Penguin Parade

12/21

On the road to Foster...good cafe for lunch.

The outside seating area was a wonderful garden.

Feed us and we smile.

Vee's Mom's Garden...vast and beautiful.

Way Country...flowering plants everywhere and a huge garden.

The View

The main Xroads in Foster...A WWI Memorial to the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps.

Bridge to Phillips Island

An illegal picture of the Penguin Parade Ground.

You can see from Nanc's hair how windy it was...Ken got this pic between teeth chatters.

A very special treat today...we are headed down to Foster, a small country town 2 1/2 hours from Melbourne. We are spending the night at Vee's parents country home...the house is located close to Phillips Island, where we are going to see the Parade of Penguins this evening. These little guys come out of the water in large groups, get themselves in a pack, muster up their courage and then do a slow waddle (as a group) across the beach and up into their burrows. When they are at the waters edge it looks like they huddle, discuss their plan, and if conditions aren't perfect they all dive back into the ocean only to reappear and start all over again...I wish I had pics but they don't allow any to be taken outside the visitor center. When the parade is over they have raised footpaths you can wander on and see the penguins reuniting with their chicks after a day at sea. This was a very cool thing to see...the weather was pretty harsh, unexpectedly cold and windy but I'll not forget seeing this "Parade of Penguins" ever.