Texan Tour Guides

Yesterday we took a couple coworkers in town from Texas on our favourite tour of Phillip Island.  Yes we've been there dozens of times now but that doesn't make it any less beautiful.  Add the warmest day in months to the mix and it was a truly enjoyable day.

We started out watching the pelican feeding in San Remo at noon and then went to enjoy some fish and chips of our own.  There were about 25 hungry pelicans out, looking extra pretty with blue markings on their bills which appears during mating season to attract their mates.

hungry hungry pelicans
Next we went to the koala sanctuary and got to see them in action doing what they do best - sleep!
koalas love sleeping in awkward positions
Then we took a stroll around the sanctuary grounds to see what birds were around.  We found this guy, a blue fairy wren-
male fairy wren
 and this pretty gallah-
gallah in a gumtree
Then we headed over to the town of Cowes to check out the coast and the local shops.  The wind was strong on this side of the island but the birds seemed very skilled in flying sideways.
the town of Cowes
 Next up was the Nobbies on the far end of the island.  The sky had started to cloud up at that point, making for really pretty light over an already spectacular view.
The Nobbies
 At the nobbies is became apparent very quickly that mating season was in full stride for the silver gulls.  These guys were everywhere, you can see all the white spots in the background of this picture.  We even saw a couple baby gulls - they are little brown blobs, way cuter than the adults.
Gull striking a pose with his many feathered friends in the background
The tide was in and the waves were very high so it made for a spectacular show for our guests.
wave crashing up out of the blowhole
 Next we headed back to the other side of the island to Woolami Beach.  The weather was starting to turn at this point but we only caught a few sprinkles before we moved on.
Woolami Beach with the Pinnacles in the background
On the way to Woolami I had noticed a sign I hadn't seen before for something called the Forrest Caves.  I decided we better check it out so we made this the last stop of the day before dinner at our favourite place in Rhyll and then the penguins.  It turned out to be a gorgeous spot that I immediately fell in love with.  A short hike down an empty beach was this formation of red rock that had been eroded over time and now houses several caves.
The Caves
close up of the caves
one of the caves opening up into the water below
 It's supposed to be best to check out at low tide, so we'll have to make a trip back there soon to check it out again.  The surrounding area was super pretty too.

near the caves
so pretty
Then after dinner we got to watch these cute little guys waddle in from the surf.  Love them!
little penguins - pic stolen from the internet

It was a great way to spend a beautiful day and our Texas guests seemed to thoroughly enjoy it.

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