We started off the day bright and early with a 7.30am departure from the St Mary's Campus where we met our bus driver Tim. Our journey was long and at the ripe time of 8.00am we decided it was time to blast some music for all to enjoy. Our first stop was at the M1 Officer Outbound where we stopped for a quick brunch for twenty minutes before we hit the road again.

Our first REAL stop was at San Remo where when we stepped out of the bus and immediately got drenched by the rain. We walked down to the beach and watched a group of pelicans get fed by the fish and chip shop lady while she informed us about the pelican’s habits and nature. After the feeding show was over, we took the opportunity to grab some photos of (or in some people’s case with) the pelicans. We also used this break to eat a quick snack before we had to jump back onto the bus to finally cross the bridge to Phillip Island.

Once on the island we met up with ranger Graham, having had a slight change of plans due to the rain. We ventured into the new visitor centre, where Graham informed us that the shape of the centre is designed to resemble a penguin feather! Graham gave us plenty of useful information about the penguins, the management strategies employed by Phillip Island Nature Park and the history of the island. We recorded lots of useful information in our logbooks that can be applied to our upcoming School-Assessed Coursework (SAC).

After our session with Graham, we ventured up to the Nobbies, where we got to see the (now shut down) visitor centre; we walked along the boardwalk where we saw the most magnificent view! We snapped a quick group photo before venturing back along the board walk to the bus. On the way back we spotted several penguins in man-made box burrows and a baby echidna!

Our excellent bus driver Tim then dropped us off at the caravan park where we got our accommodation keys and dropped our bags before heading out to dinner.

For dinner we all split up, grabbing what we wanted in Cowes. A few of us headed for the good old fish and chip shop to grab a delicious feed. After sitting down and eating (and after feeding the seagulls our leftovers) we went back to the bus (again) for the thing we were all excited for… the Penguin Parade!

Once there we speedily walked into the building, along the bridge and took our seat on the sand eagerly awaiting sunset to see the little penguins. While waiting we got some interesting fun facts from the presenting ranger about the penguins’ habits and their day-to-day life.

During this time of the year the penguins go through a catastrophic moult where, during a period of eighteen days, they lose ALL their feathers and grow new ones. In other words, we were about to see some fat, scruffy penguins!

Once the sun set, we started to spot some, one…then two…then five! They took their time coming across as penguins are very timid, always coming across in a group of four or more as it helps protect them from their predators (big birds); they blend in as, from a bird’s-eye view, they look like seaweed. After we saw a few groups go across, we ventured from the viewing area back along the bridge/boardwalk where we could see even more penguins in their burrows - some fluffy ones and some really small, slick ones. I think we then all ventured into the gift shop to grab a souvenir before returning by bus to the caravan park.

Once back, we grabbed some supper where then some went back to their accommodation and some stuck around to play games before heading off to bed.

The next morning, we all went to breakfast, packed up our cabins, and got ready to head to the Cowes Wastewater Treatment Plant. Here we learnt how wastewater is recycled for all types of things, linking it to our current area of stud. During our tour we learnt the various stages the wastewater goes through before being able to be used and how this plant is sustainable in the way it operates. We learnt about what risk assessments they do and how they try to uphold sustainability and maintain a circular economy.

After we thoroughly sanitised our hands, we ventured over to the Koala Conservation Reserve where our tour guide, Jan, gave us some amazing fun facts about the koalas they keep at the reserve. Did you know that koalas are not native to Phillip Island? Approximately 800 were brought over to the island and now only three to four are left in the wild! This is due to human interaction with the island, destroying their habitat. The main goal of the conservation reserve isn't to breed the koalas, it is just to aid in maintaining their population. After our lovely tour with Jan, we parted ways to visit the Bushstone curlew before saying goodbye to the island and departed for Bendigo.

Thank you to our tour guides who gave us amazing information, thanks to our pro bus driver Tim, and finally a thank you to our amazing teachers Mrs Angela McIntosh and Mrs Karinda Hogan, this trip wouldn't have been able to happen without them!

It was a once in a lifetime experience and is definitely top of my Year 12 experiences so far!

Charlize Pinder, Year 12

Phillip Island