Phillip Island: Parade of Penguins

Arrived at Phillip Island, Australia, to find out that last night's storm had knocked out the town's power. We had tickets to see the Koala Sanctuary, but they were closed due to the outage. So the small town was doing its best to accommodate the tourists from the ship. The winning shop was the Coffee stand that already had its own generator.

While walking through town, we discovered a barn in a back lot behind the main street shops. That's where we met the artist, Sam, the Metal Smith. He had a small studio with local handmade crafts (wood, jewelry, knitting, paintings), and a workshop for metal, leather, and wood working. What beautiful knives! He explained how he mixed metals and folded the blades for added strength. Loved the intricate design patterns and wooden handles from local wood.

The main event of that night was the Parade of the Blue Penguins. Every night, the Penguins make the journey back from the ocean to their burrows to feed their chicks. Due to their light sensitivity, no photos are allowed after dark. It's fascinating to watch nature at work as 800+ Penguins come onto the beach at night (for safety) and locate their chicks in the burrows.

Got back to the ship to find wonderful Valentine's Day desserts.Read more