At some point during our trip to Phillip Island, or perhaps it was just before we left, Amy said that she was running out of adjectives to describe the many wonders of this beautiful country. I was sympathetic. Quite frequently I pause before composing a new post to consider which one I should use this time. Fabulous? Spectacular? Amazing? All three and more could be used to describe our last two days.
The fun began with the twelve o'clock Austalian Pelican feeding at San Remo on Wednesday, where a dozen or so massive manta rays stole the show, and ended with possibly our best wildlife experience in Australia to date, a trip to Seal Rocks. We were giddy with excitement by the time our boat pulled away from the rocks, astounded and overwhelmed with the experience of witnessing thousands upon thousands of the graceful creatures leaping about, swimming, diving, plunging, rolling, barking, and jumping back up onto rocks which were pounded and pummeled time and again by giant waves. We laughed, we pointed, and we squealed over and over again.
Following are only a handful of the hundreds of photos we snapped during these two wonderful days. After narrowing down my pictures using my normal process in preparation for a blog post, I was still left with two hundred, forcing me to edit them down even further. It was a good problem to have, however. I hope you enjoy them.
The Australian Pelican:
Fishing enthusiasts from San Remo have been feeding the pelicans for twenty years. Local manta rays have also discovered this wonderful opportunity. Watching the giant rays glide through the water using their large wings was a wonderful bonus.
Lunch for the pelicans and the manta rays:
Later that afternoon, we checked into our bed and breakfast, and then, at the kids' request, spent one last afternoon swimming at the beach.
Before the penguin parade in the evening, we squeezed in a gorgeous coastal drive and a bushwalk in which we encountered dozens of wallabies.
When I took the next picture, Amy, Laney, and Cameron were making their way down to the bleachers to wait for the arrival of the penguins. They witnessed one hundred or so Little Penguins swim into shore and clamber onto the beach before making their way to their burrows.
We were blessed with perfect weather over these two days. After a delicious breakfast complete with eggs, bacon, tomato, mushrooms, homemade preserves, coffee, and hot chocolate for the kids, we drove to Cape Woolamai, home to a world-famous surfing beach. Once there we made our way down the beach to the walking trails, passing on the way a couple of dozen members of the life saving club, many decked out in honor of Australia Day.
"Swim between the flags" is the oft-repeated mantra on Australia's beaches. This must have been particularly dangerous surf as there were about twenty life guards for a tiny stretch of sea.
James was very much in what I call his "Alexander" mood on this trip, unwilling to cooperate with anything the rest of us wanted to do. For this reason, Amy and Katie completed the full 6km of the hike around Cape Woolamai, while I did a much shorter version with the remainder of the children. We ignored the many protests from James, and instead gazed at the soaring short-tailed shearwaters, scolded the crows and magpies who were attempting to rob their nests, and soaked up a few rays on the gorgeous beach while waiting for Amy and Katie to return.
The irony of the next picture, one of my all-time favorites, is that I was attempting to capture James sitting obstinately on the trail looking the wrong direction while he made one of his "I am not walking one more step" statements. He must have realized my intentions, because he jumped up, whipped his little body around, and smiled as hard as he could, all in a desperate attempt to thwart my purpose and to continue to communicate his frustration. I was about to scold him when I had a second look at the display screen and decided I was happy with what he gave me.
Amy took this picture of Katie:
From Cape Woolamai, we drove back to Cowes for the two hour seal watching cruise. We were not prepared for just how rough the open sea would be, and when the boat started to pitch and roll, we were so thankful we had all taken anti-seasickness pills half an hour before boarding. At times we felt like we were riding a roller coaster.
The water around Seal Rocks was teeming with life. Pups were learning to swim, and many seemed to perform purposely in front of us as if they were begging for food. I cannot begin to convey the experience through photos, but I will include a few anyway. As many as there were on the rocks, there seemed to be even more in the water. How they manage to maintain their positions with the waves crashing over them was a mystery to us.
Throughout the cruise and the remainder of the day, phrases of one of my favorite psalms ran through my mind. I had to look it up, and I'll close with a few of them:
"How many are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number--living things both large and small. There the ships go to and fro, and the leviathan, which you formed to frolic there . . .
May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works---I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live." Psalm 104: 24-26; 31, 33
This is one of my favorite posts! What beauty!!!! I'm so glad to see that you are all having such a wonderful time together. I'm in awe looking at the pictures. I can't imagine what it would be like to be there in person. Enjoy soaking in God's beautiful landscape!
Posted by: Nikki | 01/28/2012 at 09:23 AM