Melbourne - Phillipe Island - Geelong
Enough time spent in nature and ready to get into the crowds of Melbourne city. And so we did, on Saturday we got in the car and headed off to the city. Our first stop was St Kilda, a beach town beneath the big city with a beautiful beach. And of course, we were not the only ones with that idea. Lots of people were getting baked on the beach and trying to get a tan before summer arrives. It was 36 degrees that day, and boy was that hot. We can’t imagine what it would be like during summer, getting outside and melting away in the 40+ degrees. I was a bit jealous when I saw some pictures of the snow in Belgium. That aside, back to the beach where we enjoyed lunch, the views and the parks next to the beach. After that and getting the first sunburn of the day, we jumped in our hothouse aka the car and went to the city centre.
The streets and traffic are exactly what you would expect for such a big city and we already saw some beautiful parks, art and buildings on our way. While driving next to the Queen Victoria Gardens we noticed there were some food trucks and music so we parked the car and went to have a look. On our way there we could hear the sounds of salsa music so we got more excited. A small Mexican festival was happening inside the gardens with live salsa music, the perfect opportunity to refresh our salsa moves. I, Arnaud, needed some push to get started, but once we were on the dance floor it was us and the music and some very professional dancers. Once we walked through the gardens we got the feeling that Melbourne was a very active city. Not only was there the Mexican festival, but another festival was getting ready for day two and there was a concert happening.
Heading towards the central business district (CBD) we were welcomed with Christmas vibes and lights. For some people Christmas can’t be early enough it seems and it feels even more weird when it’s 36 degrees outside. But apart from that the city is really cosy. We enjoyed a nice walk next to the Yarra River where lots of bars were located most of them with live bands and DJs. We went to see the beautiful train station, different alleys with graffiti artworks and the state library. You’re probably wondering why we would visit a library and the answer is pretty simple. It’s one of those libraries you would see in a movie or TV series, just beautiful and quiet. So we sat there and browsed the books and internet for a bit to not look like annoying tourists.
After broadening our taste buds with some Filipino food, we began our search for a nightclub. Not that we hadn’t looked beforehand, but there wasn’t much to find online. We roamed the city and bars for hours but couldn’t find anything playing the music we liked or the tickets were sold out or crazy expensive. A bit of a bummer, but we did see the city at night and had some cocktails.
A truly sad moment was the end of our stay with John and Judy. As a little thank-you gesture, we cooked a Belgian dinner for them. Since our version of “stoofvlees” is not on point yet, we decided to make vol-au-vent. for dessert, Arnaud made his well-known sabayon with cherry beer. Together, we watched two more episodes of the TV series Territory, took a photo, and shared hugs to say goodbye. The next morning, we set off to the island where Australians like to go for a getaway during the weekends, Phillip Island. We had an amazing time with John and Judy and like John said, they raised the bar for Workaway experiences by quite a leap. Let’s hope we meet them again in the future.
Phillip Island is a small island south of Melbourne, connected to the mainland by a bridge. It is very popular for its penguin parade but there is more to experience. The island feels like a little world of its own, filled with incredible wildlife and breathtaking nature. The edges of the island are shaped by the wild sea, with rocks, sand, cliffs, caves, and even a shipwreck. Everywhere you look, the force of the sea leaves its mark on the land. At one point we were amazed by a blowhole. The force of the sea entering a cave created a gust of wind shooting out of it.
Thanks to a program that eradicated foxes from the island, its wildlife is thriving. Foxes aren’t native to Australia; they were imported by the British and caused significant harm to local wildlife. Thankfully, Phillip Island is now fox-free. We saw many birds, some kangaroos, an echidna, an Eastern Barred Bandicoot, and possums in the wild.
Oh and of course the penguins, little fairy penguins. Which are the smallest penguins in the world. How cute are these creatures! Each evening, hundreds—sometimes even thousands—of penguins come out of the sea and go back to their nest. Their nest can even be as far as 2 KM inland. In little groups, the penguins swim to the shore and wait for the right moment to come out. And yeah they take their time. Multiple times we saw them entering the sand, some stepped and then turned around running back to the sea. Sometimes even sliding on their belly into the water. After finally deciding to get out of the water, the search for their nest begins. You see them walking the pinguïn highway and calling their babies. You can watch them for hours! Thanks to the pinguïn parade you can see this phenomenon without harming the penguins. With the money of the tourists, they support the wildlife on the island with 200 employed workers and 200 volunteers.
Unexpectedly we passed an Australian wildlife resort when driving on the island. Seeing on the website that they have koalas and cassowaries, we had no choice but to go back and check it out! Upon entering the park we received a bag of food to feed the kangaroos and emus. A strange and double feeling because we don’t want to disturb the animals or want them to get used to humans. Walking through the park we already recognized some animals that we encountered before while being outside, but they also have species from regions we are not visiting or those that were too shy to show themselves. Too many beautiful animals and so glad we did see the cassowaries after all. We’ll let the following photos speak for themselves.
Around Melbourne to the other side in the region of Geelong. We were again welcomed by a warm family, a mother, 3 girls and a little dog, Molly. Over there we took some time to plan the next things of our trip, do some work in the garden and help to set up the Christmas tree.
In the early afternoon, we jumped in the car to drive on the Great Ocean road and enjoy the beautiful views of the sea, beaches and cliffs. And when a pause was needed to stretch our legs, we chose to stop somewhere where we could see koalas in the wild. You would think that spotting a giant grey ball in a tree would be easy but after seeing some people staring at a tree we still took some time to spot the koala. Although we saw koalas in the wildlife resort earlier, it’s always great to see the animals in their natural habitat from a safe distance. Two more things to do that day; dine at a special restaurant and see the twelve apostles.
We drove to Brae restaurant. We stumbled upon this restaurant months ago while watching a documentary about Australia. Seeing that they grow most ingredients in their garden and work together with organic farms for other supplies, we needed to go there. Upon entering we immediately knew the experience was going to be fantastic. After being escorted to our table we started the nine-course adventure. Just wow, the food, drinks, staff, kitchen, everything was just perfect. It feels weird to admit, but with some courses, I even got emotional by the different flavours. Just after the savoury courses they invited us to take a stroll through the vegetable gardens and orchards and so we did. A wonderful garden that convinced us even more to start one at home. After spending more than four hours in the restaurant and being completely full we headed towards the twelve apostles.
The twelve apostles were initially 12 giant rocks standing in the ocean but after years have passed, the weather took some of the rocks down and today there are only 5. At least that’s the amount we counted or tried to count. Since we spent a long time in the restaurant it was already dark outside, which made it hard to see but even more difficult to take a picture.