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Saturday, September 17, 2011

Weekend Getaway in Philip Island

Day 4: 3rd Sept 2011, Saturday

We woke up quite early today and headed off to a 2D1N weekend getaway to Philip Island, about 90 minutes away from Mei yiyi's house. As the 7 of us (plus a few cartons of foodstuff) were unable to squeeze into one car, we went in two cars. We stayed in a very cosy vacation home that Mei yiyi had earlier booked from her colleague.

The vacation home in Sunderland Bay... the 3-bedroom house was absolutely clean, new, beautiful, spacious and very well-kept. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay here!
Nathan, Alyssa and I "mismanaging some money" from the Monopoly board game (there was a big stack of board games provided in the house plus a cabinet-ful of movie DVDs)
We bought a 3-park family pass (it was more economical this way) for entrances to the Koala Conservation Centre, Churchill Island as well as the world-famous, must-go Penguin Parade.

1st stop... the Koala Conservation Centre
At the Koala Boardwalk (elevated platform for closer view of the koalas)
Too lazy to greet its visitors... all the koalas there were sound asleep so we did not manage to catch a glimpse of their faces... we could not touch them either as they were all sitting high up on the trees and out of our reach
Next stop... we had fish and chips for lunch. Mummy had whiting (bottom, left pic) while daddy had the local flake (shark meat) and both of them opted for "grilled" rather than deep-fried. We also shared some deep-fried fresh oysters, shrimps and a large box of chips! 
Playing "watch out for the pirates" with Nathan at a playground by the sea, near the restaurant where we had our lunch.
Chasing seagulls at the beach
Seagulls, seagulls everywhere!
Bumblebees, bumblebees everywhere too!
Next stop, Churchill Island... a working heritage farm with lovely gardens
Beautiful countryside scenery
Two beautiful peacocks greeted us at the farm... 
We watched a couple of "shows" too... this was the Working Dog
Sheep-shearing... I grimaced and asked mummy "Is the sheep in pain?" 
Getting the feel of a clump of "freshly sheared" wool. Yucky, mummy. It's sticky and oily (contains lanolin)...
Whip cracking and boomerang throwing (we missed the boomerang throwing as we had "strayed" elsewhere)
More animals... I touched a piglet, a duck (daddy chased after it and caught it for me) and a black lamb
Some of the many pretty blooms in the lovely garden
Posing with a pygmy horse statue
Final stop... The Penguin Parade. Too bad, photography was strictly prohibited here so we did not take a single photo of the cute fairy penguins.
According to the weather forecast, it was going to be a very cold evening so mummy put on 6 layers of clothing for me! The weather turned out to be very tolerable and it was not as cold as expected.
We sat in the open, stadium-like seats and waited for the penguins to return from the sea. Soon after they have emerged in groups at the beach, we followed and walked (on platforms) alongside the cute and tiny little penguins as they waddled and marched their way back to their burrows. It was truly a wonderful experience. Our only regret was that photography was not permitted so mummy bought me something from the souvenir shop as a token of remembrance.

The only penguin photos we were allowed to take... the replicas!
One last pic before leaving... (holding a bag of souvenirs) 
Mei yiyi took the trouble to cook us dinner again in the house. We just can't thank her enough for being such a wonderful host, guide and cook!

Homecooked seafood marinara spaghetti (cooked with fresh prawns, baby octopus, squid, mussels, fish fillet and salmon chunks), garlic bread and fresh garden salad
My new travelling companions... Squeak the penguin (cos it squeaks when squeezed). The two smaller ones were given by Mei yiyi (one for me and the other one for cousin Leanne back in KL). Mummy also bought me a story book and a snow-globe-like fridge magnet for herself

19 comments:

  1. Love the pictures. If aud go down, I would like to revisit the country... Hahahaha

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  2. heheh got think of Philip when go to Philip Island or not??? I miss this place too. Last time I visited without Philip. Perhaps next time I will visit with him

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  3. LittleLamb: Yes! I did think of your Philip a few times when I was there. How did you know?? Hehe ;)

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  4. Wow, the koala bear you saw is bigger and fatter! *geram*

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  5. Lovely weather, love blue sky the most. :)
    The vacation home looks so cosy and spaces.
    Last time, we stayed at caravan and we bounced into one wombat wonder around our caravan area. When it saw us, it quickly ran away, we found it so funny and interesting.

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  6. Very beautiful place.... Close to nature...

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  7. Very fruitful trip to Philip Island and back home with a warm and nice home cook food.

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  8. Super duper awesome experience for Chloe. I hv yet gotta chance to witness a shepherd dog herding the sheeps, which I really love to, Chloe is such a lucky girl!^^

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  9. Ooo...Australia is so beautiful. So nice to live there. Fresh air. So much greenery.

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  10. Wow ! What's a nice trip in Philip island !

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  11. Wow..i really love the home cooked food.

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  12. Such a nice trip for Chloe and family. Penguin soft toys are cute too.

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  13. Such a lovely trip.. wish to go there, too!

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  14. The penguin soft toys are so cute. If Gwen sees this sure she would ask for one..hehe.

    What a wonderful trip to watch the penguins parade. Too bad no pics to share with us.

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  15. Looks like Chloe had a great time. So wise of you to make fond memories for her childhood. These are precious moments that will enrich her life.

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  16. Philip Island.. ahh.. where penguins popped out of the sea back to their homes...

    It was an amazing experience that I can never forget! They look sooooooooooooooooooo super cute popping out that way! :)

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  17. The seagulls and flower shot are wonderful.

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