With Crazy Ben as our fearless leader...
... we headed to a wildlife park about an hour from Melbourne. It's a small place that's home to a bunch of Aussie animals.
And yes, I paid twenty bucks for a photo with a koala. I would have paid twice that.
The park girl kept telling me to step further away from him but I couldn't. He was just so squishable. She told me he could bite me. Whatever, I've been bit in the face twice by a previous dog who shall remain nameless, so a koala bite was nothing.
Right after the photo he started choking on his eucalyptus leaves. I wanted to help, but given I have no koala training, I couldn't do anything. He was fine after a good cough.
Then it was kangaroo time. You can buy them food (of course, I did this) so you can feed them from your hand. Yes! This was awesome!
This one couldn't get enough of my phone.
This boy was very messy. Look at his little tongue! Sigh.
I have probably a hundred kangaroo selfies on my phone now and six videos of the same one eating.
My boots were covered in 'roo poo but it didn't matter - I was on cloud nine and was sad to leave the park. I mean, how many times do you get to see something like this?
That's not a dead baby, as the Americans standing beside me suggested. It was a sleeping Joey. As soon as it started raining, she went back inside the pouch.
We made our way from Maru up to Cape Woolamai. It's a beautiful beach where the surfers come out to play on a hot day.
The surf rescue team was huddled together on the sand keeping warm, with not one surfer to keep an eye on. Not sure where the driver of this vehicle was, but certainly not in the water.
From there, it was time to see the nobbies! It's not as inappropriate as it sounds. This area of the island has lots of volcanic rock around and natural erosion has created some unique structures. It felt a bit east coast Canada-ish.
Those little wood boxes built into the side of the hill are penguin burrows. A couple penguins were hiding inside. In addition to little pingees, there are dolphins, fur seals and whales that pass through here. See one?
Me neither.
We drove into Cowes, a beach town, to grab a bite before heading to the penguin parade. This is a real thing. Hundreds of mini penguins run onto shore every night at sunset, cross the beach, and scoot up the hillside in the dark. Together. Falling on their faces because they have no hands to stop themselves.
My Finnish tour pal and I stood on the boardwalk so we could see them run up the hill towards us and then under the walk. Just as Crazy Ben said, that's what they did.
I'd love to post a picture but I didn't take any. Photos kill them. How? The flash blinds them, then they can't feed and then they die in the ocean. That's the story we were fed. The person beside me was furious when someone snapped a photo anyway. I really thought the gloves were going to come off. Little penguins bring out the worst in people.
What I can show you is all the ridiculous stuff in the gift store! There are lots of stuffed penguins.
And glass penguins.
And penguin "dinnerware".
Not sure I understand the penguin connection here.
There's even a penguin you can squeeze until its eyes pop out.
The gift store/cafe/admissions building is also educational, teaching kids about the harsh reality of penguin life. I saw a couple parents shoo their kids away from this one.
It's no surprise that the penguin parade has notable visitors come from all over the world. It's a cool experience. Meredith agrees! (Fyi, a very photoshopped picture. Even MV can't use her camera.)
We got back on the bus, were handed a box of raisins like school children, and were home in Melbourne just past midnight. Such a great day! As much as I love seeing a new city, it's the outdoorsy adventures I enjoy most. Throw in some furry animals and I'm a happy person.
