Video: Koala Conservation Center, Phillip Island

(Click to enlarge this photo of the signboard)

Phillip Island (Victoria) is a must-visit for any tourist to Melbourne. About 140km away from Melbourne, it is home to the world's smallest penguin and the Australians have built an attraction, The Penguin Parade, for animal lovers to observe the penguins in their natural habitat, doing what they do everyday -- coming home!

Penguin Parade

According to the center's guide, the penguins' nest are in the bushes on land (near the beach), but they hunt in the sea. After a day (or days) out at sea hunting in a group or as a 'raft', the penguins will return to their homes or land at dusk.

The interesting part comes now. When the penguins reach land, they do not immediately cross the beach and head back home. As we sat on the platform along the beach witnessing the spectacle, the penguins waddle to the edge where the stones nearest to the water edge stop. Then they wait. Only after 5-10 mins or more, when more of their friends maybe family has joined them, then they undertake the ardous task of theirs, waddling unsteadily, hurriedly, occasionally falling over and picking themselves out, to cross the 10m of beach to reach the safety accorded by the bushes. But it does not simply end there. Some whose homes are further inland, have to take another 20mins or so. It was really a most amazing sight, to see the penguins so close, sometimes less than a metre away.

Koala Conservation Center

Koalas are only found in Australia so we had to visit this attraction which we were (later) informed to house 30 or so of these mammals. In any case, we bought 3-in-1 tickets which included this attraction. So entering the sanctuary, we spent a hopeless first 20 mins hunting for koalas and they were no where to be found. The signs "Stay quiet and you will spot one" were merely sarcastic.

Then finally I spotted one, then two then the third one all in these positions. Quite difficult to spot, aren't they?

Then we met this grumpy looking koala that looks like an old man dressed in fur. He was not shy to see us, and kept on munching on his eucalyptus diet as we kept clicking the cameras away.
Click on the video below to see more of his breakfast moments.