Churchill Island Farm + Koala Conservatory + Penguin Parade

G'day!
While in Melbourne we wanted to do the tourist thing...... see penguins on Phillip Island.
There's a 3 in 1 ticket where you get to see not only the Penguin Parade
but also the Koala Conservatory and Churchill Island Heritage Farm Link is here

Oh shoots, just read that you can also see fur seals lounging on the beach just next to where
the Fairy Penguins come out. If you're reading this and you're going to Phillip Island, go see the seals also okay!Be Malaysian and get your moneys worth/claim free things!!

Pelican feeding- this was neither of the 3, but we saw this on the way to Phillip Island.

Koala Conservatory

over looking the wetlands/the lump is a sleeping koala



Churchill Heritage Farm





And we saw these on the farm!

I thought it was a fake cow when we were pulling up to the farm..then it started moving!
Isn't it so surreal!? Like one of those cows you see in movies or something.
Apparently they're heritage cows and not many people breed them anymore.
But so cute right? So fluffy!

I found these on google but it was taken on Churchill Island.
Green grass, blue sky, blue water, fluffy cow - how can this scenic sight possibly look any better?!
If Mary Poppins were flying in the sky with her umbrella or something maybe.

cow says moo.


what you lookin' at?


sheep herding show







Penguin Parade

You're advised to dress warmly, see the mini arrow at the bottom of that coat?
Yup that means it's at it's coldest. What to do! go in winter like that la.

penguin in his burrow


another penguin in his burrow

Yea that's all I got because cameras aren't allowed.
They're the smallest type of penguin they only grow till around 30cm!
that's like the height of 2 grey plastic rulers, the one we used during school.

okay here's a google picture

Their fur is a really nice navy blue and you'd see these tiny penguins walking around like
they're lost. They look really blur and will just walk back and forth till the rest of the penguins catch up with them...like an impatient sibling!

the view

We waited more than an hour in the cold and rain to see these penguins.
Then finally we saw 2 penguins come out (in the front line of battle haha) and watched them make their way from the water to the hilly rocks. We watched these 2 penguins for about 10 minutes,
then the rest came out - probably after they saw that the first 2 weren't eaten.lol

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The tickets are pretty worth it if you haven't seen penguins, farms or koalas.
Okay maybe not koalas. All of them are sleeping and you'd be playing " I spy with my little eye"
because they're up in the trees and pretty hard to spot. No up close and personal encounters. :(

The Heritage farm was probably the best as there are a few shows like sheep herding, sheep shearing and whip cracking. There's also this huge ass horse and cute fluffy cows.
The route there to the farm is through wetlands so it's pretty scenic as well, you get to see geese and ducks.

Penguin Parade was pretty good too, but maybe not in winter and rain.

Oh oh oh! alternatively, if you don't wanna take the 2 hour drive there we saw the same penguins on St Kilda pier! Just not as many, maybe 4 or 5?

This is the only picture I managed to take because I didn't wanna scare the penguin.
And all the french and chinese tourist that were there swarming the poor thing and despite signs
that said ' No flash photography' there was flashing all over the place!
..from their cameras I mean. Not like flashing of body parts...yeaa.

ANYWAY, they were swarming the penguin and even crawled under the boardwalk,
where the penguin was nesting, and took flash pictures of it!
OUTRAGED! I was secretly hoping the penguin would go manic and bite them!!!

Apparently cameras used to be allowed on Phillip Island's penguin parade. But now no cameras are allowed..I'm guessing because of inconsiderate tourists. > :(

Bottom line, yes to Churchill Island and Fairy Penguins no to Koala Conservatory.
If you don't want to see farm or drive 2 hours then just go to St. Kilda Pier and see the penguins there.
Don't take flash photos! If you do I hope they BITE YOU!! And you get peguin rabies!

xoxo

Camping @ Teluk Segadas, Pulau Pangkor

 We went camping by the beach in Pulau Pangkor!
#happycamperfaceforrealthistime

But first!
For a more island-like experience, listen to this while you read this post!
You won't regretsss!

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FAQ before/during/after camping trip :

1. How long will it take to get there?

It's a 4 hours drive to jetty from KL and a ferry ride to the other side (RM10 both ways)

You then have the option of :

a. calling a boat and asking them to take you to the teluk

(RM45 both ways inc. stay at camp ground)

or

b. taking a taxi to a trail and hiking there.

Our boat guy couldn't get us because the water was too choppy.
so we took an impromptu hike to the teluk. Which took maybe less than 30 minutes?

Camping and hiking in the same day! I've never felt more outdoorswoman-ish..almost

2. Is it really camping? Or is it like a camping ground with chalets
where there's a restaurant where you can eat.

Well, it's a camp ground la. So I guess it's real camping.
Like it's-pitch-black-at-night camping. Like don't-bring-food-you-starve.
No frills. Only monkeys (really)

3. Is it safe? Will wild animals come in the middle of the night and bite my face off or Will pirates come and steal your food and expensive facial products?

It's safe! There are quite a few boats and ships going up and down, so I don't think pirates are a problem (no seriously, this question was brought up more than once before we went)

But watch out for the monkeys!They are quick, crafty and conniving. They managed to open the tents and eat 11 packets of instant noodles and half a pack of Chipsmore! They even ran in between us and stole our bread!

Ashley defending us all with her sligshot.

 
I also woke up several times at night because of their endless screeching and chattering.
I thought they were wild boars (wth) apparently mating sounds (??)


4. Clean or not?
Clean! not like dirty brownish murky water, litter all over*, drain leading into the sea,
black sand with remnants of oil. The water is a teal blue! I could see fish! #superexcited






5. What do you eat?
We had chicken, sausages, egg, milo, toast, corn, potato everything but baked beans...
and instant noodles that we brought with us.






6. Is it Cold or not?
No. In fact it's freakin' hot! I was literally sweating in the tent.
Around 3AM, it got alot cooler.

Tip : Set tent facing the jungle and not the sea. Wind blows toward the sea at night.
It will be like a sauna in the tent in the middle of the night if you face it to the sea.
So in the middle of the night, we turned the tents around.


Lastly,
Most important, most frequently asked question!

8. Is there a toilet!?
I asked this question like 10 times before we had gone.
The answer is yes. I took a picture of it:

GLHF.
Particularly scary at night when it's pitch black. Do not go in alone.
Evacuate bowels before going for camping trip! Alternatively, hike 30 minutes up to the mainland and look for toilet.

I went in to shower and I saw a huge gecko/lizard,
I didn't know whether to scream for help or ignore it
....I ignored it #stronglikemountain #outdoorswoman #sohardcore..I know.


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In no particular order;














Breakfast!


Campfire at night


















From insta: Campfire/Best squishy burnt marshmallow.

Best beach holiday/camping trip! :)

* be considerate: don't leave trash around nature-places like this and then complain that all Malaysian camp sites/outdoor places are dirty. Beach was quite clean but there was litter in the toilet. You saw it, ya didn't help one bit.