WE'VE ARRIVED AT PHILLIP ISLAND, NSW, AUSTRALIA

 DAY 53/138  FEBRUARY 11, 2024   Sunrise 6:41 AM   Sunset  8:32 PM

We are continuing our sailing from Sydney to Phillip Island, Australia.  Phillip Island, located at the mouth of Western Port Bay, is renowned for its abundance of wildlife.  Its nature reserves are abound with free-roaming wallabies and kangaroos, while its wetlands support a diverse array of birdlife.  Its coastal waters are home to an endemic population of Burrunan dolphins, as well as migratory whales.   No visit to Phillip Island would be complete, however, without a stop to watch its famous Penguin Parade.  Each evening, thousands of little penguins come ashore at Summerland Beach, making their way to the safety of their nests in the sand dunes. 

We spotted the Viking Neptune, the sister ship of the Viking Sky.  It cruised parallel to us for a few hours on its way to Melbourne.  Their itinerary crossed ours today because, unlike, our ship, they got to visit Tasmania.  They will visit Phillip Island after we have left on our way to Melbourne.   

While technically not a "sea day" we have been sailing non-stop since we left Sydney on 2/9/24 in the late afternoon.  We are now anchored off Phillip Island and many of the passengers will take a tender to the island .  The process is that once they reach land they will take a bus to the Visitor Center and then will go down to the watching area.  I have posted a photo of the area where most of our passengers will be seated.  If they paid $119 more they could sit in the viewing area at the bottom of the photo below.  

Here's a really great photo of the little penguins that I was able to find on the internet and do some enhancements with Photoshop. 

Watch the Nightly Procession of Little Penguins -- Witness a parade of little penguins as they return to shore after a day’s fishing. At Summerland Beach, each evening at sunset, hundreds of penguins head for the safety of the sand dunes. Phillip Island is home to an estimated 32,000 breeding pairs of the world’s smallest species of penguin. In 1920, island residents Bern Denham, Bert West and Bert Watchorn introduced visitors to the penguins’ nightly procession, sparking conservation efforts to

protect wildlife and invest in research and education initiatives. You may take a seat on a viewing platform and observe  the penguins as they waddle from the ocean, or take a stroll along the purpose   built boardwalk to witness the furry creatures as  they head for the dunes. During your visit, you will  also spend time at the visitor center to learn more about the little penguins of Phillip Island. 

The park doesn't allow photography of videography and especially no lights of any kind.  I found an excellent video on YouTube that was made about a year ago.  Watch it for a good idea of what we missed this evening. Fast forward to 1:20 to skip a family intro.  

https://youtu.be/-MFzXrcpNlk?feature=shared

John and I elected not to do the Penguin Parade because we had seen something very similar on a previous trip to Australia.  We also didn't want to take a tender from the ship to the island, then catch a bus to the Visitor Center, wait for the penguins to return from the sea, and then repeat the bus/tender process to return to the ship.  We have a long trip to Melbourne tomorrow morning. 

Today we were fortunate enough to hear two very interesting talks.  The first was given by Alan Riles entitled "Eureka! Australian Ancient and Modern Gold Mining."  We learned about the gold rushes of Kalgoorlie and Ballarat and modern large scale mining.

Prior to lunch we heard our second speech of the day given by Viking Resident Historian Wing Commander (Ret) William Simpson: "The History, Evolution and Art of the Boomerang".  He traced the history of how the Aboriginal Australians combined their art with the boomerang.  He also spoke of several Aboriginal artists and showed examples of their work.  Some very impressive pieces were there.  

The remainder of the day was spent playing cards and games  and chatting with friends.  

We are looking forward to tomorrows' trip in to Melbourne.  The last time I recollect we were there was on ANZAC day in 2020 while we were with a group of OAT customers.  John and I elected to watch the ANZAC parade which was impressive; we watched three hours of steady parade participants and eventually elected to leave because we needed to meet up with the group.