Pebbly Beach/ Orbost/ Phillip Island

In the dark of Tuesday night we found our destination - Pebbly Beach, near Batemans Bay in the Murramarang National Park. Pebbly Beach is known for the friendly kangaroos that hop about its beaches so, even though it was dark when we arrived, we had to walk about.


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Kangaroos in the dark

 The next day we woke to the sounds of light rain on the hood of the van and a ticket from a park ranger for illegally sleeping in the park without a permit. That aside, we headed for the beach to see if the rumours of friendly Pebbly Beach Kangaroos were true... and, yes, they were:

The Kangaroos were everywhere. They were all friendly and barely noticed us as we approached. They even let us get close enough to touch them!!

The light, misty morning rain fell on both the Kangaroos, and us, making me feel even more like I was in the wild Australia. Below is a video of Pebbly Beach and the Kangaroos:

 The rest of Wednesday we drove and drove. The rain was relentless and wouldn't stop; so we didn't stop moving. We entered the state of Victoria, leaving New South Wales and stopped for the night in a picnic area next to the beach near the town of Orbost. 

In the early morning on Thursday we walked down to check out the beach. Surfers rode the waves as the run rose behind them; it was a truly beautiful sight. 

 Leaving Orbost early, we drove down Victoria in a hurry trying to make it to Phillips Island, renowned for its Penguin population, before spending the night in the city of Melbourne. 

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Following the signs for the Penguin march we drove down the island till we reached the visitors center. Turns out it costs 25$ a person to enter the prime locations for penguin watching!! We decided to check out some of the coastal walks instead. We ended up seeing a penguin under the board walk, for free!!!

The penguins found on Phillip Island, and in Australia/New Zealand, are called "little penguins." They are the smallest penguin species, and the only in Australia.

We hit the beach on Phillip Island after our walk, and, once again, we were the only people on the beach!