[SS-Traveller]

It was my birthday in July, and our daughter Darsh planned the greatest gift for her car-crazy and travel-mad father - a roadtrip to Phillip Island from Melbourne, all organized and paid for by her. The special surprise was that, all through the almost-300-km round trip, she refused to hand over the steering to me! Noteworthy (and a matter of immense pride) to me was that she has shaped up to be a confident driver, handling the car well at the posted speed limit; and despite pouring rain and high winds on the way back, she did not flinch from her task. There was never a heart-in-the-mouth moment for me all through.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utDlhGbnNUo

[SS-Traveller]

Phillip Island is connected to the mainland through the San Remo Bridge, and offers of a variety of experiences for visitors with different preferences, whether it be for wildlife, nature, beaches, or even motorsports.

Since July is whale spotting season, we were excited about availing a cruise from San Remo which would allow us a few glimpses of those majestic animals.



Unfortunately for us, all the tours were booked out days in advance (despite this being a weekday), and we had to be disappointed, and had to settle for the only available cruise, to take a look at the headlands of Cape Woolamai.



It was cold, and it was windy. But it was a bright and sunny day too. And off we went to enjoy ourselves, and hoping to spot any form of wildlife, apart from enjoying the views of unspoilt nature.

[SS-Traveller]

The boat sailed close to shore, and here are the sights we enjoyed.

https://youtu.be/51D5PodeQDw

The best part was that there was complimentary coffee, sandwiches and cake served on board, and here's me enjoying my birthday cake!

[SS-Traveller]

Back on shore from the cruise, it was time to watch the feeding of the pelicans.

One can fish from the San Remo Pier as well, but catching rays is illegal


A dustbin in the shape of a pelican




Feeding time is at noon everyday, so we head to the foreshore


A fairly large crowd, even on a weekday - this is due to the schools being closed for the winter break












Feeding the pelicans is a daily event organized by the San Remo Fishermen's Cooperative, as a tourist attraction as well as an approach to pelican conservation. The pelicans are all too familiar with the time, and flock to the feeding site every day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_EoUVF197Y

[SS-Traveller]

After a grand lunch of fish & chips and oysters (Journeying across Australia with food on our mind) at San Remo, we headed on to Phillip Island proper, across the bridge.



A leisurely stop at the Phillip Island Chocolate Factory...



...and we headed next to the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit.









Kangaroos / wallabies grazing in a fenced-off enclosure next to the Phillip Island Circuit. Little did we know that we would encounter one at 60 kmph further down the road later on, while heading towards The Nobbies. Fortunately, nothing happened. Darsh hit the brakes and horn together when the animal casually hopped across the path of the car (the ABS kicked in), and we stopped inches from the rather large kangaroo. This scared the fella, and it turned around quickly and hopped off into the grass beside the road. In the process, its tail hit the left door of the Yaris hard, and I was worrying about a dent there. But the 2006 Australian Yaris is built of strong metal, and there was nothing except a faint mark in the dust coating the door. Sadly, the dashcam's memory card had chosen to malfunction just a day ago, and we did not have a recording of the encounter.



The Phillip Island Circuit Visitor Centre








We decided to forego trying out the karts - with our bellies full of fish and chips and a strong cold wind blowing outside, the thought of being outdoors in a fast, open machine did not appeal to either of us, and we were already running a little late for our appointment with the penguins we had come to see.



An Austin 7 on display in the museum




Simulators


Scale model of the track, where one can race toy cars












Beautiful garden alongside the Visitor Centre, inside the Circuit complex

[SS-Traveller]

Our next stop was The Nobbies, on the western end of Phillip Island.

The Nobbies Centre is an ecotourism destination located at Point Grant, on the western tip of Phillip Island.

A network of boardwalks outside the centre overlook Seal Rocks, The Nobbies, and The Blowhole. Inside you can enjoy a meal and drink at the cafe and shopping in the gift shop all while enjoying the great view with floor to ceiling windows looking out to Bass Strait. The Nobbies Centre is also home to the Antarctic Journey.

From this magnificent headland, the views stretch forever. This area offers spectacular coastal viewing from the boardwalks and lookout points set amongst natural sea bird gardens. Stroll along The Nobbies boardwalk and enjoy spectacular views along Phillip Island’s rugged south coast. See the awesome blowhole, a spectacular sea cave that thunders during big southern swells.

The Antarctic Journey was thrilling to say the least...

Take a virtual journey to the world’s most extreme continent at Phillip Island's exciting Antarctic Journey at the Nobbies, a joint venture between WWF and Phillip Island Nature Parks.

Enjoy the ‘hands-on’ fun and interactive experiences in The Lab. Feel the freeze in the Antarctic Chill Zone then compare your thermal image with an Emperor penguin. Visit the Research Station and Sound Lab, check out the sustainable menu in the virtual café, or maybe try and sink a bowling ball.

Immerse yourself in the breathtaking multimedia experience in The Chamber, surrounded by creatures of the deep. The audio visual spectacle puts you right in the heart of the action with whales, seals, sharks and more. Stand on an ice floe and see yourself up on the giant screen, reaching out to stroke a seal or pat a penguin, all thanks to incredible augmented reality technology.

The fascinating array of activities ensures that the unique wildlife, the ongoing research activities, and the critically important conservation values of this remote continent come alive to make this a truly fun and enjoyable learning adventure.

Outside the Nobbies Centre, we strolled along the boardwalk to take in the majesty of the coastline, despite the freezing cold Antarctic wind blowing.





Snakes! But don't worry, the signage says...






The Sea Cave (Blowhole)








Penguins' nests all over the hillside








Back inside the Nobbies Centre, the steaming hot cup of coffee never tasted better!

[SS-Traveller]

Apart from the numerous wallabies and kangaroos on Phillip Island...



...we also met the Cape Barren Goose...









...and the Purple Swamphen.



And then it was time to visit the Penguin World...

[SS-Traveller]

We tend to imagine that penguins are rather large flightless birds wearing a black tailcoat, almost as tall as humans, that only live on the continent of Antarctica.

Not true. We have had this misconception corrected ever since we've been visiting Australia. And here, at the Penguin World on Phillip Island, it was very educative to read about the life of these little penguins.












Inside the Penguin Parade Visitor Centre










Waiting on the stands for the little penguins to return from the sea





Photographing the penguins is strictly prohibited in the interst of their conservation (camera flash would scare them away, and the more photos there are, the less would be the visitors there - or so they think).

We still managed to get a couple of photos of the penguins in the dark, and this is the best I could do with the phone and some editing (taking out the dSLR was out of the question).





However, I found this video from YouTube, which gives a pretty good idea of what we saw that day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFkWfsUHtJw

Darsh drove back home in the dark through pouring rain, as gale force winds buffeted the little car on the highway. It had been an amazing day, even though we hadn't spotted any whales!

Never had a more awesome birthday celebration!

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[ARAY]

I have always been a big fan of your threads. I loved every bit of the narrative.
Thanks for taking the time to pen down and share the thrill with us.

[PapaBravo]

What a beautiful travelogue. Must have been a great feeling going on this Darshini sponsored trip. You are churning out quality TLs at a faster rate than TOIs paper printing machine. I am bookmarking all of them to use as a ready reckoner on our trip to Melbourne.

Cheers,

Pawan