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I was starting to have internet withdrawal so we went to Macca’s (aka McDonald’s) for brekkie. I’m not sure why the Aussies gave it that nickname. Anyway, Macca’s has FREE WI-FI! I was able to write a quick blog post and check the news. Ahhh, it was so nice to get back in touch with “reality.”<\/p>\n
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Macca’s had a couple of specialty brekkie sandwiches which didn’t really appeal to me. I ordered my favorite sausage mcmuffin with egg. I was disappointed. The sausage tasted different. :\/ The hash browns and coffee were perfect, though.<\/p>\n
We were headed on a tour with Go West<\/a> to head down to Phillip Island to see the fairy penguins. But we had a few stops on the way…<\/p>\n First up went to the Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne<\/a>. The gardens are designed in the shape of Australia and showcase the flora\/fauna of each region. The red sand centre is in the middle and mini exhibition gardens surround it.<\/p>\n The best backyard was the Kids Garden where there was a slide… that of course Rob wanted to try. So we waited until no one was around and he went for it. When he was at the top, I heard him say that it was a tight fit (heh) then all of a sudden, he came flying down the slide. BWAHAHAHAHA.<\/p>\n When we got to Phillip Island, our first stop was Panny’s Chocolate Factory<\/a>. Totally up my alley. I love chocolate!<\/p>\n It’s a small factory that has a little walking tour showing how cocoa is grown and how chocolate is made. <\/p>\n At the end there’s a shop and cafe where we picked up iced chocolates. Yummers.<\/p>\n Next up was the Koala Conservation Centre<\/a> where we got to see koalas for the first time on our trip. Sooo exciting! <\/p>\n It’s not a zoo but I don’t know if this would be considered “the wild” either. There are raised boardwalks where you can walk and look up to find the koalas. Most of the koalas were sleeping but there was 1 koala that was super active. He was practically putting on a show! He was climbing up and down trees for awhile then he settled down to eat. Ahhh, so cute.<\/p>\n We loved the little gift shop. Silly!<\/p>\n Finally finally we arrived at our last stop – the Penguin Parade<\/a>! <\/p>\n Every night at sunset, the Fairy Penguins come back from sea to return to their burrows. The Penguin Parade has special viewing areas and elevated boardwalks where you can watch the penguins cross the shore. We booked the Private Penguin Experience where we got front row seats on the beach and our own ranger guide to tell us all about the penguins. As soon as we arrived, our ranger, Hannah, scooped us up and gave us our passes, headsets (we’re supposed to be quiet on the beach so we needed this in order to hear her whispering to us), binoculars, and padded seats for the beach. <\/p>\n After a quick talk about the history of the penguins (Summerland peninsula is the only place left on Phillip Island with a penguin colony), we went to grab our seats on the beach. I thought it was going to be FREEZING but it wasn’t too bad. When it got dark, we started to see white bellies on the surface of the water. PENGUINS! There was 1 penguin right in front of us who kept peeking his head out and then going back under water. We were told he was probably waiting for his buddies. Because of the danger of crossing shore (it’s the scariest part of their day), they don’t cross the beach by themselves unless they’re sick. They prefer to cross in groups – safety in numbers. His buddies finally arrived so their group of 3 crossed together just to our right. They were SO CLOSE. It’s amazing — they’re literally just a few feet away. I was seriously in awe of the whole experience. Photography wasn’t allowed so you’ll have to settle for these…<\/p>\n Fairy Penguins are the smallest penguins – it’s the one on the very left in the above photo.<\/p>\n It was an AWESOME night. <\/p>\n Random observation – the entire time on vacation I totally didn’t “get” the metric system. I just couldn’t get feet and pounds, etc out of my brain. Ahhh, why is the US the only country that has to be different?!?<\/p>\n More pictures on the Flickr: Up next: Port Douglas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I really need to do a TV post but I still have many planned vacation posts to do so here’s another installment… Saturday, August 8. I was starting to have internet withdrawal so we went to Macca’s (aka McDonald’s) for … Continue reading
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\nPhillip Island<\/a><\/p>\n