Happy Easter errrbody! Hope you’re all having a fab weekend and you’ve eaten all the chocolate you can manage. We finally rented a car and took to the roads of Victoria on a road trip. We rented a car from Europcar Friday morning until Monday morning and ventured on down to Phillip Island. We stayed the night on the island and went to see the teeny weeny little penguins make their way from the water and back home to their burrows.
We stayed at The Island Accommodation on the east coast of the island, just as you enter the island over the bridge and just a kilometre up the road on the left. Great accommodation although a little pricey. However, with the weekend that it was, Easter, school holidays etc. it was no wonder the prices were a little steep. The place was very clean and the staff were also lovely though plus we were just happy out exploring Melbourne and getting to see more of the area.
These particular penguins stand tall at 33cm, imagine that! We booked our tickets the day before, on Friday, and we were lucky we did as they had sold out by the time we even got to the island on Saturday afternoon.
We took a spin to a little town north of the island called Cowes, parked up and went for a stroll along the beach. It really is a lovely seaside town, lots of bakeries and markets, well worth a visit if you’re venturing down the Phillip Island direction.
We had been advised by the receptionist at the hotel to get to the Penguin Parade a little earlier than the 7 pm suggested arrival time, we took a spin there around 6pm and we were lucky we did as the car park was filling up fairly lively! We parked up and made our way in to the visitor centre. Shortly after 6 pm the doors to the beach were opened and we made our way to the viewing areas.
The penguins don’t come out of the water until dark therefore it was close to 8 pm before any of them appeared but it was absolutely incredible seeing them coming out in packs of 4 or 5 and waddle up the beach towards us and onward to their little burrows! Unfortunately you’re not allowed to take photos so I don’t have any.
The beach itself is spectacular and is an Instagram lover’s paradise! Just take a look at this photo of the bay taken on my very own new Olympus Pen. Not bad, if I say so myself!
Summerlands Beach
The following morning we took a spin to Anzacs Beach, which is just a short drive away from the hotel and has some of the most spectacular views EVER! There was some water rescue training taking place which was pretty cool. Just like out of Home & Away!
We made our way back towards Melbourne and stopped off at IKEA on the way. Had never been to one before so that was a nice experience.
We arrived home that afternoon and finished off our Sunday evening with some chocolate and a cuppa!
For reference all the links are here: