Penguin Island

Yesterday we slept in a bit to try and reboot our immune systems and the extra few hours did wonders for us. We picked up Megan from her morning shift at work and drove on to Phillip Island, about 2 hours southeast of Melbourne. The Melbourne weather reared its impressive and unpredictable head as we head different conditions about every fifteen minutes we drove - from a pouring rainstorm just shy of the bridge, to beautiful blue and sunny skies in San Remo, and then back to pouring rain as we waited for the Penguins!

We had a late lunch in the city of Cowes on the other side of the island and then returned to the penguin parade area. Each morning, the colony of 30,000 little penguins commutes from their burrows along the coast down into the water to go hunting, and at sunset they all return, one after another in waves, to their homes. The Little Penguin is the smallest of the world's 17 penguin species, averaging about 33cm in height.

We took our places early on and were in the very front row when the penguins started coming out. They waddled out of the ocean with an uncanny similarity to how our Contiki group would stumble out of bars in Europe - one leading the pack, a few bickering amongst themselves, some more trying to find girlfriends or boyfriends for the night, and others, still, just smiling and along for the ride. We were bundled up as if we were heading to the north pole and even under occasional pouring rain and bitter wind we still had a stellar time watching the little guys bump into one another as they all gradually found their ways home.

Today we're off to drive the Great Ocean Road. We'll see y'all soon!