, and I offered my suppport pretending like I knew what he was doing and if it looked right. Caitlyn and I pulled down the backseats so we both could lay side by side stretched out in the back. Dan provided us with some under sheets we could lay on, and we used our blankets off our beds to keep us warm on this cold, COLD night. It wasnt as bad as I would have thought, but I did wake up quiet a few times because of how cold I was.. and I was sleeping in my wet jeans from the rain which I'm sure didnt help.
Plan was to leave by 9 am, and get to Melbourne by 11. I did learn something while "camping". Since I was up to watch the sunrise, I saw the red sky and apparently that means its going to rain all day if it is red. Anyways, Dan wanted to stop in some shops in Melbourne for some grocery shopping. Dan, being from Singapore, ran into chinatown and found it exactly what he needed. He went into a chinese grocery store and got 2 bags full of groceries. After about an hours time, we were back at the car ready to finish off our trip.
On our way back Dan and Caitlyn found an AFL footy game being played over the radio and so we listened to it the whole 2 hours back. I was already on the verge of doosing off, so this put me right to sleep. Maybe if I was more awake I could listen and try to make sense of what is going on. Maybe one day soon, I will plan to go to a footy game before I leave. Probably sooner than later, and I think its only on sundays. I'll have to research that.
We arrived back in Bendigo a little before 3, and I was soo happy to be back. I told my belongings and zomby like walked in and colloasped onto my bed. I was hungry because I hadnt eaten all day so I made some easy mac and talked with some of the girls from my hall and eventually headed back into my room for a well deserved nap. i didnt do much for the remainder of the evening. Played around online and took a shower- which I desperatly needed. Eventually, I looked at the time on my computer and realized it was only 9 am on sunday. So, I called my mom and wished her a happy birthday. She was soo happy to hear from me, so I guess I made the right decsion in calling. She was up at deep creek with 6 teenage boys, 4 dogs and some adult friends- must be a happening place today! Mom, hope the rest of your day went well!! Happy birthday! She also expplained to me that she had been keeping up with my blog as well as Nora and even Kyle. Well, Thank you guys for supporting me and following with my travels! It means alot to know I'm not just writing this for nothing... keep reading and even comment if you like. Thanks again for keeping up with my travels!!! Hope everyone is doing well back in the states!
