A Dingo Ate My Baby (Make Sure to Say in a Heavy Australian Accent)

I had some amazing experiences yesterday and loved every minute of them! Before I talk about yesterday, an update from last post...eating kangaroo was a new experience I enjoyed at the hostel. One of the Australian Managers of this hostel decided to roast some kangaroo in the oven for one of the visitors that is leaving very soon. I was surprised to find that I actually liked the kangaroo. The meat was very gamey and tough, but it had good flavor. It was served over mashed potatoes, which is pretty traditional!

Don't you just want to pet a dingo??

I got the chance to hang out with another American co-worker yesterday, her name is Jessica. She invited me along to enjoy a Bunyip Tour, which is a well known tour company for unique and informative tours. It was definitely worth the money I spent. We were on the tour with 20 others for about 12 hours or so, but this included driving around to the different destinations including the main attraction of the Phillip Island Penguin Parade. We started the day out going to the Moonlit Sanctuary, getting to see all the different Australian animals. This included wombats, kangaroos, koalas, dingos, wallabies, emus, and many other Australian animals/extinct species. I've got to say dingos don't look that dangerous, they look like a pet dog, but you've go to be careful around them. Don't let the dingo eat your baby! First I got to feed the wallabies, they are super duper cute! The wallabies just look like a mini kangaroo. The kangaroos were stubborn and didn't want to eat the food out of my hands, but they were pretty to look at! Then I got to get really close to a koala bear, I was basically hugging it! The koala looks like a grumpy old man (who loves to sleep) and doesn't want to open its' eyes though! We all loaded back onto the bus to visit Churchill Island. This is a historical landmark, where we got to see demonstrations of sheep searing and working dogs getting the sheep or even the turkeys together. While watching the sheep searing, I was wondering how many ugg boots could be made from the coat that was taken off. The took a quick stop at the Phillip Island Chocolate Factory for some delicious chocolate samples, we didn't have enough time to do a tour.

I wanted to steal the koala bear!

Feeding the wallabies!

We hopped back onto the bus and journeyed over to Cape Woolamai Beach. It was gorgeous! Of course I had to put my feet in the ocean, which is called the Bass Strait (where the Indian and Pacific Ocean meet apparently). The water was cold, but the scenery was breathtaking. I could have stayed there all day, if it was just a little warmer.The beach is very well known for the surfing community. I might just have to make another trip back there to enjoy the beach or learn to surf. Back on the bus we went, and we were on our way to the Koala Bear Conservatory. I got to walk around the conservatory looked for the cute koala bears in the trees. Some were an arms-length away and some koalas were all the way up in the trees (probably holding on for dear life). Fun fact about koalas, is that they have an extra thumb to help with climbing as well as a plate on their bum to help with sitting in the trees. I wanted to take one of them home with me to snuggle with like a teddy bear! Luckily after the conservatory, we had a little energy break of tea and biscuits (what we call cookies). Next stop was the Nobbies and Seal Rocks, unfortunately we were unable to see the seals because they were a tad too far for us to see. Nobbies are actually just very large rocks, which I didn't know. We got to walk the boardwalk along the water and snap some amazing photos of the peaceful atmosphere, however it was freezing outside! Last, but not least; the main attraction of the tour was seeing the Penguin Parade on Summerland Beach. Of course if it was cold on the boardwalk, it's going to be even colder with no sun. Jessica and I originally sat in the stands, however we couldn't see a thing. So we stood at the top, because we were told that after they come out of the water, they walk along a path right next to the pathway. We watched a few penguins struggle to get out of the waves that pulled them in and out, then headed over to the pathway. Jessica and I probably saw about 100 penguins, it was incredible. The penguins have a white stomach and dark blue on their backs, heads, and fins. The penguins are called little penguins or fairy penguins, because of their small sizes. They were adorable, probably about 15 to 20 cm, waddling their way to their homes. They only travel in groups and not alone, that way predators can't attack just one. 

That was one filled day! Like I said before, it was completely worth the money! The tour guide/driver; Peter was extremely knowledgeable and drove pretty fast to get us home around midnight. His driving reminded me of Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban's knight bus, with the crazy driving throughout London. 

(If you need a reminder of this scene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhguwCSnIZc). Okay, maybe I exaggerated a little bit between the driving and the scene. I plan on hopefully booking another tour, I've got my eyes on the Great Ocean Road Tour!