Phillip Island Road Trip - Penguins and Koalas!

For those of you who have not been to Phillip Island, you truly must go there at least once when you are here in Melbourne! I believe my last visit was 7 years ago when my family was here for my graduation so I am really glad that we make this trip happens finally.

 1. What to do in Phillip Island?

Of course the famous Penguin Parade! I would recommend to buy the Philip Island Nature Park Pass because it is very good value including not just the Penguin Parade entry, but also Koala Conservation Centre and Churchill Heritage Farm. And a tip here, buy it through Klook and you will get a cheaper price and it works just the same. I got it off the Klook website for $36 per person as compared to buying on the spot for $45. If you have not signed up to Klook, you can sign up here to get extra discount too!

Penguin Parade is a natural park where you can observe the little penguins make their way home after sunset. They are so adorable! You will definitely be charmed by their cute demeanor when they walk home and every night, you can observe like 2000++ penguins returned home!

Unfortunately, photos are not allowed because the camera light from the phone will damage the penguins' eyes. So, we only took photos before the whole experience. I do recommend to stay overnight though since the sunset was late during summer and we finished everything around 10pm.

At the boardwalk walking towards the lookout

Everyone sitting waiting for the penguins! 

The next day in the morning, we visited the Koalas Conservation Centre which was included in our pass too. At first, I was thinking it must be difficult to see koala because in most zoo in Australia, in order to get close to the koala for a photo opportunity, you often need to pay extra. But little did I know that we could be able to view the koalas in such close proximity. They were pretty active too (which was very unusual since they are known to sleep for 20 hours haha) and we could see them eating and chewing. How cute!

2. Where to stay in Phillip Island?

I am quite glad that I managed to find this place despite such a last minute booking. It is a whole house, just perfect for 7 of us! The house is very near to Coles supermarket to buy our dinner ingredients, and also just a 15 minutes drive to Penguin Parade too. The house has four bedrooms and two bathrooms. The kitchen facilities are great with not just the oven available, but also BBQ, airfryer and steamer! The best part of a retreat and travelling in a group is that we get to cook our own dinner. We had a great time sharing and praying for one another, as well as wearing the kitchen hats to cook for a very sumptuous dinner that lasts us throughout the weekend!

3. Sample Itinerary for 2 Days 1 Night

Here let me share our itinerary throughout the weekend!
Saturday
11AM: Lunch at San Remo Co-Op. Pelican Feeding at 12pm.
1PM: Buy Groceries at Coles Cowes, nearby our accommodation.
2PM: Check-in at 32 Everton Drive, 3922 Cowes.
2-4.30PM: Icebreaking Games, Sharing and Prayer
4.30PM: Dinner Preparation and Dinner
630PM: Depart to Penguin Parade
7PM: Penguin Parade
10PM: Back to accommodation
Sunday
10AM: Breakfast
11AM: Koala Conservation Centre
12PM: Lunch
1PM: Churchhill Island Heritage Farm and Walk
4PM: Depart back to city
6PM: Dinner
8PM: Home (Hopefully? Haha)

It was truly a great weekend out! We slotted in Ivanhoe before we departed home to observe Christmas light in this neighborhood which is famous for doing it over 70 years already!

Maximum effort to decorate their house!

Overall, just want to say my heartfelt thanks to all who participated in this retreat and made it such a great memory for me ;). We might not know each other long enough, and sometimes we often have other priorities in life to neglect the importance to care for one another. But how amazing it is that through God, we can be connected and gather at a place like this to share, pray and encourage one another.

24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. ~ Hebrews 10:24-25

May you always find love and hope in Him and if you have any questions, know that we are always here, in Emmaus. And may we continue to hold each other accountable in our walk with God, all the more when the Day draws near. And to this guy who is now in New York, thank you for being such a blessing in our life and let's not forget we will go visit you one day! (Hopefully XD) Take care and all the best!