March of the Penguins

We spent the weekend on Phillip Island - a small island 1.5 hours from Melbourne. It's well known for the variety of creatures that live there, and arguably its most famous inhabitants are the little penguins. Every night, just after dusk, several hundred little penguins (they are the smallest in the world) emerge from the ocean and waddle up the beach to their burrows in the dunes. After an amazing seafood spread at a local spot, we bundled Georgia up and joined the other 3000 or so spectators on the beach to watch the waddle. The best part was walking back on the boardwalk, where you are only a couple of feet away from the procession of little guys as they make their way back home. On Sunday, we did a short hike along the beautiful coast line and got our koala sighting fix at a koala conservation centre.

On a somber note, this weekend marked a very sad anniversary for the people in Victoria (the state that Melbourne is in). It was the one year anniversary of Black Saturday, the day when

bush fires (many intentionally set) ravaged several communities just north of this city, killing 173 people. There has been a lot in the media this week to remember the thousands whose lives were impacted by these tragic events. When we got home last night, we watched a gut wrenching documentary about the devastation that existed this time last year.

Pics: Our 'seafood for two' extravaganza

March of the penguins

Koala cuteness