We did the Philip Island 3 Parks tour on another day of our Melbourne Trip. This trip takes up one whole day on its own so you need not plan for anything else except perhaps to prepare for some light food and snacks for your journey, which can also be purchased along the way.

There are 3 stops, mainly the Koala Conservation Centre, Churchill Island and Penguin Parade.



In this trip, we managed to catch the adorable Koala, see some farm animals in Churchill Island, as well as watch the Tiny Penguins go home from sea. The main highlight of the trip was the evening tour, where we get to catch the Tiny Penguins at the Penguin parade.



Koala spotted at the Koala Conservation Center. They sleep a lot and have jelly bean sized babies called Joey! Mind you thou they are not bears, Koala is a Marsupial. A Marsupial carries their young in their pouch.



Kangaroos spotted, you can purchase their feed and go ahead to feed them if you like.



The Tawny Frogmouth looking proud.



Sheep freshly sheared.. it was a pity that we didn't managed to catch the process as we arrived there late.


 
Spectacular view from Churchill Island Heritage Farm



We were dropped off at the Nobbies for a short break and dinner before we headed off to watch the Penguins waddle across the Summerland Beach, and be on their way home. Dinner is fish and chips and it can be quite costly, so do cater additional moolahs for that.



At the board walk, you can spot some penguins already in their nest. The penguin family is very interesting, one would go out to fish, while the other would wait at home in their sand burrows to take care of their young ones. Can you see the penguin holding a stick on its mouth?



We caught the eager public waiting in the strong cold winds way before we reached. You can pay an additional amount of money to get a better seat, nearer to the penguins if you wish but you'll be sitting on the sandy floor (a small butt sized floor mat is provided, not too sure if another top up is required thou).



The Philip Island trip turns out to be one of the best decision ever, as we watched the penguins come up in small groups and finally home to reunite with their family. This place is very cold so be warned! Do wear thick clothing and bring along a jacket if you can. They typically comes up the shore when the sky turns dark. It is truly a magical experience as you get to see them so up close.

The tiny penguins basically have a leader in each pack and moves up in small groups. They will lie on the front and make use of their back (black skin), to camouflage themselves along with the black rocks so that they will not be preyed on. They would then move slowly along the beach until they reach their burrows.

 

Photo credits: www.melbournetours.co

Photography is strictly not allowed because the flash lights will blind the Penguins for up to 30 minutes. This means that the baby penguin waiting at home will not be fed and it can cause death. Having said that, I still see many tourist secretly snapping away on their mobile phone cameras.

I hope if you would ever visit that you can remember their cuteness in your heart, why spoil it with taking a photo of them? You'll be guilty for the rest of your life if anything happens to any of those precious tiny penguins.

Read about the other travelogues in Melbourne here:

Melbourne Australia 1 Transport and Accommodation
Melbourne Australia 2  Great Ocean Road Trip 

Be Confident, Be yourself,