Sleepy Koalas and Moulting Penguins: Phillip Island Victoria, AU

Sleeping Koala
Koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus), Australia’s iconic arboreal marsupials, spend most of their time up in the tree-tops, where they sleep as much as 18 hours a day.

Almost Abstract: Melbourne Reflections
I always enjoy visits to Melbourne: the downtown is compact, attractive and full of parks along the river that winds through it.

Almost Abstract: Melbourne Traffic
The traffic trying to escape the city – even on a Saturday – was no joy!

Feeding the Kangaroo
Our first stop was at the Maru Koala and Animal Park, just before Phillip Island. Visitors can buy food to give to the native wildlife. 

Tammar Wallaby (Macropus Eugenii)
Some of the animals are well fed, and need a little coaxing 

Koala in a Tree
This park allows visitors to have their pictures taken with koalas – in controlled circumstances: the same claws that keep the marsupials from falling out of their trees could do you a real damage!

Kookaburra behind Wires
Not all the animals roam free! The kookaburra has a large wired-in enclosure.

Long-Billed Corella (Cacatua Tenuirostris)

San Remo Fishing Fleet
As we cross the 26 km (16 mi) long San Remo Bridge to Phillip Island, we have views over the fishing fleet – and swimmers in the harbour.

Walkway – Koala Conservation Centre
At our next stop – the Koala Reserve – I take the opportunity to walk the tracks through the woodlands.

Woods – Koala Reserve
The eucalyptus – swamp gums, mana gums, and blue gums – are just beautiful in the afternoon light.

Swamp Wallaby (Wallabia Bicolor)
I’m rewarded with a sighting of a skittish swamp wallaby, …

Short-Beaked Echidna (Tachyglossus Aculeatus)
… and a glimpse of an elusive echidna.

Sleeping Koala
Elevated walkways allow visitors to get near the treetops where the koalas are all snoozing. Their specialised diet of eucalyptus leaves is high in fibre and low in nutrients. As a consequence, they spend much of their time sleeping to conserve energy.

Koala Feet
It amazes me how they drape themselves around the branches, sleeping without falling.

Koala in a Tree
They can be hard to spot as they nestle into the nooks of the tall gums.

… and Another Sleeping Koala!
They may be emblematic of Australia, but koalas only live around the Eastern and Southeastern coastal regions of the country. They are increasingly vulnerable – mostly because of habitat loss, and I’ve only ever seen them once in the wild (see: The Great Ocean Road). Even in zoos they can hide, so it was nice to get so close to these balls of fluff.

Wetlands
It is great to see so much of Phillip Island semi-protected these days. The Koala Reserve borders on to the Rhyll Wetlands and Bird Sanctuary.

The Nobbies
Our penultimate stop was at Point Grant, at the western-most tip of the island. An extensive boardwalk allows views over Bass Strait, and out towards Seal Rocks – home to the largest colony of Australian fur seals in the country.

The Nobbies Visitors Centre
A very modern-looking visitors centre sits high on the bluff, giving people who wish to pay for the use of the cameras a “seal cam” view of the fur seals on Seal Rocks.

Waves at the Nobbies
I settled for a windy walk on the boardwalk – taking in the power of the waves …

View from the Nobbies
… and the beauty of the endless expanse of ocean.

Wind and Shadows on the Boardwalk
Hang onto your hats! The winds off the Bass Strait are ferocious as people check under the boardwalk for penguins.

Little Penguin Hiding
And there is one there, hiding out of the wind: the first we’ve seen. Little penguins moult between February and April, staying ashore for about 17 days while they replace their feathers. You can just see fluffy feathers like fresh snowflakes on the grass.

Blue Sea, White Waves, Black Rock
The shoreline here is like an intricate lacework: the constant wave action has worn away the softer rocks, leaving only the black basalt laid down by eruptions of lava between about 48 and 40 million years ago.

Autumn Colours
In contrast to the black basalt, the hills are covered with succulents, classified as “Bird Colony Succulent Herbland”.

In the Glare of the Afternoon Sun
The little penguins come in at sundown, so we all need to move: it is time to walk back up the boardwalk, into the wind and the glare of the lowering sun, towards the waiting cars and buses.

Swamp Wallaby from the Bus
Any driver will tell you that from late afternoon through to twilight is the time to watch for unpredictable macropods on or near roadways.

Inside the Penguin Parade
This was all new since my last visit! Being in the Penguin Parade Visitor Centre is a bit like being in an airport terminal – complete with shiny surfaces, souvenir shops, clumps of confused people, and over-priced food. There are some informative displays, but mostly it is a fancy “holding pen” until people are let onto the viewing decks.

Cape Barren Geese (Cereopsis Novaehollandiae)
Native to southern Australia, these lovely geese (or shelducks – the taxonomy is uncertain) mate for life, so are usually seen in pairs.

Little Penguin (Eudyptula Minor)
This is what we are here for! As the light drops, little penguins – also known as fairy penguins because of their size, or blue penguins because of their colour – poke out of their homes to work on their preening. In the past, the little penguins lived in sandy burrows they fashioned themselves, but they have always been opportunists: making use of caves, rock crevices, or nesting under logs or piles of rubble. Wooden nesting boxes have been located all around Phillip Island to help encourage penguins to return to their previous nesting grounds, which were for a long time disturbed by too much human presence.

Moulting Little Penguin
These are the smallest of all the penguin species – and the only ones with blue plumage.