After leaving Melbourne, Lauren and I headed south to Phillip Island, home of these adorable Little Penguins. Growing only 12-13 inches tall, these native Aussies are the smallest birds in the penguin family. Each night at dusk, thousands of them flock from the sea, waddle over the rocks, and find their sandy burrows on the coast.
I had no idea what to expect from the so-called Penguin parade, but it was amazing. The penguins have suffered a large loss of habitat as the shore has been developed, so unfortunately they now only nest in a few areas on the south coast of Australia, and Philip Island is home to the largest of these colonies.
The southern coast of Australia isn't home to pristine beaches - in fact, the rough coastline, battered by antarctic waters, looks more like Britain than Bondi. Just like in Ireland or Scotland, the green, scrubby hills fall directly into the surf. As we walked around the boardwalks, the hills around us were a buzz with penguins calling out to their mates. I've listened to the sunset songs of frogs, crickets, even bats, but to know that it was penguins calling out around us a very unique experience.
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