DESTINATION : Newcastle-Melbourne
Travel period : 18-24.04.2017
PART 3: PHILLIP ISLAND HALF DAY TOUR
GRANDCITY TRAVEL & TOUR (宏城旅游)
GRANDCITY TRAVEL & TOUR (宏城旅游)
Package: from $75 (mandatory tour guide tips $5 - not inclusive)
package does not include lunch or dinner. there are options for dinner break or take-away dinner at de Phillip Island Penguin Parade.
Departure time: 1pm
1. Maru Koala and Animal Park.
this place was part of de package we purchased and it stopped here on our way to Philip Island. we have de opportunity to feed and get really close to de Kangaroos and Wallabies. these animals were freely wandering around so we could walk up to them easily and feed them with de food from hand. for kangaroo feed it is priced at $2 (not inclusive). other native animals were kept either at an enclosed area or in cage and they include Koalas, Dingoes, Tasmanian Devils, Alpacas, Emu (aka ostrich) and de gigantic Wombat which slept through our visit. there were also local birds, such as Kookaburra you may want to find out how kookaburra laughing call sounds like and Parrot.
Koalas.
you can find them sleeping more than 22 hours a day.
Tasmanian Devils.
alpacas looking unkempt.
a pity as feeding these alpacas could only be done through fence. I was hoping to see cute fluffy alpacas but they looked quite upset here.
albino mermaid kangaroos.
keepers talks and shows were available according to de scheduled time but they varied for each animals. as we visited this place with de Phillip Island tour pass and needed to rush to other attractions to fit in our day (as expected), we didn't get to stay too long but just had a short glance at each animals and thoroughly fed de roos. I think kids definitely enjoy this place.
2. Phillip Island Chocolate Factory.
we needed to top up extra $17 per person for entry. upon entrance to de shop everyone received 2 small pieces chocolate as sample. besides displaying de story of manufacturing chocolate (include process of growing beans and making chocolate), de shop has made available some carnival games to allow visitors to win by giving out wooden balls to redeem chocolates for free. we were quite annoyed at some groups who played long enough with no consideration of giving chance for others. average chocolates with no specialty, give this place a miss.
dad and nephew Kayenn.
3. Nobbies Broadwalk.
we were only given about half an hour here, so obviously we wouldn't have sufficient time to walk down de broadwalk especially when de bus stopped at Nobbies Centre where de walk began and this contributed some distances. Point Grant or better known as de Nobbies, is a name that comes either from de domes at de end of de point or from areas of cobblestone rocks that poke out of de water like knobs when de tide is at de right level. there are a few small islands known as Seal Rocks, are home to one of de largest fur seal populations in Australia quite impossible to view de seals with bare eyes and I think you need viewing scope (so you need coins as well). along de boardwalk it provides views of Seal Rocks, Nobbies, and de Blowhole, a billowing sea cave along de coast.
box houses or little huts built for penguins.
this is de only penguin photo opportunity (no flash please) as photography is not allowed at de penguin parade provided you have ample time to search for little penguins who stayed home.
it was just a brief moment at de broadwalk since we reached here passed sunset. I didn't even have enough time to figure out de location of Nobbies Blowhole. must have been de wrong tour time!
4. Phillip Island Penguin Parade.
de general viewing ticket at penguin parade was all inclusive. they have choice of underground viewing selling at a different price for a better penguin viewing experience. I did not have pictures to post because photography or filming is not permitted in de penguin parade. penguins have sensitive eyes and a bright, sudden flash or unusual light can frighten or disorientate a penguin, hence, de no photography rule. this is also to ensure these penguins come back to this area.
*photos above courtesy of Google Image.
de weather was considerably kind to us and it wasn't too cold. we have to wait for more than half an hour at de viewing platform for de penguins to appear. and when de groups of penguin finally arrived, de penguin-watching duration was short perhaps less than an hour. some penguins fell on their bellies hit by de strong waves, some wobble all de time and they paused to wait for others and continued to walk only in complete parties. de best moment was when returning to de penguin parade we managed to see many penguins walking towards their little huts. we heard penguin calls and I believed this is de way they recognise their mates or babies.
most places that we have visited were wonderful (except de chocolate factory) but time was short and overall I wouldn't recommend Grandcity Travel to others. de tour guide aka driver spoke in mandarin but I took a hard tome to understand as though it was a foreign language to me. some of his words (or pronunciations) when he tried to explain something were funny even though it might be informational. no offence but I guess they seem to cater more to China tours. for price, de fare was relatively cheaper compared to others.
that's a wrap for my Newcastle-Melbourne trip. till then, see you again!
read the complete itinerary for Travelogue: Newcastle-Melbourne:
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