Phillp Island Day Two

The "Nobbies"

We got up the next day and after breakfast headed to a place on Phillip Island called "the nobbies." On a good day you can see seals sun bathing on the rocks on the nobbies. We didn't get to see any seals but there was plenty of wildlife to see. As we walked on the boardwalk down the hill there was a sign of warning about Copperhead snakes. It said to leave them alone if we saw them, and to be careful because there was no particular anti-venom. What is up with Australia and all the snakes?!? As we walked down the path we saw millions of seagulls (one attacked Liz!) and under the boardwalk there were tons of little penguins waiting for their families to come home with food. The view was almost as beautiful as the place we went to yesterday, but not quite. 

After the Nobbies we went into Cowes, the biggest town on Phillip Island. We made plans to meet Emily's grandparents for lunch. They were an adorable couple and we enjoyed hanging out with them for a couple hours. Emily's grandmother calls her "Ems" so for the rest of the day we kept referring to her as "Em's" in a Australian-British grandmother's accent. They were a lovely couple, though, and after lunch we went to look at some Opp Shops (second hand shops) and Liz went to the internet cafe. Liz had officially decided to stay in Australia for a couple extra weeks and although I was so sad to have to leave her, I was really excited about all the stuff she was going to see. She had to take care of some business at home so she could stay. After the Opp Shops we did some light souvenir shopping and then headed back to the house and then back to the beach. It was beach weather so Liz and I sunbathed while Josh and Emily played in the water. We grabbed some delicious pizza for dinner and at 7:30 Emily and Josh drove Liz and I to the Penguin Parade. I remember reading in a guidebook that the native Phillip Island people are the only Australians who HAVEN'T attended the islands Penguin Parade. Josh and Emily didn't go because they'd seen it a few times but Liz and I were thrilled as we watched the little penguins come from the ocean to their homes on the shore. As we walked out of the pavilion there were hundreds of little penguins within reach. The way they waddled was so adorable that I decided they were my second favorite animal (behind polar bears). When Josh and Emily came to pick us up a couple hours later they saw a little penguin scurrying around the parking lot. We were so bummed we couldn't capture their cuteness on camera (all photography and video is banned), but I know the image of the cute little penguins will stick in my head for long time.