(TACT) MELBOURNE - Phillip Island

Went up to Melbourne for a short vacation 2 weekends back. Part of the TACT (Total Australia Cities Tour) that has covered Gold Coast, Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide and now Melbourne.

Rented a Kia Carnival at the airport, hugeass car that could fit an entire village. Abandoned the plan to rent a convertible due to overwhelming population, & wintery weather conditions.

Long, straight road

We rented a GPS (made in PRC) that kept going bonkers on us. (AVOID PRC electronics whenever possible)

"I'm not going to turn left 200m ahead into a road divider GOD DAMMIT!!"
*Turn left 200m ahead* (The repeatative voice looming in the background)
*BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP*

:o( *&^%$#&)*

Some scenery along the way

After a detour in the city to pickup Roy + some lunch we were on our way to Phillip Island, to see fairy penguins. It is 140kms from Melbourne (est 2 hrs) so we had to rush there in order not to miss the penguins.

It's in the wild and they come home at 6:00pm in August. Miss it and you're basically screwed.

Country side feel

There seems to be a distinct difference between Melbourne & Sydney. Sydney feels just like a big city, aka Taipei, Singapore, HK etc etc. On the other hand, Melbourne packs a more caucasian punch.

Sunset

Sunset Pic 2

Passed by some amazing landscape along the way but couldn't stop to snap due to time constraits. Thinking back, it would be damn humourous had we driven so far down south and missed the penguins.

Penguin Parade

After 2 hrs + we finally arrived at The Penguin Parade 15 mins before 6pm. Talk about arriving on time.

Phillip Island is no small pea, driving from the entrance of the island to the end (Penguin Parade - the viewing area) takes about 20 mins - at bordering speed limit speed.

Obligatory shot taken at main entrance (while there's still light)

To note:

Just get the $20 ticket. We were lucky the $35 ones sold out. Can't see much on the beach anyway, most of the action is along the stretch where their homes are, and it's basically free.

No photography/videography of any sorts during the viewing. But I managed to sneak in my cam and took this video: (The warden caught me and gave me a warning)

And another one. Close up of the penguin as its walking back home: (Taken along free stretch)

The Penguin's World

Highlight of the show was supposed to be when the penguins come out of the water onto the beaches in packs. Everyone packed the stands, withering in the freezing temperatures until we saw like 6-7 .... 10 at most penguins. But they were all so fucking and small far it could had been a seagull for all I know.

A totally dismal performance. We were lucky to catch some close-up along the stretch to the beach. I snickered at those who paid so much. (Some tickets costs $75 pp) haha

Things about penguins I never knew:

• High divorce rate.
• They find their way home based on the calling of their partners.
• They do enter the wrong burrows. (which leads to point 1) After all, they're just penguins.
• I want a penguin fur coat.

Stuffed penguins

After braving near zero temperatures outside, we hurried inside for some warmth. There's a museum of sorts that tells you interesting facts (albeit useless) on penguins.

The fella from Happy Feet (i think)

They put see-through class on a couple of the burrows so we could peek at them. Check out this pair endulging in some intimate foreplay.

At the souvenir shop

I detest souvenir shops. Yes its fun to have a momento to remember the fun time you had during your vacation. But what are you going to do when all this momentos pile up in a corner of your home and collect dust?

Then you're gonna regret ever getting it in the 1st place because now you're stuck in a dilemma. Throw it away and admit that you're an idiot for getting it in the 1st place or suck it up and leave it in that corner.

Except fridge magnets, ... and key chains. Those are cool. But I seldom get them anyway. I'm a cheap and practical person. I take photos. That captures everything and yet takes up 'almost' no space in my home.

Italian Restaurant

After the viewing, we dined at an authentic italian restaurant along the way. We booked a cabin at Geelong, which was 200-300 kms from Phillip Island.

Medium Rare Steak

Traditional Pizza

Salmon Pizza

The food tasted really good. The pizzas were absolutely fantastic, maybe because we were really hungry. The portions were titanically hugemongous so we ended up packing up some stuff.

Riverglen Cabin

It was almost midnight when we parked into the driveway. 1st day of Melbourne was predominantly spent in the car, travelling from point to point.

Cabin for 6 was AUD$165 per night. Basic commodities which includes "central heating" that roughly translates to "one single heater" in the living room. Thank god we had a spare heater w us.

Didn't really matter cause we were in that cabin for no less than 6 hrs.

KNNCCB. so late still play counter strike!

Good thing was we were already at Geelong, the entrance/start to The Great Ocean Road. I have good feelings about the trip thus far.

Ratings so far:

• Money - tons
• Energy - abundance
• Weather - breezy
• Feeling - anticapted

I love all these colours. Don't you?


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