The Phillip Islands Australia

So on my 4th day in Australia, i caught a tram from St Kilda to Melbourne [15 minutes] and went into the Tour Shop that my family had booked their Phillip Island Penguin Trip with, in hopes that i could book onto the same trip.

My plan worked successfully, as they did have a space for me.

I was walking along the gorgeous South Bank River in Melbourne towards my families hotel to tell them the good news [They didn't know i was coming, it was a suprise]........

I had walked for 15 minutes before realising that i hadn't even looked around to take in the views. So i decided to stop and ask somebody to take a photo of me with all the spectacular buildings behind me. I was just about to ask a family sitting outside the restaurant next to me...... and then i realised that that family..... was my family.

They had no idea i was standing next to them....

My dad was just about to take a photo of my sister Laura, so i photo bombed her, which was great because Dad caught her initial reaction as his finger was already on the photo capture button.

We sat and had a chat by the beautiful river, they had just come from Singapore. [Which they loved] and then we hopped aboard our tour bus to The Phillip Islands.

Our first stop was Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife.

Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park is a 25-acre biopark within the Pearcedale Conservation Park located at Pearcedale on the Mornington Peninsula near Melbourne, Australia.

This was absolutely amazing. Not just because we got free sausages at the Cafe, but because we got to feed wild kangaroos and cuddle koalas! I had seen kangaroos and koalas on Jude's trip to The Great Ocean Road a few days before, but i hadn't been close enough to touch one or feed one, so this was extra special. My first encounter with them, and i will never forget it. It was so cute watching my baby brother Zac feed them for the first time too. I have taken him on trips to Safari Parks before and he loves feeding the animals. He hasn't quite grasped that you have to hold out your hand yet though... so he feeds them grain by grain... quite a time consuming technique...

So yeah, i will absolutely never forget my experience at Moonlit Sanctuary.

We then visited The Churchill Island Woolshed where i got to have a go at Firecracking [I think it's called firecracking?] and watch sheep get sheared. This was a stunning location and i felt right at home with the countryside vibes. [Even though i'm not from the Countryside, ha....]

We then headed to a lovely beach [that i can't remember the name of] .... but i saw my first venomous snake.

I wasn't scared, i'm used to being around snakes in England.... ha.

I also spent my time at the beach recording videos of my family because i knew that this could be the last time i could see them for a while.

I love my family to pieces but i need to stay in Australia and find peace with myself.

This is my sister, my dad, my stepmum and my baby brother. I'm 26 and my sister is 30, so it's a big age gap between us and our little brother!

After the beach, we headed to Penguine Parade. Where you can watch the Penguins come in from shore and waddle to their huts.

We waited for the penguins for quite a while. We arrived at 19:30 and the Penguins don't start coming in until 21:15. So by the time the Penguins arrived, i was quite cold and tired. My sister bought a blanket and let me wear it because i was freezing.

[awww cute]

You know when you go the Cinema and the seats are in height order? [staggered]

Well it was like that, so you'd think we'd be able to see the Penguins. But this wasn't the case at all. Because everybody kept standing up, therefore blocking our view. This was quite disappointing after waiting almost two hours.

However, on the promenade walk, you actually see them up close near their huts. So it wasn't too bad. [I have uploaded a photo from Google to show you what i mean]

You can pay to go VIP [not sure how much this is] but you actually get to sit on the sand and see the action from right up close. Totally worth doing this because i feel like my Penguin experience made me grumpy rather than happy, because i couldn't see much!

Anyway, so that's our day exploring The Phillip Islands! Totally worth doing, even just for the Koala and Kangaroo encounter and the stunning scenery at Woolshed Shearing Farm.

Here is the video i created of our day at The Phillip Islands

https://youtu.be/f2ruJZ528A4

I am so glad that i take photos and videos of every experience because, if i was to write this now just a few days after the experience, i wouldn't remember what i saw and all that i did. I had to look back at my photos to remember my Great Ocean Road Trip in order as well! That's why i will never stop capturing moments. These blogs are also for me to look back on, because my memory is awful!