Turns out the 2 hour drive was actually much shorter because of the lack of traffic (yippee!), so we had time to stop at the chocolate factory on the island. Yep definitely worth it! Such good chocolate, oh my goodness. Then it was off to a beach right on the other side of the bridge to the island for a photo stop, some down time, and the opportunity to watch pelicans being fed. During the down time we got to learn how to play with a footy ball (footy being Aussie Rules Football, an epic sport that we need everywhere in the world), and some ever learned how to throw a boomerang! Matt definitely won at that - managed to throw and catch one. It was pretty epic.
One of soon to be many beach stamps (yes, we had to do it)
Pelican feeding (they know exactly where to be at what time for food, pretty impressive)
The it was off to the infamous surf beach, Woolamai beach for some seaside adventures! We walked all the way down the beach (quite a challenge in sand as it turns out) and hiked up to a lookout point that had an absolutely stunning view. Needless to say many photos were taken and jaws dropped along the way. I think everyone had a little quiet moment on the cliff as well to just take in the view, I know I did and that really helped make the fact that yes I live in Australia right now really hit home.
Stunning beach. Can't wait to come here in summer!
Great day with great people :) Beautiful view to top it off!
Then it was the long trek back to the bus where we started off. Took the path through the hills on the cliff this time instead of the beach for something different which turned out to be quite the little hike. From there we went to go do a typical Aussie beach hobby, plan in some sand dunes. Yep, we all felt like little kids again. We were also taught by our wonderful local tour guides how to jump off sand dunes! We all did just regular jumps, they took it to the next level doing backflips and crazy things. Best feeling every flying through the air, and the sand totally breaks your fall, I'll definitely be doing more of that the next times I'm at the beach!
Thanks to Scott I've actually got proof that I did it! Pretty sick picture.
From there we drove off to a gorgeous lookout point with the sea lion islands. Perfect timing with the sun on it's way down. The drive there also takes you through the underbrush that is home to a very many wallabies which was awesome to see. They hop impressively high! But move way to fast to get pictures of when you're in a moving bus.
Stunning lookout view on the coast
After that it was off the see the little penguins! Probably what we were the most excited about, as they are one of the main attractions of the island as a whole. They have stands set up along a beach so you can watch these little guys come home every night, and let me say it's every bit as adorable as you'd think. These miniature penguins (known as the fairy penguins) make their way from the ocean up to the sand dunes past the beach every night at sunset, each have their own little family burrows. And while it's a bit of a struggle for them to make it through the surf, once they do it's impressive how fast they waddle across the sand. You're not allowed to take pictures sadly because it interrupts their natural habitat, so here's one from google just so you all can see just how tiny they are!
Eep so cute :D
After that it was pretty late on in the evening so it was time to head home! Compared to the energized and noisy bus ride there, the one home was almost silent because pretty much everyone fell asleep. It's amazing how tired you get after a day outside adventuring. All in all in was a fantastic day though! Definitely a place I need to head back to when the weather gets even better in the summer :)
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