Monday, April 02, 2007
Friday, 30th March 2007 to Sunday, 1st April 2007Pictures will be uploaded when I return and finally get back in front of my computerProfessor Mariott drove us to Philip Island! (about 2 hrs drive from the city) 4 other phd students also came along with us. They are quite interesting people. A french, a mexican, a thai and a vietnamese.
It's the nicest place I went to so far. Beautiful oceans, beautiful grasslands, beautiful etc. Another fabulous place of peace and tranquil. We stayed in a rented-out holiday house for 3 days 2 nights. (Just like a chalet) So, we had alot of fun there.
On Saturday, we woke up at 4am+ and left the house at about 5.30am to catch the sunrise at the beach nearby. It was very dark and windy (you need torches and wind-breakers during this period) on our way to the beach. (very scary if you walk on your own) Sigh, we were disappointed though. There were too many clouds blocking the sky and so we didn't get to see the orangey-red sun rising. So, we returned to our house.
A kukabaroo (spelling?) flew to our balcony! It was quite big and it's used to people. (plus point: it's cute!) All of us took turns to take quick snaps with it. Nisha managed to get very close and touch its feathery head. I managed to touch a bit too, wee. Then, after breakfast, we left again to walk around the island. It's a long walk but it's really worth the time and energy. The ocean and searocks combo was just so great. The ocean is naturally clear and occasionally, you see tints of bluish green on top of the clear blue colour. The cliffs and rocks were naturally shaped too and looking kinda majestic. We spotted some cave-like holes. (certain areas resemble scenes of Lord of the Rings) We took alot of photographs on the way. The plant scenery on the path was not bad too. I like the hay-like plants fluffing and flying in the wind. We saw lots of dead birds on the ground though. (wonder why)
In the afternoon, we walked around the little town. It's a relaxing place. More relaxing than the city, I guess. We ate in a pasta restaurant. They really should marinate and slice the chicken more. Otherwise, the food's still not bad.
Then, we went to Nobbis centre and there's also pathways where you can walk and view the scenery on the way. We were lucky to spot some penguins hiding under the board floors and took a couple of pictues of them. Then, we proceed on our walks. Spotted this island-like thingy standing alone not far from the sea. (I think it's named the nobbis) They used to allow people to hike on it but not anymore as I think the environment was disturbed or something. Then, we also spotted this nice rocky island. There's a huge hole in the middle and there's mini waterfalls cascading down the sides. (really nice)We finally returned to the town to get items for the barbeque in the night.
In the night, we went for the penguin parade. The professor told us that the penguin swim in the oceans during the day and return to shore in groups at night. The ticket's not cheap and at first, we were kinda disappointed. Basically, you walk in (and might spot some penguins already on the way) and then sit down on this "audience" area. The beach's blocked off at the front as the penguins will be coming up. Photography is prohibited as you would scare them. The problem is certain seats don't get you good views of the beach. Penguins come out really slowly in the beginning too. So some of us were complaining that the price wasn't worth it. We changed positions many time and in the end settled at the front-most place on the sand. Basically, the penguins gather and wait at the shore until the whole group's present. Then, they will waddle quickly all the way to the grasslands/mudlands? (cutting into the beach) and finally to their burrows. In the end, We did manage to see many penguins (quite closely) from our boardways. I noticed that many of them were in pairs. (I think it's the mating season n0w) They are really adorable animals. >.<>.<) After the whole crazy game, we finally slept at 1am+. We planned to wake up early in the morning again to catch sunday's sunrise but we failed. (all snoozing madly)
After breakfast and packing up, we came to churchill island. It's a heritage farmland. There's quite a history behind it. It's also a very nice place. I love the little heritage farm inside. The animals are really friendly. I patted the farm dog and the only horse there. (I love both of them) Both are old and grown to huge sizes already. XD Nevertheless, they really love to approach people and are very gentle creatures. I love the cottage there. (I think it's called Ames house, used to belong to the ames family) Inside retained the 1800s style and the ancient stuff. I know I love ancient beauty but yup, it's really nice still. You also get to see very old farm tools and they even retain the blacksmith. I spotted some cool stuff there. After a short walk in the farm, we walked outside and toured the north loop for the island. There's supposedly 50 million rocks surrounding a part of the island but the rocks just look like any other ordinary rocks. XD
After 2 hours in churchill, it was time for return drive back to the city. We dropped by Red Rooster (a fast-food restaurant) and had lunch. Then, it was home sweet home.
PandaPirate [Hagane no Renkinjutsushi] 9:15 AM
