This evening, we drove to Phillip Island where the "Little Penguins" come ashore each night after a full day of fishing. They have chicks this time of year, and the chicks have to stay in the nest all day until the adults return to feed them.
The countryside on the way to Phillip Island could have been anywhere in Illinois or other states. We stopped in the small town of Cowe (pronounced cow) to grab a bite of dinner before heading out to the end of the island. The fish & chips was good, but nothing outstanding. There was a shop there with a Gas Monkey Garage T-shirt for sale. For those not familiar with the Gas Monkey Garage, it's in Dallas, Texas!
There was a huge urinal in the beach house men's room. Hadn't seen one like it, so I took the picture. Turns out, they're quite common in this part of the world. We made a few stops along the coast on the way to the penguin reserve and I snapped a few scenic shots along the way.
BAD NEWS: Just before the penguins were predicted to arrive on the beach, an announcement was made that, hence forth, all forms of photography are strictly prohibited! What?! Turns out that it's another example of the few spoiling it for the many. They used to allow photography as long as no flash was used because the flash startles and disorients the penguins. Well, you guessed it, many people couldn't or wouldn't turn their flash off, so there's no photography, even for those of use who know how to operate our cameras.
Anyway, it was pretty cool! In the picture of the area where they come ashore, you can see that they have to cross the beach and climb up a pretty steep grassy sand dune to get up to their nests. Pretty tough going after being at sea for twelve hours and filling your belly with several pounds of fish. Oh! Did I mention that these penguins are only a foot tall?!
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