Trip - Australia D5 - Beach & Phillip Island

Hi Blog,

After the State Coal Mine, our next plan for the day was to visit Phillip Island and meet some adorable pet penguins. It was highly recommended by my friends.

WC told me there was a road that I was looking for, so I quickly snapped it with my phone, as I couldn't spare any time to hesitate. It turned out to be good enough, if not the best!

Along the way, I asked WC to stop by one of the beaches on Phillip Island, and he agreed! Let's go!

A bridge to cross over to Phillip Island on a sunny day today.

We had planned to visit one of the beaches, Forest Caves. It looks fantastic on Google Maps.

But but but...

The beach access was closed for improvements. I can only imagine how many people would visit if it were not blocked.

We found another beach to walk on, Surf Beach Viewing Point, near Forest Caves.

Roaring waves and the sound of the sea are stunning.

We decided to relax by the beach and have burgers as a picnic.

It would have been ideal if we had prepared to relax by the beach, such as bringing a mat and other necessities, but we did not.

Yummy! It was my first time having a burger by the beach, and it was a pleasant experience!

When comparing Burger King's and Everdale Cafe's burgers, Everdale's vegetarian burger is by far the best because it has 'heart'.

I love sitting here and watching the waves.

The rocky shore looked too dangerous to walk on without shoes.

(Credit WC) I WANT TO GO INTO THE WATER NOW!!!!!!!!!!

Wow! This is my first time seeing a complete sea kelp.

(Credit WC) Oooo! As we continued down to the sandy part of the beach, I couldn't resist the urge – I wanted to strip down immediately!

It seemed far...

We walked to a spot to witness how the sands shape the landscape – it's magical.

I think...WC and Sf were going to kill me for making them walk such a long distance to reach the Forest Caves. Walking on sand can be pretty tough for some people... I could hear them complaining about the long trek...

Forest Caves is a place where low-lying rocks have been shaped by nature and water erosion. So, where exactly can the top-opening cave be located on Google Maps???

And besides, I couldn’t walk down there because I wasn’t prepared for it – shoes and clothing weren’t right, plus the high tide made it even harder...

Honestly, I felt disappointed after such a long walk, especially since I made my friends join me on the trip, and it ended up being for nothing...

Thank you, WC and SF, for not minding about it... I felt guilty about it, but they said they enjoyed it.

After we continued on our way, I googled the place and realised... There's an opening hole in the rock below, which must be the cave shown on Google Maps that we missed... Honestly, judging by the water level, even if we had found it, the water might have discouraged us from going in.

Phillip Island has interesting roads, but they aren't quite perfect...

AH! I found that road! I requested WC to drive to the centre and proceeded at a slow pace. Indeed, everything is perfectly centred, and the road image turned out flawlessly. Although I had hoped for it, I understand the importance of accepting it as it is. Frankly, this result is quite satisfying!

OOO! Numerous tour buses were parked at the Penguin Parade car park.

Penguin Parade – We were supposed to book online, but we tried to save some money. When we checked the options, most viewing spots and tours were sold out except for Penguins Plus. I stared at the price tag... and cried alone...

WC drove us to Nobbies Centre.

A stunning landscape... Something is absent in Singapore.

By the way, have you seen those small huts located here? They are for the penguins.

I am excited to see them arrive or to witness their emergence from that place.

The Pre Nobbles are at the westernmost point of Phillip Island and take their name from the rocks that emerge from the sea. However, what is the reason behind choosing the term "nobbles"?

(Credit Sf) I guess the position from which I stood is a sore eye; I should move away so that the nobbies can be seen in all their glory.

The Nobbies, a well-known headland on Phillip Island in Australia, gets its name from the striking rock stacks or "nobs" that protrude from the water, particularly Seal Rocks. These formations, which often look like small knobs, become more prominent during low tide, inspiring the nickname.

In certain instances, "Nobby" may serve as a nickname for individuals, potentially derived from the term "nob", which in British English signifies "someone in a superior position in life" or "a person of wealth or high social standing".

Making sure Nobbies are positioned above humans so that we can take a photo together. Smile everyone!

It may appear small from a distance, but it is actually a large rock with a flat top. Will any wealthy people build something there? Hmm, I believe that only when the wealthy have little money to spend will they engage in wasteful behaviour.

Oooo, one of the star animals, a wallaby, appeared, drinking at the water refill corner; they must be thirsty, especially since they are unconcerned by the many humans around them taking close-up photos, given how few drinking spots there are on this island.

Based on the timing shown here, it appeared likely that we would see them! We still had about an hour or more to wait for them to return.

(Credit Sf) We took advantage of the free time and went to the Mobbies Centre Antarctic Museum. Oh my goodness, it was extremely cold.

Ooo, infrared heat detection here. I am not sure how accurate it is, but my bloated tummy did heat up.

Thank you, Sf, for treating me to an ice cream shake. Fortunately, we were the last customers the store accepted; they intended to close on time and reject any customer without hesitation. Sadly, I only finished it in one minute... I should have drunk it slowly.

Sunset and everything looked so peaceful as the crowds dispersed; I wonder if they were going to the parade?

A local goose was wandering around. They are everywhere, particularly on the road! If you decide to drive in Phillip Island, slow down and look ahead before colliding with one of them or a kangaroo, especially at night when visibility is limited.

The sun sets really fast here, like in just a few minutes, and the sky changes so much!

The wallaby started to show up, too.

They simply eat grass and go about their business. There are not many visitors right now.

This seems like a perfect opportunity for taking group photos and selfies.

What a quiet moment, but WC and Sf spent their time in the car playing with their phones.

I decided to walk to the end of the Boardwalk and see what was going on.

I just looked at the Boardwalk, and there was no one there! Haha!

Just chilling with a wallaby watching the sunset.

Honestly, you might think it was still bright, but that's not true because my phone picks up a lot of light, so it was actually getting dark.

But my phone is capable of capturing the power of a wave in low-light conditions. The waves had such a powerful impact that they could slap us to death!

Looking at the end of the Boardwalk, I wondered if the penguins were heading home... They are such tiny creatures. How long will they walk back to this location? Especially when the shore waves are strong... I doubt they will enter from this direction.

This would have knocked them off the rock, so... where do they come from?

It has got to be darker already. Even if they returned from somewhere... There is no light around here, so flashing my phone light will only scare them.

Just trying to show you how dark it really was.

And I was chased out by a staff member; no one should stay here; it is no surprise that no one is around at this time. First, to keep the penguins safe from unnecessary disturbance. Second, it was too dark and dangerous to stay there. Third, if people can see penguins for free here, the penguin parade zone will not generate any revenue to protect the penguins. Fourth, due to my financial constraints, we will not be able to see any penguins on this trip... And it was late; I did not want to stress WC out by driving back so late just to see the penguins. Furthermore, it was around 630pm, and if we had paid to see the penguins, we might have returned around 8pm, which was too late for any of us.

Since we can't see any penguins, perhaps this video and another about them will help to balance my mood.

At the very least, we could spend our final night together enjoying a heavy dinner. To be honest, I was too bloated to finish it...

In general, visiting Phillip Island for penguins may be the main highlight; however, I believe Phillip Island may have something else, it is just that I do not have the luxury of time to spend here. I would like to show you a special or secret location on Philip Island or elsewhere in Melbourne, but I am not a driver and I will not be staying long...

Jeff