June 17: Kangaroos, Koalas, Wallabies, and Penguins - Oh My!
What a magical day exploring along the coastline south of Melbourne. After a brief stop at Brighton Beach, we visited Moonlit Sanctuary to interact with Kangaroos, Koalas, and Wallabies before making our way along the eastern side of Western Port Bay to Phillip Island to watch the Fairy Penguin parade at night.
Starting the day with several cups of delightful tea with steamed milk in Melbourne, I then hopped aboard a tour bus managed by Go West and driven by a capable, informative, and humorous guide named John, who promptly informed us that our key to success was boarding the tour bus on time at each stop. The teacher in me chuckled at the enthusiasm with which he directed us.
At Brighton Beach, we wandered along the shoreline taking in the beautiful honey-colored sandy beaches, deep blue ocean waters, and colorful Victorian bathing boxes, some of which existed as far back as 1862 and now command a selling price of about $400,000 Australian dollars.
From there we made our way to the Moonlit Sanctuary, a natural wildlife area devoted to rehabilitating injured animals and breeding some of the endangered creatures in this area.
I was thrilled to be able to pet a koala for the first time. While Timothy munched serenely on some tasty greens, I admired his thick, soft, downy fur while grateful noting that his sharp claws were clenched around a post instead of my arm.
The back of the sanctuary included a Kangaroo and Wallaby rest area where visitors were encouraged to feed the macropods food supplied by the sanctuary. They had their own fenced off area with which to retreat from the tourists but were free to wander among us in search of food. What a treat it was to interact with these gentle, furry creatures.
After hopping back on our bus, we ventured further south and crossed over a bridge to Phillip Island and made our way to the far western side before disembarking at the Penguin Parade viewing area. From the stands there we were able to witness the breathtaking migration of hundreds of little penguins as they rose up out of the sea, crossed over the rocky shoreline, and made their way in pairs to their personal burrows in the sandy soil around us. What an amazing day in Australia!
