Melbourne #3 - Mornington peninsula and Phillip island

And now the final post from Melbourne.
So we've explored the city, we've been west, and now it's time to go east.
Melbourne itself lies at the northern end of Port Phillip, a bay on the southwestern corner of Australia.  The southeastern border of the bay is the Mornington peninsula.
Away from the busy city, it's home to many small farms, dairies, beaches, and it's the country getaway for many Melbourners.  So let's go!

We decided on a one day tour, and our small group was led by Jason of Melbourne Coastal Tours.
He arrived to pick us up early, and we headed out of town.
As we traveled on, the skyscrapers and graffiti changed to suburbs and shopping centers, and eventually rolling countryside.  Onto the peninsula, the road frequently made jogs out to vantage points where we could look out to the beach along the bay.  Beautiful!

Our first stop was along the beach at the colorful bathing boxes.  Traditionally owned by the wealthy, they are the storage areas for those who come out for the warmer summer days.  And, we were told, sell for about $250,000 each!  Wow!

Onward, we stopped at a small dairy that produces artisanal cheeses made from their own goats.  The kids loved petting the goats, and we were treated to a tasting board of a variety of cheeses.  Mmmm!

Much of the peninsula is farmland, smaller craft farms with vineyards and wineries, dairies, fruit farms, even some wool products from local sheep.  We had a stop at a vineyard for a few photos and the view was spectacular!  Truly a beautiful landscape!

One of the farms was a strawberry farm called Sunny Ridge Farm.  We happened to be there near the end of the picking season, but perfect timing and weather for us to pick our own strawberries.  We all had the greatest time finding the most red, ripe, succulent berries and packing our little boxes.  And there's nothing like the taste of fresh strawberries directly off the plant!

Next stop was a wildlife rescue park to visit some of the locals.  No matter where we go in Australia, we just can't get enough of feeding and petting the kangaroos and wallabies.  And Maggie always brightens up when she sees a wombat.



Wallaby on the left, kangaroo on the right

Wombat

Our last stop of the day was a trip to Phillip Island and the Phillip Island Nature Park on it's southwestern tip.  Again, the southern coastline of Australia is very dramatic!  We stopped for a short walk along an area called The Nobbies, in a tempest of wind and rain and huge waves crashing onto rocks.  Very impressive!

The "blowhole"

And, finally, on to the parade.
The Phillip Island Penguin Parade just might be my favorite piece of our entire trip.  Along the southern coast of Phillip Island lies a stretch of rocky beach overlooked by windblown grassy hills.  This is the home to the Little Penguin (sometimes called Fairy Penguin).  For days these penguins swim at sea fishing, but every few days a group comes onto land to "be social", talking to other penguins and congregating.   Dotted along the countryside are small groups of wallabies and cape barron geese, as well as small burrows which are home to the penguins.  As we moved down to the coastline, we passed through the visitor center where we were sternly warned that there would be no photography.  Darn!
We made our way down to the beach and sat at the front of a fairly large grandstand full of people.  And waited until dusk.
Just as it was becoming quite dark, we caught the first glimpse.  First one, then a few more small bodies popped up among the rocks.  They waited a few minutes to be sure it was safe, and then began the hurried walk across the beach, up the hill, and into their burrows.  Every few minutes, another group would appear as if magic, wait for the courage, and then strike out.  What an amazing site!
And after a few groups had come in from the sea, we stood and followed the walkway back towards the visitor center.  All along the walkway, coming along it, or walking beneath, the parade of little penguins traveled up the hill.  We watched as one or another branched off to head toward their own burrow, as if they knew their address in the neighborhood.  Sometimes one or two stood outside a burrow, squawking at the passersby.  Truly amazing to watch!
We left them to the night, knowing that many would venture back out to sea before the sunrise, and that we had seen a miraculous slice of nature.
Sadly we have no photos of the penguins, so I've borrowed a few from the internet:

Little penguins are the only blue penguins



The penguin grandstand



Grace and her little penguin

Our full photo gallery from the entire trip can be seen here:  http://peterr.smugmug.com/Australia/Melbourne-2015/

Thus ended our Mornington Peninsula/Phillip Island tour, and thus I end my tales of Melbourne.  I hope that you've enjoyed hearing about our adventures.  They will remain fond memories for our family.  We are truly grateful for this time in Australia and for the family bonds we strengthen as we make memories together.

All the best!
-Peter