Today was our first experience of the slightly erratic
nature of Victoria weather. While yesterday was in the mid to high 20s today
was going to be in the 40s! We thought Bear Gully Creek would be the ideal
place to sit the day out and drive through to Phillip Island later in the day
for the Penguin parade. Now as a Queenslander whenever I am looking for a
campsite I look for shade and lots of it when you are expecting 40 degrees! There
is a slight problem with this when you are free camping and relying on the
sun’s rays to power your batteries and hence your fridge and freezers! Maybe I
should have packed a 20m extension cord for the solar panel!
The boys had
buddied up with some girls from the camp site next door and were having a
wonderful time racing around on their bikes but rather than just move the van
into the sun we decided to pack up and find a beach at Phillip Island to soak
the heat up in.
After a quick restock in Wonthaggi (try saying that in your
head without a Billy Connollyesque Scottish accent) we hit Cowes Beach on
Phillip Island. We set the beach umbrella and camp chair up in the water, which
was refreshingly cool, and spent the afternoon playing in the water.
The boys
and I headed over to have a look at the jetty which was quite a novelty for us.
We found a mob of teenagers hanging out there jumping of it, so we decided to
join them! It was great fun and whilst we weren’t doing flips or twists I think
the boys felt pretty cool!
After dinner on the beachside we headed first for Seal Rocks
then to the Penguin Parade. Seal Rocks was very picturesque however after
walking half way down the boardwalk we realised that it should have been called
bird rock as that was about the only thing living on the rocky shoreline! The
Penguin Parade had changed slightly since I visited it in the late 1970s. Now a
massive building welcomes you with raised boardwalks all throughout the dunes
and a cement grandstand for you to watch the penguins come out of the water. About
30 minutes before sundown they start to gather a hundred or so meters off shore
and then as soon as the sun dips below the horizon they start to make their way
over the beach. These little critters are seriously cute and watching them
waddle and stumble their way up the beach over clumps of kelp was quite
enjoyable. They travelled in packs or rafts, as Sam kept reminding me, and when
one fell behind they would sprint to catch up, only to be exhausted by the time
they rejoined the group so they would take a quick rest to recover only to fall
behind again! There were heaps of chicks in the dunes that were waiting for the
mum or dad to return to regurgitate their days catch and this is where it got
really funny!
The chicks huddle together in groups of two or three and chirp
away trying to attract their returning parent. However rather than waiting patiently
they attack every adult penguin as they waddle past. It is hilarious as these
fluffy balls complete covering tackles reminiscent of George Gregan taking down
Jonah Lomu. I felt sorry for the penguins that lived at the back of the dunes
as they had to go through this same process hundreds of times before they got
back to their nest! Many of them have developed a reasonable side step and I am
pretty sure Campese’s “Goose Step” should be renamed the “Penguin Step”.
Unfortunately cameras are banned from the parade as the flashes mess up the
penguins night vision so we only have this to remember them by.
It was after 11 by the time we left and after a half an hour
drive we arrived at our salubrious free camp, a boat ramp in Grantville.
Come on. Gregan tackling Jonah? Too much hot sun for you!
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