Waddle, Snooze and Gurgle

February 12, 2011.

There's 70 000 Fairy penguins and 50 koalas on Phillip Island. Not to mention, 346 bird species and 25 000 seals on this 10 000 hectares island with 8 000 permanent residents. Even before crossing the bridge across the channel from San Remo, we find ourselves in the company of pelicans waiting for their daily feast of flathead fish from the fisherman. Giant stingrays can be seen gliding in the waters by the pier. The Fliedners have a caravan in Newhaven on Phillip Island where we set up home for a few days. Phillip Island is about an hour and a half from Melbourne. Aunty Georgie kindly drives us down and shows us her lovely place in the Big Four Caravan Park. We enjoy the comforts of the caravan with all its amenities. Bella loves the PILLOW, an aussie style bouncy castle. I am reminded of my days in good old Namaste (my beloved orange VW camper) at the Richmond Trailer Park. The people are very friendly. The retired couple staying next door are on their way to the Jazz Festival in the Grampians. They are always smiling. A family from Deniliquin in New South Wales set up an enormous tent across the way. Brad and Angela tell us it's their first time at it but they look like pros. It's a four bedroom suite with separate mosquito netted dining room in front. It is in stark contrast with the scence unfolding in the adjoining campsite. Three young European travellers are just unpacking their newly bought pup tent, suited for one. A tight squeeze for two. We are equally impressed that the 3 of them and their large backpacks can fit into it. They seem to remain friends although we notice that by day 3, they have purchased another pup tent to set up. Bella soon makes friends with Peta, the four year old across the way. They ride their bikes, lick ice pops and jump happily on the pillow. We hire a car and visit the heritage farm on Churchill Island. The homestead has been there since the mid 1800's and the land is spectacular. The sheep and highland cattle are grazing in the pastures as we approach and all sorts of birds can be seen in the mudflats. Gnarly ancient moonah trees frame the vista. Bella and I milk the dairy cow. Bella is not keen about it and tells us that she prefers to be a 'city girl.' I quite enjoy the experience myself. We walk through the beautiful gardens and check out the shadow on the sundail. We watch the border collies gather the sheep and spot a few wallabies in the fields. We stay for  the sheep shearing demostration and sample some lanolin cream. We attempt the boomerang throwing. Bella does pretty well with the kid version. Mine ends up in the horse paddock in the neighbouring field. I climb over the fence to retrieve it. I figure I'll give the whip cracking a skip. That evening we make our way to the Penguin Parade at the Nature Reserve at the other end of the island. The stands are packed with tourists like us, waiting with anticipation for the fairy penguins to emerge from the waves at dusk. I wonder what the penguins are thinking about the strange creatures on land. At around nine that night, we see flashes of white in the surf. They come together in small groups waddle up the beach and then up towards their burrows in the sand dunes. These penguins are the smallest in the world, about a ruler's length (30 cm) in height. We get our best view of them along the dim lit boardwalks and hear their calls from their homes in the sand. The next morning we head to the Koala Conservation Center. Bella is intrigued by the fact that the babies are born the size of a jellybean and spend the first 6 months of their lives in mama's pouch, latching on to mama's nipple. We learn that koalas sleep for 20 hours of each day. We head out onto the boardwalks in the groove of eucalypt trees. There are nine koalas and a few babies in the park. It's a game of I Spy the Koalas who are snoozing away in the trees. We are excited to spot them along the boardwalk. We get a close up view of a mama and her baby snuggling and enjoying some eucalyptus leaves. It's a perfect example of attachment parenting. I watch for awhile, impressed with the bond of mother and child. The koalas are my highlight on Phillip Island. Mark enjoyed the peace on Churchill Island. As for Bella, it was the PILLOW. Leaving the island on the bus, we spot the Giant Worm Museum at Bass. There's no live speciman there, as the Giant Gippsland Earthworm is very reclusive and rarely seen. Also known as Mega scolides australis, this blue grey worm can reach lengths of 3 metres. They live in water filled burrows in the Bass River Valley which sometimes echoes with their gurgling noises. You may wonder about my odd fascination with the worm. Playing a game called "What's Your Inner Animal?" I reckon that mine's the earthworm. Simple but hardworking and trying her best in her humble way to make the earth a better place. Anyways, we leave the beauty of Phillip Island to return to the city. I imagine the Giant Gippland Earthworm giving us a goodbye gurgle.

Some interesting links:
1. This one is from th Phillip Island Nature Parks:
http://www.penguins.org.au/home

2. Yes, it's the worm fascination again:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZig6EL5B6A

3. What's Your Inner Animal?
http://www.worldwildlife.org/inner-animal/inner-animal.html