25th February 2009

We had woken up and it was actually drizzling but the rain soon disappeared. Today was a very full day. We walked to Federation Square (a large plaza where the Tourist Information Centre, Art Galleries and cafes can be found) where a Blood Donor Campaign was in full swing. As part of this drive, a stage had been set up below a permanent big screen and bands were playing (loudly!). We decided to investigate and were surprised to discover the lead singer with the first band was the actor who plays Ringo in the soap 'Neighbours'.

We met up with Avril and Les as we had booked a trip out to Phillip Island to see the Penguin Parade. The Island is about a 2 hours drive south of Melbourne and fortunately not in the direction of any of the fires which are still burning. Our first stop was at a Koala Conservation Centre where we were able to see lots of cuddly koalas. We were also lucky to see some wallabys roaming around the area. We then went to an area called the Nobbies which are some caves that the sea rushes into with such force that the sea comes flying out when it hits the back of the cave. Phillip Island is roughly the same size as the Isle of Wight and the main town is also called Cowes. The main purpose of the trip was to witness the penguins. This species of penguins are known as little penguins as they are – little!!! For several months of the year at sunset they leave th sea, waddle across the beach (which has been lit with some sort of subdued floodlighting) to go to their burrows. Watching them do this is fun and it is also possible to get a little closer to them by going onto organised boardwalks. We returned to Melbourne by about 11.30 at night.