Day 6 - Blairgowrie (Mornington Peninsula) to Melbourne (Brunswick) via Phillip Island - about 300kms

We got away about 9am or so, and dawdled towards Phillip Island. Our first stop was Arthur's Seat - the high point on the peninsula - where the views from the lookouts would probably have been amazing except for the foggy / misty morning that hadn't yet quite lifted.

From there we found our way in the right direction, and knowing we would need an early dinner, had an early lunch in San Remo - the mainland side of the bridge that takes you to Phillip Island. There was a great little park, and the kids enjoyed the run around.

Heading onto Phillip Island, our first stop was the koala sanctuary. We know, we know - yes, we can see koalas for the price of parking at Blackbutt close to home, but these were in a much more natural setting, and the entry fee money goes to a not for profit organisation, so it was a nice way to kill an hour. The kids had a ball trying to spot koalas high up in the trees, and dodging falling koala poo from a cheeky one perched right above the boardwalk.

From there we headed to the Phillip Island motor cycle Grand Prix race track. Unfortunately you can't just go in to have a look without forking over money, so we saw what we could from the outside - and that was enough for us.

We then headed out to the end of the island to the Nobbies Centre - which is a spot with more views and walks to see if we could see any seals - but no luck for us. We had thought we'd grab an early dinner at the kiosk here, but we quickly realised that the only options were deep fried everything- fish & chips, calamari & chips - you name it - batter it, fry it and call it a meal. Not today thanks. So, we headed back into the township of Cowes to try our luck. It seems no one caters to the "dinner before penguins" crowd - so we ended up doing a quick lap through the local Woolies, picking up some deli items, salmon, cheese, dips and bread and took it with us back to the penguin parade and picnicked in the car park. Perfect!

After "dinner" (it was barely 5pm) we headed down the boardwalks and took our seats for the penguin parade. After patiently waiting about an hour or so, I scored the mythical bonus points for spotting the first group of penguins hitting the beach - the silvery bellies reflecting in the darkening light. To say the kids were excited was an understatement. Unfortunately you're not allowed to take photos - and I understand why - but it just doesn't feel the same not having photos to take back to show their friends from school. We watched the passing parade for a good 40mins or so - the ranger estimated we had seen about 300 or so little or fairy penguins pass us by - before wandering back up the boardwalks and catching some closer glimpses as the penguins waddled up the hill to their burrows. It was a great experience for the kids (and the not so little kids too).

From here, we made the 2 hr drive back to Melbourne - making it our longest day on the road to date (not by distance). Unfortunately with the Easter break imminent, accommodation on Phillip Island was a 4-day minimum and/or hideously expensive. Knowing we had 4 days in Melbourne meant that we knew we just needed to push through today.

And here we are - in our apartment which is one of four units in a converted old church. It feels very "Melbourne". We are close to a lot of the action of Lygon St - mere metres away, and Sydney Road - a few minutes in the other direction. We have enough space to spread out for a few days. And we're looking forward to channeling our inner hipster as we enjoy what Melbourne has to offer.