I can’t believe that I didn’t see one rabbit on our Phillip Island Easter break, and that’s a good thing. But what I did see on this Island sojourn was spectacular. Grey geese, penguins, koalas, kangaroos, draught horses, vintage caravans, a grand prix motor cycle circuit, cavorting seals, Aussie surfers, foreign tourists, tangerine sunsets and a lunar eclipse. What an eclectic mix!

No visit to Phillip Island is complete without exploring the wonders of Phillip Island Nature Parks including the Penguin Parade, Churchill Island, the Koala Conservation Park and Nobbies Centre. We did them all. I’d love to show you a photo of the very cute penguins, but to protect these precious little creatures, no photography is allowed. The day we sat and waited for the penguins to come home from the sea at sunset was very cold and windy. As the sun was setting we were entertained by a single kangaroo who decided to do a “hop” by, bounding down the beach and along in front of the viewing stands, splashing in the shallows of the waters of Bass Strait. It was an amazing sight.

It was nearly 8pm when the first of the Little Penguins (that’s their real name) made their way from the water in small groups, tentatively checking the safety of dry land, before waddling very quickly (and amusingly) across the open beach to the safety of the dunes where their burrows lay. The official number of Penguins which crossed the beach that night was 1,380.

I’d never really seen a Koala in its natural habitat either, so it was wonderful to visit the conservation centre and marvel at these uniquely Australian creatures, cute and cuddly, sitting peacefully, high in their gum tree home within this sanctuary.  I understand that they spend up to 20 hours of their day sitting and sleeping. The remaining four hours is occupied by eating and mating……not a bad life really.

The last real “aussie” habitat we witnessed was the surf break, not far east of “the nobbies”. The only thing missing from this picture is the old school kombie and the itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polkadot bikini.

Close your eyes and picture it. I’d love to jump right through the camera lens and live that life, without a worry in the world.

A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes directly behind the Earth and into its shadow, and we were fortunate to see this sight during our Island holiday. Apparently much of Australia experienced heavy cloud cover on this particular night, missing the spectacle on offer. If you did miss it, I hope you enjoy my photo, otherwise, you’ll need to wait until 2018 when we get to see the next full lunar eclipse.