Touring the Southeast Australia Coast

On November 24 and 25, I took two all-day bus tours of the coastal areas around Melbourne, Australia. The intent was to see wildlife and scenery. I got my money's worth.

On the Saturday, the tour took us to Phillip Island. It was a sunny and hot spring day. (November in Oz is like May in Canada.) On the way, we stopped at a suburban park where 30,000 flying fox fruit bats hang out. They are named for the orange fur on their heads and back. They are active in the day, squawking and flapping about. They have one-meter wingspans.

At the island, we strolled in the chilly sea water at Woolami surf beach. We visited a pond loaded with waterfowl, including the black swan. On the nearby dunes, wallabies frolicked. At sundown we gathered in bleachers by the beach to watch hundreds of little blue penguins return from a day of fishing. Their fuzzy chicks came out to meet them. (No pictures allowed.)

Sunday was sunny again but a bit cooler. We stopped at many spots along the coast west of the city. The first was Bells Beach, a top surfing venue. The coast has an awesome number of sandy beaches, with good waves aplenty. The shore line rises quickly from the water to steep hills, sliced by creek valleys, and heavily forested in unsettled areas  

The trees are home to many parrots, including cockatoos. 

Crimson Rosella Parrot

Kenneth River, we visited an enclave of koalas. I spotted 8.

A bit inland we visited a temperate rainforest. Giant eucalyptus trees rise 80 meters. The forest has tree-sized ferns that are hundreds of years old.

The tour continued to a more rugged area called the Shipwreck Coast. High cliffs provided an unclimbable wall from the beach. Towers of rock rise from the surf.

Mentioning Melbourne

This city is one that works and seems designed for people. There are numerous parks and gardens, including miles of them along the Yarra river that runs through the city. Many of the downtown streets have leafy canopies of trees, mostly sycamore. There is an express bus between downtown and the airport.

Trams (electric streetcars) roll down many streets. Light rail and intercity rail is easy to access. Bike lanes are common.

The city of almost 4 million looks like any prosperous city in North America, except the cars drive on the “wrong” side.

The city has palms, so you know it is a warm place. This time of year (late November) is late spring and it gets hot. The city at latitude 37 South is just south of the Tropic of Cancer. In their summer, the sun sits almost overhead. Temps above 40C are common.