Day 2 in Australia

Post Date: Wednesday August 8, 2018

We woke up early and got breakfast at a bakery place beside a Woolworths. They had very delicious buns and rolls. We purchased a sweet and savory bun and a BBQ sauce roll with a hot dog in. We also topped off our grocery reserves for the wilderness ahead.

After eating we went for a walk by the ocean. It was very cold but sunny. We walked to the end of this pier where they have boat tours around Philip Island. 

Next we went to the koala conservation center. They have a special koala breeding program to help Phillip Island’s koala population. Koalas were introduced to the island for unknown reasons, and now they protect them to keep their population growing. 

At the center we walked along two boardwalks and saw 12 koalas. When we first got onto the boardwalk, we walked right past a koala because they do a good job at blending in if your not looking for them. She was hiding in a fork of a tree curled up to conserve energy. Since koalas have a low energy diet, they spend about 20/24 hours sleeping every day. The four hours they are awake they are foraging for food and grooming. 

View through the binoculars

Eating eucalyptus leaves

After seeing the koalas up close, we then wandered around the trails they had to see birds and wallabies. While we walked around we saw two more koalas which was so exciting. We also saw pink and gray galahs and some bright green and orange birds called coconut lorikeets. A kookaburra was also hiding in one of the trees at the center's entrance, which was so awesome. I really wanted to see one and I kept singing the kookaburra song. 

Kookaburra in upper right

Next we headed to see the pelican feedings at the San Remo fisherman Coop. The pellicans are huge birds! The pod of pelicans greatly enjoyed the fish they were given and it was funny to watch them open their mouths to catch the fish. They looked like giant nets. We learned from the feeder than the pelicans can live for 20-22 years and spend most of their time gliding on air currents. She also showed us that when their gullet is bright pink, that means they are fertilie and ready to mate. 

After the pelicans ate, we decided we needed lunch too so we ate at the San Remo Fisherman Coop, where they have a Fish and Chips restaurant. It was the most delicious fish and chips I've ever eaten. It came with 2 pieces of fresh fish, chips, two calamari rings and two potatoes pancakes. They also had homemade tartare sauce. Even though we were both hungry, we could barely finish it. 

After lunch we began our drive towards Wilson Promonade, the southernmost point in mainland Australia. On our way there we stopped at a lookout over Kilcunda beach. There was a storm rolling in with huge waves breaking on the shore. It was so pretty. 

Next, we stopped in a town called Inverloch which is about an hour from Wilson's Prom. Here we decided to get a place for the night because it was raining and we wouldn't be able to do much at the park. I also wanted to shower because we hadn't since leaving LAX August 5th. We found this awesome rare find Air BnB place. Once we got there and showered, we fell asleep pretty quickly. Even though business seats on our flight here significantly helped with jetlag, I think we still get tired a bit early from the crazy time difference.