Aussie Road Trip - Day 2 Philip Island

Early in the morning, Mich and I decided to go to the Melbourne International Flower Show before we embark on our road trip to Philip Island. On the previous day, I had caught a glance of the event at Carlton Gardens in my city walk but could not attend as it was about to close for the day. Happily hopping into the event hand-in-hand, we had expected to find exotic flowers, good food and fun activities.

The event turned out to be somewhat a disappointment. Not that there weren't brilliant flowers and skillfully done flower arrangements, but walking around looking at flowers just wasn't worth the AU$50 entry fee we paid for. The event was more suited for gardening enthuaists who were looking for gardening tips and equipment. After admiring flowers for two hours, we were ready to move on to our road trip.

The journey to Philip Island was a long one (by Singaporean's standards), lasting almost two hours. I did the map-reading while Mich drove, both of us singing along to the MP3s I brought for the trip. The weather was not looking good; dark clouds were gathering in the sky and the winds were chilly and strong. Still, we were determined to enjoy our trip. By the time we reached the island, the bad weather was still persistent and raindrops were beginning to fall.

The first spot we went to visit was one of the many beaches on Philip Island. The sea was all foamy as mighty waves repetitively assualted and withdrew from the craggy shoreline. I was in awe as it was the first time I glanced upon such a raging sea. It was as beautiful as it was frightening - what a force of nature! It brought to mind God's majestic and fearsome power. Indeed, it is as the Bible says, "it is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the Lord".

As we walked along the beach, the wind began to pick up sharply and grains of sand, stirred up by the wind, became whirling dust clouds containing a million tiny razors. Such was the strength of the wind that when the grains of sand hit our faces, they can cause a prickling pain. We barely lasted a minute in the sandstorm before we had to seek shelter in the car. The cold was also getting to our bones so we decided that we should drive to one of the townships on the island for warm meals and drinks.

The locals who lived on Philip Island are apparently used to the harsh weather here. In the warmth of a bistro, we observed in amazement at kids having a picnic by the sea. Philip Island's main attraction is the Penguin Parade. Since the penguins only return to their homes at dusk, we had some time to burn. We spent some time reading magazines in the bistro and then taking a nap in the car before moving on.

Near the beach where the Penguin Parade is located, there is a cliff overlooking two famous rocks protuding like monuments out of the sea. These rocks are known as the Nobbies. The sea around this part of the island is extremely dangerous; high up on the cliff, we could feel the splash of capricious waves as they surged forward, seemingly to engulf the land. The Nobbies are located at the southern-most end of Philip Island, and as such, it is the furthest away from the Equator in this part of the world. How fitting it seemed, that Land's Edge should have such a treacherous seascape.

Oh, and I spotted a chilling phantom rising out of the sea, take a look at the clip below:

When the sun snuffed itself, refusing to relight for the day, the blanket of night crept across the island and along with it came the imminent cold. Even with our jackets and scarves on, we were both shivering in the dark. I was in half a mind to give the Penguin Parade a miss but I knew that would be letting both Mich and myself down. I reckoned that the temperature was about five degrees on that day but we persisted to sit ourselves down at the beach. Along with us was a crowd of about two hundred other tourists. Everyone was speaking in hushed voices and looking towards the sea in keen anticipation.

I think we must be really fortunate. From what I've heard from others who have been to Philip Island, sometimes it takes as long as one full hour before the penguins gather the courage to waddle up the beach to their burrows. However, on this day, the penguins were rather hasty to come up to land, perhaps driven by the cold. I can't begin to describe how clumsily cute the penguins are, words would not do them justice. The way they consolidate into ranks at the brink of the sea before toddling across the beach in regimental formation really won my heart over.

Finally, when the last of the penguins disappeared into their burrows, and the remaining lights on the island dimmed, we began to depart. It was wonderful to be on Philip Island, but even the excitement of the day couldn't compare to the sweet serenity of the night as Mich and I sang and drove our way home under a vast and perfect star-spangled sky.