Bushwalker

"Bushwalker": basically a hiker, therefore bushwalking would be hiking.

"So where's the echidna?" I asked.
"He's gone on a bushwalk," said my professor.

Wow, I'm getting worse on this updating thing. It's supposed to be everyday, but now it's turning into a weekly thing. Anyway, last weekend I had my three day hiking trip to Wilson's Promontory for my philosophy class. I'll go into more detail about it later, but basically I learned that maybe I wasn't as outdoorsy as I thought I was. Though I don't mind the strenuous bushwalking and the sweat, I really hate climbing into my sleeping bag grimy. I also hate sand and crap in my sleeping bag. It's just the feeling of having to go to bed with the dirt from a seven hour hike on me really bothers me. I like the feeling of washing off a hard day's work and climbing into a relatively clean bed. This may prove problematic if I ever decide to hardcore backpack around the country.

Today I went to Philip's Island and saw pelicans that were literally half my size. They reminded me of the giant pterodactyls from Jurassic Park. We then headed to the Koala Conservation Centre, where the koalas were being their usual exciting selves. Cape Woolamai was next, where we were supposed to see these special seabirds that migrate all the way from Japan to Australia on a yearly basis. Unfortunately, their brooding sites were bare as they were still at sea, but they were supposed to be the seabird version of a crow and nest everywhere on the cliff's vegetation.
The highlight of the trip came next, which was the Philip Island Wildlife Park. It was the best animal feeding experience ever! These kangaroos/wallabies/birds actually want to be fed, unlike the ones in the Brisbane conservation centre. I felt like I was practically force-feeding the animals there. At the Philip Island one, these kangaroos practically mob you. In fact, they'll try to eat the paper bag right out of your hand (which many did). It was also the first time I actually got to pet a kangaroo/wallaby. They weren't as plush as they looked and actually quite slobbery, but still cute nonetheless. The wallabies are defintely much softer to pet and possibly even cuter up close. :) Oh, and I also had the chance to get up close and personal with the cassowaries. Undoubtedly the scariest-looking and equally dangerous birds in Oz, they're actually very polite eaters. Unlike the kangaroos who scratch and tear at you, the cassowaries just neatly pluck a few pellets from your palm and toss it into their gullets.

The last stop of the evening was at the Little Penguin Parade, aka the march of the Fairy Penguins. Around 6/7 p.m, these cuddly little creatures stagger out of the surf to return to their burrows after a long day of foraging at sea. It's so adorable to see them drifting around in "rafts" (groups of 4+ penguins) and nervously scurrying about the waves before making a mad dash for the sand dunes. They sound a little like ducks when they call out to each other. I couldn't really take any good pictures during this time because no photography was allowed. The rangers are worried that the flash would scare them, so to eliminate any accidental flash photography, they just banned recording equipment of any kind. I still saw a few people taking pictures though, so I am resentful of that. >(

Tomorrow I'm to meet at Uni for my surfing trip at 7 a.m. Hopefully I'll be back at 4:30 p.m. like it said on the site, because I have to shower and get ready for work at 6:30. I seriously regret signing up for so many trips and then cramming them all together in one month. Way to go, Camille.

It's been freezing cold and rainy the last few days, but my roommates say it's a sign that Melbourne winter is settling in. "Just wait until it hits June!" said Zoe. Ugh, I am definitely not looking forward to it. At least I'll be able to wear my spiffy new rain jacket.