Melbourne/Philip Island (18-23 January)

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On Sunday, 18 January, we had a very smooth sail from Devonport to Port Melbourne and then drove the short trip to stay for a few days with a friend in Abbotsford. The nearby Vietnamese hub, Victoria Street, was closed for Chinese New Year celebrations, so after unpacking and settling in, we headed down to have a look and grab some dinner. The next three days was very relaxing and we didn't do much apart from visit the local libraries a couple of times to restock our spoken word books, as well as a bit of shopping and washing. On Wednesday evening, we had dinner with Alex's cousin and her family on the St Kilda foreshore. After a very pleasant dinner, the children all decided to play in the sand and got a bit wet at the same time.

On Thursday, we packed up and drove down to Philip Island to stay at the A Maze 'n Things Holiday Park for a couple of nights. It was an extremely windy day and as we set up camp, nearby tents were being buffeted so much that one large group packed up and went home with two broken tents, while another tent had its fly ripped to pieces and the occupants ended up sleeping that night in the camp kitchen. After setting up, we drove into Cowes for a look, then out to the Chocolate Factory and Information Centre in Newhaven.

On Friday, we drove out to Cape Woolamai to do a Ranger led 'Walk on the Wildside', which was a very easy walk along the beach and up to the Pinnacles. It was a very interesting talk/walk where we learnt about the Hooded Plovers, Short-tailed Shearwaters (Muttonbirds) and lots of other things. We also came across a piece of discarded rope on the beach so Graeme the ranger was able to explain just what a danger the rope poses to seals by strangling them slowly. After lunch back at the caravan park, Alex and the children went to A Maze 'n Things, which they enjoyed. Annelies and Alex gave up on the 3D maze after finding three flags but Thomas persisted and found the fourth flag 15 minutes later. On Saturday, we drove to The Nobbies Information Centre and walked along the board walk past The Nobbies, Seal Rock and the Blowhole. We also drove past the Penguin Parade viewing area to have a look at what we missed out on - we didn't bother doing the parade at Philip Island as we had already been much more up close and personal with Little Penguins at Lillico Beach in northern Tasmania. From here we headed towards Wilsons Promontory, but had to first find somewhere to camp for a couple of nights as the Prom was booked out during the Australia Day long weekend.

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Photos

Cape Woolamai Walk
Blotched Blue-tongue Lizard

A Maze 'n Things
Yes, it's a scary sight!

Summerland Bay
Penguin Parade viewing platform

Cape Woolamai Walk
Dead Little Penguin

Cape Woolamai Walk
Hooded Plover

Cape Woolamai Walk
Dead Cow Fish