Why You Need to Visit Phillip Island, Australia

Let me start out by saying, llamas HAVE, and most likely always will be my favorite animal (Lauren Fact #224). And if you know me well, you know my love for them ascends my love for most things, like Tapatio Doritos and David Bowie. But, after visiting Phillip Island, I think kangaroos may give my beloved llamas a run for their money.

I recently took a trip to Melbourne for my brother’s wedding. Amidst my stay, I was lucky enough to set aside one day, dedicated specifically to sight-seeing. After much deliberation and some very helpful suggestions on where to go, we (my aunt and lovely cousin, Kate) settled on a trip to Phillip Island. To be honest, we flew in later than everyone else, and missed the boat on the group excursion to the wildlife park, and I was feeling, what the youth call, butt-hurt. That’s a scientific term, look it up. Just kidding, don’t do that.

Now, Phillip Island was a bit of a trek from the Dandenong Ranges, about an hour and 46 minute drive, if we’re being precise. And as I’m sure you know, Americans are used to driving on the right-hand side of the road; a wee bit different from how they do it down-under. Australians, on the other hand, drive on the left side of the road. And if that wasn’t confusing enough, their steering wheel is located on the right side of the vehicle, instead of the left. At this point, I don’t even know if blindfolding us would have made much of a difference, we were about as perplexed as a chicken in a pillow factory. Lucky for me, I did not take on the strenuous task of driving. I let my aunt man the ship, and I  happily took the backseat.

So lets get down to the nitty-gritty. You may be wondering, out of ALL the places we could have explored that Sunday, why on earth did we choose to spend our day on Phillip Island?

I will tell you, my friends. Gather ’round.

Upon the Island of Phillip, lies a 60-acre wildlife reserve, home to a myriad of animals, including koalas, dingoes, wallabies, pademelons, kookaburras, Tasmanian devils, etc… essentially all of the awesome animals you never get to see in America. It’s the only place, on Phillip Island, where you can actually hand feed Kangaroos. Unless you want to try feeding a feral one and run the risk of being Sparta kicked by Kangaroo-Jack. Not something I suggest.

You can enter the park for a small fee, around $19 AUD, and then you must mentally prepare yourself for an overwhelming exorbitance of cuteness. Most of the Kangaroos roam freely around the park, where you can interact and feed them at your leisure. However, so do the Emus, of whom can be a bit cheeky at times. One literally snatched a whole bag of food out of Kate’s sweatshirt pocket!

The kangaroos are fairly social and will literally eat out of the palm of your hand. Or in Kate’s case, sit with you while you take selfies! If you haven’t fallen in love yet, let me continue.

Now if you have no soul, and kangaroos just aren’t your thing, there are a few other reasons why you may still want to visit Phillip Island. However, I first suggest reading this highly scientific article on why you should love kangaroos just as much as I do.

Aside from the wildlife park, Phillip island is notorious for being home to the worlds smallest penguin. Like honestly, how cute is that? Every night at sun-down, you can standby as a waddle of miniature penguins submerge from the waves, and parade back into their little penguin sanctuaries, within the sand dunes (and you can bet your sweet toochies I googled what a group of penguins was called). You can find more information regarding the penguin parade and where to view it, here.

And just for your viewing pleasure, and to reaffirm that my love for llamas runs deep..

I’m gonna leave this little gem riiiiiiiiight here. You’re welcome.