When asked what my highlight was from my #melbournetouring trip around Victoria, Australia I found myself making a random comparison between pigeons and penguins.
My point being that where I live and where I come from the wildlife really isn’t that exotic but right on your doorstep in Victoria you have some truly incredible wildlife. In London we have much maligned feral pigeons of Trafalgar Square that used to be held up as a bit of a tourist attraction, visitors were allowed to feed them (the sale of bird seed has since been banned) and let them land on their heads. They’ve since been marginalised. Thankfully Victoria, Australia is teaming with wildlife and it is much more exotic than the London street pigeon. The wildlife, nature, rugged coastlines, beaches and such memorable scenic views are the what makes this part of Australia so special.
Back in 2007 I set out on a road trip around the great ocean road but never had chance to venture out to Phillip Island so I was looking forward to exploring.
I picked up the keys to my hire car from the Grand Hyatt in central Melbourne, walking out of the hotel lift into the basement car park I wasn’t quite sure what car I’d been allocated. Thankfully parked in between a silver Nissan Micra and blue Toyota Yaris was a shiny new gold Corolla. I loaded my wheelie luggage into the boot, set up the sat nat suction holder on the windscreen and headed up and out of the winding basement car park.
With a sat nav as part of the car hire I presumed getting out of the city would be a breeze but to my dismay (and after switching on and off several times I may add) the gadget failed to map out any of the city centre leaving me at the mercy of my own sense of direction… oh and Google maps on my smart phone!
Thankfully, Melbourne unlike London (and Sydney) has a pretty straight forward layout, so with a quick check of Google maps and a few well placed sign posts I was heading out on the highway.
Cruising Out On The Highway
I’d heard a lot about Melbourne’s changeable weather (“four seasons in one day”, more like in one hour!) but the last time I visited it was pretty much sunshine and only a few showers. As I was making good time cruising down the highway towards Phillip Island (under 2 hours away from Melbourne) when the weather took a turn for the worse, the sky turned a deep charcoal black and heavy rain came thumping down, visibility of the cars in front was extremely poor. The rest of the traffic didn’t seem to share my concerns, seemingly used to such a sudden tropical downpour as they drove on at speed.
After a good fifteen minutes the downpour eased but the grey clouds and drizzle lingered as I crossed the bridge onto Phillip Island. The surfing lesson was looking much less appealing than I’d first thought… way back in the UK.
Pelicans at San remo
Pelicans after feeding time
Twelve o’clock is Pelican feeding time on the other side of the bridge on the foreshore of San remo, but you do have to be on time as I found out arriving just after. If you’re lucky you might also see a family of Giant Stingrays that come out from under the jetty to feed on the leftovers.
Pelican in flight
The weather was still quite grim but the grey cloudy backdrop and view of the bridge somehow seemed quite apt for taking photos of the pelicans with full stomachs in their natural habitat.
Surfing on Smiths Beach
As suddenly as the bad weather had arrived, blue skies started to break through the cloud. Just as I was giving up on the idea of surfing through the rain, the clouds cleared, the sun blazed through and beautiful blue skies appeared. Welcome to Victoria’s weather.
Great surfing lesson with Island Surfboads
Having squeezed into a figure hugging wet suit I reached for the sun screen to protect my pale English face from getting burnt. Carrying a surfboard on your head isn’t quite as easy as you’d think as I waddled bare footed towards the beach but as we approached were greeted with a stunning view of an incredibly beautiful beach. Having a few minutes rest I thought nervously about the size of the waves out there crashing down onto Smith’s Beach – apparently it’s used as the backup location for surfing events after the famous Bell’s Beach.
The view out over Smiths Beach
Once down on the sand our surf lesson began. I was educated on rip tides in quite a bit of detail but enough to get a good understanding and potentially some life saving knowledge if ever I find myself in difficulty in the water. Our surf instructor was clearly passionate after his sport and the dangers involved, it was an exceptional lesson in how to treat the ocean with respect and also in surfing technique, very much recommended.
Just about standing on a surf board
Once in the water, unlike my last surf lesson in Newquay in the UK the waves were much easier to catch but equally as difficult to stand up on your board on. Thankfully, Island Surfboards had numerous surf instructors on hand and working together to give you pointers and set you up on your next wave. After taking on board the tips and with much encouragement I managed to get to my feet on the board several times… before falling off, usually head first into the surf. Surfing is such great exercise I’d actually love to live somewhere where I could take it up as a hobby, perhaps one day. There’s no doubt that Phillip Island has some great beaches and surf if you’re looking to take up the sport or even just to try out a few lessons.
Up on the surf board
I had expected a miserable, rainy, cold and grey experience whilst surfing here but it really was the complete opposite. Sun, great waves, a beautiful beach and surprisingly not chilly in the slightest. The lesson left me wishing that I was actually staying for an unlimited period of time so I could turn into a real surf beach bum.
This is the end of Part One. Part two is here for you to read.
This post was brought to you as part of the #TourMelbourne blog trip, created and managed by iambassador and in partnership with Tourism Victoria, Royal Brunei Airlines and 4BGB. TravMonkey.com maintains full editorial control of the content published on this site.
