Jay's favourite moments.

After 18 nights on the road I asked the kids to share with me the two experiences that were their favourite. Jay found it difficult to pick but in the end he chose the two major attractions that the trip was based around, the penguins at Phillip Island and Ned Kelly's armour. He has a major interest in these two areas and studied them independently at home, so seeing them first hand was on his bucket list.

The Nobbies  is at the end of Phillip Island which is a conservation area for both sea birds and seals. The board walk weaves down the cliff face and gives a great view of nesting gulls, and we were so lucky to see a penguin as well! The views along the coastline are spectacular. Along the way Ivy noticed there was a few dead gulls and was concerned about them, thinking that maybe foxes had killed them. Lucky for her there was a ranger around that she could ask and being the independent soul that she is, she just walked straight up to him and asked about it. I think he was quiet taken back and stumbled on his words as he tried to describe the circle of life to her!

The Penguin parade was the main reason we went to Phillip Island, so one night while the storm clouds rolled in, we drove up to the centre to check them out. We paid a bit extra to have a ranger talk before hand which was very informative but also gave us the opportunity to pick out front row seats before the doors opened to everyone else. We waited four nearly two hours and just as the first penguin stuck his head out of the ocean the rain fell down! It wasn't just a sprinkle but a torrential, every part of your body soaked type of rain. But that didn't stop the penguins coming up the beach or the enthusiasm of my kids who kept an eye out for the little guys yelling "look there some more!" every time a group appeared. Watching them walk up beside the boardwalk was (as Jay said) "awesome!" and we followed one from half one down the hill till the top where he disappeared towards his burrow. You are not allowed to take photos of the penguins so that they don't become discouraged from returning but that didn't ruin the experience at all. By the time we made it back up to the centre we were soaking wet but ecstatic to have seen one of our favourite animals up close. 

 Our main reason for stopping in Melbourne was to see Ned Kelly's suit of armour and the Old Melbourne Goal  where he was convicted and hung. We all really enjoyed the Goal, some people had said that it might be not entertaining for little kids, but we always go into to these things with an open mind trying not to rush through it and it often turns out for the best. Visiting on a Saturday meant that we saw a performance about the history of Ned Kelly, which not only kept the kids interested but reinforced everything Jay had read about the bush ranger. They also had a court room drama that you could be involved in and a tour of the watch house that was so realistic ( they make you line up for a security check, lock you in a cell and switch off the lights and yell at you alot!) you felt that you were under arrest! While you have to pay to get into the goal, it's free to visit the State library  where they display the real armour (on the fifth floor) that Ned wore when he was shot down and arrested at Glenrowan. I'm not sure how many people know about this because nobody was there and we had only found out through Jays research. At this point Ivy was a little over it so laid down right next to the display while Jay and I checked it all out. Overall it was a great day that ended with my free spirited Ivy flying (she wants to be a bird when she grows up!) through the streets of Melbourne while on the way to our tram.

Stayed tuned for Ivy's favourite moments!

love Mumma Bear
xxx