2015/10 Australia trip - Penguin Island |
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Dear All,
The previous part of our story described our trip west from Melbourne across to the Indian Ocean at Wilbinga, just north of Perth. Our plan now was to follow the 
coastline south and then east, taking side trips inland to visit parks famous for their forests and flowers. Back on our 2006 trip we had been running out of time and had taken a more direct cross country route from Perth to Esperance, so this would all be new country for us.
Thursday October 15th
The day began with a bright and cool dawn but rain showers arrived as we were packing up. The vegetation on the sand dunes around us seemed to be 
thriving; lots of grass trees and these zamias, a kind of cycad dating back to the days of dinosaurs.
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Wilbinga (3.42) |
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It took me a while to get turned around across the ruts in the sand track; should have used four-wheel low, but we got out OK.
We drove south through Perth and Freemantle on motorways. It was rush hour and we had a few slowdowns but the road system seemed to work well; commuter trains occupied the space between the carriageways.
We were headed for the Penguin Island ferry in Rockingham. The island is a nature reserve, home to sealions, pelicans, and, of course, fairy penguins. It’s only about a half mile off the coast and can even be reached by walking across on a sandbar, but not safely. As well as the five minute ferry trip we opted for a 
sealion tour and the penguin feeding.
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Penguin Island Ferry (2.42) |
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As soon as we arrived at the pier we hopped onto another boat that took us across to Seal Island and then back along the beaches of Penguin Island. We 
saw dolphins, sealions, ospreys, pelicans, and hundreds of gulls and terns.
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Penguin Island dock (1.17) |
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The Penguin Centre was more like a zoo. The wild penguins are out at sea feeding during the day but the centre houses ten injured and rescued penguins on show in their own tank. It’s nice to see them up close, but it’s not as real as seeing them come in from the sea, like we did long ago at Phillip Island.
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Penguin pool (6.10) |
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Then we were left to explore the island. The limestone rock has eroded into some fantastic shapes. Getting around would be difficult without the boardwalks. There were supposed to be penguin chicks at the back of some of the caves and under the boardwalks but we didn’t see any.
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Penguin Island walk (5.16) |
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We saw terns, gulls, pelicans and cormorants. The terns were in their breeding season and this pair were in their courtship dance. The gulls had either newborns or eggs and 
were warning us off.