With the weather report taking a turn for the worse (or for the norm if you are a local Mexican?!) we were glad most of the holiday traffic would have thinned out as we headed off from Lakes Entrance toward our next stop on Phillip Island. Due to the flooding that had occurred earlier in the year we were forced to detour past one place we had marked down on our itinery. Wilsons Promontory was hit hard by the flooding and even now we were told there are still busses and cars stuck out past the Tidal River area due to bridges being destroyed and roads unpassable! It really shows that not too many parts of the country missed out on its share of hardship this year.

Disappointing as it was our lunch time stopover in the little fishing town of Port Albert was an unexpected highlight on a pretty dull and rainy day of driving. We had been tipped of that this town was home to "Australia's best fish and chips". Now we have all heard that one before, so we were certain to be pretty tough judges. The fish and chips were very good, even after we nearly bought it from the wrong spot! Turns out the fish and chip restaurant, is cunningly disguised and we nearly ordered ours from the cafe which on first inspection seems to be the only other shop in town apart from the pub?! Now flathead and gummie shark are not usually our first choice for table fish(given that we come from an area known for its fishing and a mates old man once told me "if it aint red it don't come over the side and into his boat!!) however, it seems to be the norm down this way and cooked as well as this was it is pretty hard to beat. The fish and chips were made more enjoyable in no small way by the amazing view we had from the park in which we had pulled up in for lunch. The sun had shone through and the water was flat and crystal clear in the small bay and harbour. I think some of the best we have seen and the pictures are magic. We had planned to stay here but the free camp was very public (but extremely clean) so we made the decision to push on to Phillip Island while the weather was clear.

On reaching Phillip Island we stepped out into some very cold weather with a gale blowing and we were left wondering WTF?! We set up camp and made a plan to see the main attraction due to bad weather apparently moving toward us. The next day we headed out to the Nobbies, which is at the western tip of the island and provides stunning views and chances to see the fur seals. Freezing cold and no fur seals in sight after our half hour walk out along some very exposed boardwalks and we were back down the road to suss out the main show, Fairy Penguins. They call them little penguins now but I thought it was always Fairy? I'm sure you know the ones. The show starts at about 6 at night so we headed off to the chocolate factory and then to Cowes for a bit of shopping.

The Chocolate factory is well set up and very interesting and extremely interactive for all ages. You make your own chocolate and play little games to win .....you guessed it......more chocolate!! The kids loved it and we both agreed it was pretty good stuff. Cowes is the Northern township on the island and has plenty of shopping. The weather was really sticking it to us and we headed to our van to wait it out till the penguins were ready.

As we sat in the half drizzle and fading light on damp wooded seats beside the penguin's path we both wondered how good this would have to be to put up with this? We soon found out as the first group of little penguins decided it was dark enough for them to make their way up the beach and back to their nests. For nearly an hour we were all enthralled by the parade that passed by us. And we were not alone! Packed in with people from all over the world we were! The girls were rapt and it really was worth seeing as these tough little birds make their way up beaches and over rocks and cliffs with very little regard for all the attention their evening march gets from the crowds of people. We thought on a Wednesday night it might be a bit quieter? No way! Now the price is pretty much in line with all tourist type attractions and the facility is very well set up and run by helpful staff, and a lot of effort goes into protecting habitat and limiting human impact, none the less it must be a license to print money!!

Our next stop was a tossup as we needed to be on the western side of Melbourne to see the Open Range Zoo in Werribee. With time starting to become a minor consideration (Ryan and Amanda read; Thanks very much!) we opted to truck on through Melbourne as our alternate route was a little more unknown and would have involved the ferry across from Sorrento and some back tracking to the Zoo. With this plan in mind we pulled up stumps and bid adieu to Phillip Island and prepared to tackle the Melbourne traffic with the silver bullet and its 3t parachute. What a show!!