Recount: A Trip to Phillip Island

A trip to Philip Island

Last weekend, I went to Phillip Island. I’m always excited to go there because it’s such a lovely place! I wanted to spend two days relaxing and spend some time with my uncle and his family. Phillip Island is a wildlife sanctuary on the south coast of Australia. It has been declared an “A” class reserve for its natural beauty. It is home to several endangered species, such as the koala, wombat, and eastern grey kangaroo.

Planning my trip

On Friday night, I started preparing for the trip. I knew it would take about two hours to get to Phillip Island from my house. On Friday night, I made sure my camera batteries were fully charged. I calibrated my drone so that I could fly it without any problems on Phillip Island. I also took clothes, a towel, and my toothbrush, which I loaded in the back of my car before going to bed on Friday. Before going to bed that night, I planned what I wanted to do while on Phillip Island. I Googled ‘Things to do in Philip Island. I discovered so many exciting things to do. But I chose to do only a few things. I decided to go to San Remo to see the pelican feeds. It happens every day at 12 o’clock. I was excited to see those beautiful birds! That night, I also planned to visit The Nobbies Reserve because of the spectacular view I saw on Google! I also decided to visit the Philip Island Wildlife Park to see the diverse range of native animals. I was very excited about the trip. I knew very well that the experience on the way to the destination is what matters. Then, I started yawning. I looked at my watch, and it was 2 o’clock! So, I went to bed.

Travelling to Philip Island

I enjoyed the long drive to Philip Island. I woke up at 6 o’clock but still felt sleepy and tired.

I brushed my teeth, prayed, and made sure I didn’t forget anything at home before leaving. I started driving at 6.30. I headed straight to the local Seven Eleven because I wanted to grab a coffee. I then started going to Phillip Island. While driving, I was listening to my favourite music that I had downloaded on my phone. I usually listen to different types of music in several languages. I had fun driving while listening to English, Turkish and Hindi songs. I think we need to be open to different cultures. I especially enjoy listening to mashups and remixes. That kept me pumped and energetic! I was happy that there wasn’t any traffic on the road. It was a smooth drive. Because of the long distance and limited traffic, I could afford to drive on cruise control with a speed limiter. Generally, drivers must keep pressing the accelerator to keep their vehicle moving forward. If they don’t, their car will slow down and stop. Cruise control takes control of the accelerator to maintain a steady speed. So, I didn’t have to keep pressing the accelerator during the trip. I was happy about that.

After an hour and a half, I noticed the diesel was low and started to flash ‘low diesel warning’. I was a bit worried because I couldn’t see any petrol station. I stopped my car and Googled ‘petrol station near me. Fortunately, I found that there was a petrol station about 5 kilometres ahead. I filled up my car and bought another coffee! It felt strange not to see any Seven Eleven around. I enjoyed looking at the trees, the cows, the horses and the sheep on the way. Finally, I arrived at San Remo.

Feeding the pelicans in San Remo

I got to San Remo to see the pelican feeds. I arrived there at 9.30. On their way onto the island, many visitors stop here to feed the many pelicans. They come to the jetty on the foreshore to be fed at 12 pm (noon) daily. Visitors who come to the pelican feeding often get close to the pelicans as there are no barriers. Many seagulls also flock to the jetty to try and get a free feed. I saw hundreds of seagulls hovering around. I decided to have breakfast. I had toast and coffee while sitting in my car overlooking the jetty. After that, I went for a walk around the jetty and took some pictures and videos. I sat down on the rocks and watched the waves under the San Remo bridge. It was soothing and made me feel relaxed. Unfortunately, it started raining. So, I went back to my car and waited until 12 o’clock. Thankfully, the weather got better, and I was able to see the pelican feeding. A woman from the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning educated the people about the pelicans, their diet, and their lifestyle. I then left San Remo for Cowes, where my relatives were staying.

Stayed with my uncle in Cowes

I arrived at Cowes and stayed at my uncle’s place that day. We greeted each other, had lunch, and started chatting about our experience in Mauritius. I spoke to my other relatives living in Mauritius via WhatsApp video call. At that point, the weather was still partly cloudy and cold. The rain would start and stop. Then, my cousins arrived. We had a chat and had lunch. We had Indonesian noodles. After having lunch, I went to Phillip Island Wildlife Park.

Visited Phillip Island Wildlife Park.

One of the highlights of my trip was Phillip Island Wildlife Park. The entry fee was $10 per person, and they gave me some food to feed the animals. I saw many beautiful animals such as kangaroos, koalas, emus, wombats, snakes, dingos, and many other animals. I was excited to hand-feed the kangaroos and emus. I even took pictures with the animals. They were so adorable. After an hour, it started raining again, so I left and drove back to my uncle’s house. We had dinner and chatted further. I went to bed at about 12 o’clock.

Visited The Nobbies Reserve

The first place io visited on Sunday morning was The Nobbies Reserve. I woke up at 6 o’clock. Everyone else was still asleep. I brushed my teeth, prayed, and went to the kitchen for breakfast. I made some toast, grabbed a coffee, took my video recording equipment, and drove straight to the Nobbies Reserve. Despite the cold weather, I enjoyed the spectacular view of the cliffs and the rocks. It felt like I was in a movie scene. It felt as if a dinosaur was going to appear from somewhere! I took more pictures and recorded videos. I then had a coffee overlooking the view. It was a fantastic experience! After that, I went to Pyramid Rock lookout.

Visited Pyramid Rock Lookout

The next destination on my list was Pyramid Rock Lookout. It took me 15 minutes to get there. Pyramid Rock is a triangle-shaped rock island off the southern coast of Phillip Island. The boardwalk is about 400 metres. I walked a bit and took some photos. The rock looks so cool. It looks like a volcano. I relaxed, took some pictures, and watched a few rounds of waves roll in around Pyramid Rock before walking back to my car. The weather was not bad on Sunday. I called my uncle, who said he was fishing at Cowes Jetty.

Fishing with my uncle at Cowes Jetty

After that, I headed to Cowes Jetty to accompany my relatives fishing. Even though fishing is not my cup of tea, I tried to help them with hooking up the line and bait. After about half an hour, I asked my cousin if he wanted to go to Cape Woolamai. 

Visited Cape Woolamai with my cousin.

My last destination was Cape Woolamai, one of Australia’s most famous surf beaches. It has spectacular coastal scenery. My cousin and I drove there. It took us about 20 minutes from Cowes. We got there just before sunset. I noticed the waves were intimidating, and the view was spectacular. The scenery was breathtaking. The first thing we did was to set up the drone. Because I flew very low, just above the waves, I could capture amazing cinematic shots of Cape Woolamai.

Driving home from Phillip Island.

Finally, I dropped my cousin back home, had dinner and left at about 9 o’clock on Sunday night. My uncle asked me to sleep over. But I wanted to return home because I had many things to do the next day. The drive on the way back was not as exciting. I was a bit tired but had a coffee before leaving. The road was clear, but I had to occasionally turn on my full beam headlights to see further ahead. After an hour’s drive, I stopped at a servo to fill up some diesel. I reached home just after 11 o’clock on Sunday night.

Conclusion

The trip to Phillip Island was very rejuvenating and refreshing. It cleared my mind of my usual routine. I was happy that I could record quality footage of the trip using my drone, Go Pro and my phone. All photos and videos will remain a happy memory. I hope to visit Philip Island next year. As someone rightly said, “Jobs fill your pockets, adventures fill your soul.”