WARNING! Sweetness overloaded📣⚠️

Australia doesn’t stop to surprise me when it comes to beautiful scenery, wildlife and rare animals encounters. After a perfect previous trip to the 12 Apostoles organized by the GO West tour company, I have decided to book their services for another memorable trip: a sunset penguin parade in Philip island, a virgin place located just two hours away from Melbourne. And what a beautiful day it was!

Despite the capricious weather with often cold showers in the middle of the so called summer and inadequate clothing that I have brought with me for this trip, the entire journey was an absolute bliss.

First stop: colorful boxes of Brighton beach

It’s been a while since I had my eyes on those colorful bathing boxes on Brighton Beach and I was so excited when I found out that there were part of the itinerary.

While Australia seems to be a pretty open minded country, during the Victorian times things were slightly different. In order to preserve the public decency and avoid displaying one’s body while in the swimming attire, the idea of the bathing boxes was brought up.

Nowdays you have the chance of buying one of those colorful boxes for almost half million dollars as long as you follow few simple rules:

Forget about dating a guy with a Ferrari, a Brighton box is the new trend.

Second stop: The Moonlit wildlife sanctuary

Let’s be honest…a trip to Australia would’ve not be complete without a visit to the most loved animals of the country. Koalas and Kangaroos are probably everyone’s favorite, the number one in the bucket list whenever planning a trip to Australia and I am no exemption to that. Even though I have seen those beautiful creatures many times before, I wouldn’t miss the opportunity to cuddle the sleepy Koala and feed the playful Kangaroos one more time.

The one hour and a half spent in the park seemed to pass so quickly when surrounded by so much cuteness but pretty decent time in order to get acquainted with few of the species hosted by the sanctuary such as dingos, Tasmanian devils, owls and the weird looking wombats.

The weather was on our side so far but as soon as we got inside the bus a heavy rain start pouring down the earth leaving us wondering if we will be able to see the Penguins or not. In the end that was the highlight of the trip and the reason why I have paid the 115 AUS.

The road trip around Philip island was just unbelievable (regardless of the weather). I would often observe the other travelers pointing fingers outside of the bus window whenever spotting a playful Koala jumping around freely or a weird type of goose found only in Australia. The government did an admirable thing by putting all the efforts in conservation of Philip island and maintaining, well…its virginity, by buying and destroying all the private homes built in the area.

Our tour guide did a great job in keeping us away from the heavy rain and made a quick stop to the tourist centre in Philip island where we got to enjoy a hot cup of Cappuccino and…an ice cream while admiring the beautiful rocky formations throughout the giant windows.

We also got a dinner break with plenty of restaurant choices while waiting for the little penguins to make their way out of the ocean.

The highlight of the trip: Sunset penguin parade

We arrived at the venue set up on the beach during sunset and we were greeted by a majestic rainbow announcing the end of the rain. What a relief! The penguins would come out of the ocean regardless of the weather but it’s so much more enjoyable to watch their beautiful parade during good weather conditions. I have decided to keep my rain coat on just in case the weather decides to go south again and also to protect my clothes from the wet seats.

The first penguins started to show up right before the sun settled down and that was also the moment when we were asked to put our cameras and phones down as photography is no longer permitted during dark hours. To protect the penguins from the flash and unnatural lights produced by the devices and not interfere with the natural lifestyle of the penguins, the organizers would explain.

Just put your camera down and enjoy the miracle of nature folding right in front of you. Later on you can download good quality picture from the sanctuary website in order to be shared with friends and family.

Australia has one of the smallest species of penguins in the world and their micro size puts their life in danger at all times. The little creatures would return over and over to the safety of the ocean if they observe any threat or bird flying above the water. Don’t be another stress factor for them and try not to interfere in their natural habitat.

With this being written I hope you will consider visiting Philip island with a tour or on your own (if you are brave enough to drive on the “wrong side of the road” and don’t forget to carry warm clothes regardless of the time of the year.