Best Weekend Ever

This past weekend was the final footy game of the season... like the Superbowl in the US. Everyone had barbeques and parties, bets were placed on the winner, and the city was going nuts.

I went to a bbq to watch the game... didn't end up seeing much of it, but has the best time. And afterwards, everyone was out celebrating if their team won... or drowning their sorrows if their team lost.

Saturday I booked a day tour to Philip Island, where the big attraction is the Penguin Parade. At night, little fairy penguins come in from the ocean and waddle along the beach to their homes in the grass and hills. The tour lasts 9 hours and makes stops all along the way. Here are some of the highlights:

What better way to start a trip that with wine tasting. We went to Gurdies Winery, and learned about how they made some of their wines. We tasted 5 or 6 varieties. Some were good, some were too dry, but free wine at noon? Yes, thank you.

Next stop was Cape Woolamai, a gorgeous surf beach. It was stunning... untouched and completely natural looking. No cafes, no shops... just a viewing deck and you could see for miles down the coast.

It was a little cold and windy for surfing so no one was out. Our guide told us Australian beaches are rated 1-10 for safety, 10 being the most dangerous. This beach was a 8.

And now... for the photos you have all been waiting for: kangaroos! The next stop was Maru Wildlife Park. We had the chance to feed and play with wallabies and kangaroos. There is not much visible difference between the two except size, but they are apparently different species.

This is me and my new favorite buddy. He followed me around for a while knowing I had more food.

There was another larger male kangaroo, he stood about as tall as me and he got a little pushy. One of the guides told me to push him down by his shoulders if he got rough. I tried once, but he was actually too strong for me. I couldn't get him to leave me alone, and the guide said a last resort was to drop the food and just step back. The kangaroo really did start knocking me over and I just got scared and had to drop the food.

I like the females better... a little smaller and a little nicer. This one has a little joey in her pouch.

I could have stayed here for hours... but we had to move along to catch the penguins.

Unfortunately, we aren't allowed to use cameras on the beach during the penguin parade, so I stole these from a website to show you. It's great watching them come out of the water... they are so tiny, maybe 8 or 10 inches high. They huddle together in the sand, groups of 20 or 30 at a time. They check that everyone made it out of the surf together. And they waddle along within just a few feet of you to their burrows.

It happens every night, and lasts for hours. Once you've seen a few groups, you can walk along a wooden deck that winds through the grassy hills where their homes are. You can get really close to them... it takes a lot of willpower not to grab one and put it in your bag.