From Phillip Island to Port Campbell
Matilda's final stretch of her travels brought her to the southeastern part of Australia, near Melbourne. Beginning at Phillip Island, Matilda explores the beautiful ocean views and the wildlife that populates the coastal areas.
Philip Island is home to many unique things, including a koala sanctuary, a GP road course, and the worlds smallest penguins. Matilda is a HUGE koala fan!
In the koala sanctuary koalas freely climb through the trees, resting in the crooks of the limbs, and eating....lots of eating!
Matilda learned that koalas sleep a large portion of the day because they only eat leaves. The eucalyptus leaves just don't give them a lot of energy.
Like humans koalas have five fingers, but instead of one thumb, they have two, making their grip much stronger than ours.
Oh my gosh these koalas are cute!
Matilda had cuteness overload on Philip Island. Along the shore, near the Nobbies, small two by four boxes are strewn throughout the landscape.
Peaking inside on of the boxes, Matilda spies one of the tiny penguins that inhabit the island. Every evening, after dusk, thousands of these tiny penguins make their way on-land after a long day of fishing at sea.
As the waves roll onto the shore, tiny splashes can be seen on the curve of the wave. After the wave crashes on the shore, it recedes, magically leaving 100's of penguins in its wake. Matilda didn't get any pictures because the flashes from the cameras scare the penguins. But here is a video of the cuties.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyVRl1owBXw
A beautiful sunrise greeted Matilda the next morning as she enjoyed the serene beach scene.
Only the locals were out on the beach, walking on the sandy beach....and the seagulls.
Further up the beach was an area of smooth rock formations.
She enjoys the beach for a little longer before getting in the car for her trip down the coast on the Great Ocean Road.
In places the road is right on the coast with cliffs leading down to the aqua blue water below. Beautiful beaches pop up along the road with flat golden sands. Every twist of the road brings a new magnificent landscape into view.
Matilda keeps thinking that she has seen the most beautiful stretch of oceanline, until the next curve reveals a new view, even more spectacular than the last. Some of the coast has sharp jagged black rocks, forming cliffs that in places were forty to fifty feet high. Other places are made of layered sandstone that are worn away by the crashing waves and the roaring wind. Matilda loves the areas where harder sandstone creates a lace looking design to the stone.
Even though much of Matilda's trip down the Great Ocean Road was hampered by rain, she was still able to get out and enjoy the beautiful scenery. Along the road there were a couple of amazing lighthouses that you could walk to.
Her favorite was a tall white one with a bright red top.
Further along the road the 12 Apostles, 12 large sandstone rock formations along the shore, amazed Matilda with how simple but amazing they were.
She tried to imagine how they were formed by the wind and the waves. How different the coast must have looked hundreds of years ago. It was an awe inspiring sight.
She could have stayed there, listening to the waves crash against the rocks for days, but it was finally time to drive back to Melbourne. She had a long flight back to her new home in the US.
Hope you enjoyed seeing some of Matilda's trip and a small amount of the amazing country that is Australia!
In the koala sanctuary koalas freely climb through the trees, resting in the crooks of the limbs, and eating....lots of eating!
Matilda learned that koalas sleep a large portion of the day because they only eat leaves. The eucalyptus leaves just don't give them a lot of energy.
Like humans koalas have five fingers, but instead of one thumb, they have two, making their grip much stronger than ours.
Oh my gosh these koalas are cute!
Matilda had cuteness overload on Philip Island. Along the shore, near the Nobbies, small two by four boxes are strewn throughout the landscape.
Peaking inside on of the boxes, Matilda spies one of the tiny penguins that inhabit the island. Every evening, after dusk, thousands of these tiny penguins make their way on-land after a long day of fishing at sea.
As the waves roll onto the shore, tiny splashes can be seen on the curve of the wave. After the wave crashes on the shore, it recedes, magically leaving 100's of penguins in its wake. Matilda didn't get any pictures because the flashes from the cameras scare the penguins. But here is a video of the cuties.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyVRl1owBXw
A beautiful sunrise greeted Matilda the next morning as she enjoyed the serene beach scene.
Only the locals were out on the beach, walking on the sandy beach....and the seagulls.
Further up the beach was an area of smooth rock formations.
She enjoys the beach for a little longer before getting in the car for her trip down the coast on the Great Ocean Road.
In places the road is right on the coast with cliffs leading down to the aqua blue water below. Beautiful beaches pop up along the road with flat golden sands. Every twist of the road brings a new magnificent landscape into view.
Matilda keeps thinking that she has seen the most beautiful stretch of oceanline, until the next curve reveals a new view, even more spectacular than the last. Some of the coast has sharp jagged black rocks, forming cliffs that in places were forty to fifty feet high. Other places are made of layered sandstone that are worn away by the crashing waves and the roaring wind. Matilda loves the areas where harder sandstone creates a lace looking design to the stone.
Even though much of Matilda's trip down the Great Ocean Road was hampered by rain, she was still able to get out and enjoy the beautiful scenery. Along the road there were a couple of amazing lighthouses that you could walk to.
Her favorite was a tall white one with a bright red top.
Further along the road the 12 Apostles, 12 large sandstone rock formations along the shore, amazed Matilda with how simple but amazing they were.
She tried to imagine how they were formed by the wind and the waves. How different the coast must have looked hundreds of years ago. It was an awe inspiring sight.
She could have stayed there, listening to the waves crash against the rocks for days, but it was finally time to drive back to Melbourne. She had a long flight back to her new home in the US.
Hope you enjoyed seeing some of Matilda's trip and a small amount of the amazing country that is Australia!
Sorry...not many doll photos in this one. It rained most of the time we were on the Great Ocean Road. All of the photos were in between rain showers (hence the rainbow and rain clouds that can be seen in many of them). More doll photos to come in the next few weeks though.
2 comments:
What a beautiful country Australia is and so is Matilda, her hair colour and pretty smily face just pops in your photos. It looks like she had a great holiday and now she must be looking forward to settling in her new life in the US :)
Wow! Just plain WOW! Stunning photos. Australia is a place I would very much like to visit, but don't think my budget will allow it. :-( So I live vicariously through photos like yours. Matilda is stunning too.
~Xyra
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