We are leaving the Mornington Peninsula and traveling to Phillip Island, where at dusk we will view the Little Penguins as they come ashore on Phillip Island. The Little Penguin is the world's smallest penguin and Penguin Parade is the best place to experience this natural phenomenon.
We arrive at the Phillips Island Visitor and go for a walk on the boardwalk along the cliffs of Phillips Island looking for a Little Penguin.
We spot our first one! It is huddled under the boardwalk...
...then another one inside one of the sheltered boxes that the Conservation Society has built along the cliffs...
It is so amazing that these little guys can survive the crashing surf and navigate up these cliffs to where they have built their nests during their mating season.
BooBoo, what are you looking at???
BooBoo has spotted our first wallaby!
We travel by motor coach to the beach where we will watch the Little Penguin Parade.
Our day concludes with perhaps our greatest wildlife wonder, the sunset return of the world's smallest penguin, the Little Penguin, at the world famous Penguin Parade. No photography is allowed during the Penguin Parade. Observers are asked to remain seated and be very quiet during this natural phenomenon. How awe-inspiring it was to watch as hundreds of Little Penguins seemingly morphed out of the sand at the edge of the surf, then en masse they began their arduous journey over the rocks at the water's edge, then across the sandy beach, then up the grassy hillside to their nests for mating.
When no one was looking, we three sisters sneaked down to the beach so we could see the Little Penguins up close!
NOT! No not really! This was a "staged" photo that we had made inside the Visitor Center! However that is exactly how the Little Penguins looked as they made their way across the beach like a big family all together.
Back on Day 4 of this tour we visited the Kelly Tarlton Sea Life Aquarium in Auckland. There we had our photo taken with the large King Penguins......
...also while at the Sea Life Aquarium, we were surrounded by a bunch of sharks, which really frightened the "sisters", but not Jeanne!
Tomorrow is Day 13 on our N.Z./Aus. Tour. We will enjoy lunch in a moving Tramcar Restaurant as it travels along the tracks through the city of Melbourne!
I wake up this morning with a really sore throat and go out in search of cough drops. I know I am not in the States anymore when I find these at the 7-Eleven, near our hotel, for $2.69 each pack!
We discover that our motor coach is stuck somewhere in traffic this morning, so it will be delayed in getting to our hotel to pick us up, so I wonder outside to see what I can see...
Wow, that is some pricey parking! (This is right next-door to our hotel.)
Then I can't find BooBoo.....
oh my goodness, she has found a Clearance Sale next door to our hotel!
...BooBoo, that store is not even open yet....get down from there!
Hey Donna, what is "Gangnam Pocha"??
This sign signifies a pedestrian crosswalk....
...and we patiently await our motor coach...
Our group fills all the seating in the hotel lobby while we are awaiting the arrival of our motorcoach...
Now... where did BooBoo go????
I found her on the computer in the hotel lobby! She was trying to email her boyfriend, TooToo, who lives in Alexandria, Virginia!
Our motor coach finally arrives and we are on our way to the Mornington Peninsula, when we start to see these colorful walls along the motorway....
...and this amazing sculpture!
...and more colorful walls...
We soon reach our first destination, the Cape Schanck Lighthouse, one of the oldest active lighthouses in Australia, and is situated on the Mornington Peninsula. We enjoyed a guided tour with one of the Park's personnel.
Our first close-up view of the lighthouse. What a gorgeous sunny day and Donna is wishing she had brought her sunglasses along.
Our first view of the waters of the Bass Strait which flows between Australia and Tasmania.
Simply breathtaking! Crystal clear water crashing on the cliffs surrounding the lighthouse. BooBoo is hanging close to me for fear of falling off the sheer cliff into the foaming surf below.
A very happy and always cheerful Althea (from Indiana) at the lighthouse.
Once we climbed the steep circular staircase inside the lighthouse to the top, we were mesmerized with the incredible views of the Bass Strait far below.
We "sisters" are having a great time on this tour!
This is the former home of the lighthouse keeper and is now a museum for the Cape Schanck Lighthouse.
While we were at the top of the lighthouse we spotted a wooden boardwalk/staircase leading down to the ocean. So on our way back to our motor coach we decided to walk/follow it as far as would could during our remaining time there.
Wow! We are a long way down the cliff from the lighthouse!
We had to turn around and go back long before we reached the bottom of the walkway at the ocean. We hurried back up the pathway so we would not keep our tour group waiting. Today is going to be our longest day of sightseeing and excursions on this entire trip.
We traveled along on the Mornington Peninsula a short distance to the Red Hill Farm/Winery for lunch at the Linden Tree Restaurant.
For an appetizer I chose corn/basil soup served with an olive roll. For my entrée I selected salmon/asparagus/potatoes.....
All the food was simply delicious and the service at the Linden Tree was extraordinary.
After lunch we ventured outdoors for a walk around the grounds and checked out the netting that the grape orchards are draped in to protect the grapes from the birds.
Red Hill Farm is situated in an incredibly beautiful setting out in the countryside, and includes a restaurant, winery, wedding venue with spa and hotel rooms and all surrounded by gorgeous landscaping and grape vineyards.
Our tour director, Jeremy, told us that we would not have dessert with our meal at the Linden Tree Restaurant. Instead we would travel a short distance to the Sunny Ridge Strawberry Farm, one of Australia's largest producers of strawberries.
I guess they have a problem. This sign is posted at the restrooms!
We are given a guided tour of the strawberry fields...
..stunningly beautiful.....
...our guide explained how every five or so years they have to replant the strawberry fields....
When we went into the gift shop, my friend Mary (from Virginia) found a new little friend for BooBoo.
...ahhhh, how cute!
We then gathered outside at their covered patio/pavilion where we would be served dessert....
Oh. my. goodness! Just look at those strawberry sundaes!
Oh yes, I'll have one of those, please!
They may have to roll me out of here after consuming this big dessert right after eating a big lunch!
After leaving the strawberry farm, we depart the Mornington Peninsula. Our destination for this evening will be Phillip Island, where at dusk we will view the Little Penguins as they come ashore on Phillip Island. The Little Penguin is the world's smallest penguin and Penguin Parade is the best place to experience this natural phenomenon.
I will cover this in my next blog post.
