At Large in Australia

Locals say some 26,000 little penguins live in the Bass Strait coastline, which fringes Phillip Island, and about 4,500 burrow in the Penguin Parade precinct on the south of the island. As the sun sinks in the western sky, suspense grips the silent, waiting crowd. The only light comes from the moon and the phosphorus-tipped waves that crash onto the beach. Cameras are strictly banned, lest the flashes scare away Phillip Island’s most treasured denizens. Then, a murmur rustles through the crowd — the first penguin has been spotted. Soon, the rest of the gang arrives, and quite oblivious to the wide-eyed throngs, waddle up the beach. The orderly image of suited commuters on their way home is spoilt only by their loud calls.

This daily practice is Phillip Island’s principal tourist attraction. After every day spent fishing in the waters off the island, the colony of penguins returns home to the sand dunes of Summerland beach. Soon, group by group, they are back in the burrows, each one singing what seemed to be homecoming songs, in time with the flap of their wings and the rhythm of their winged feet. Walking alongside the birds, kids echo their hooting and cooing, but the penguins couldn’t be less bothered. At one point, we stop short, startled by an obviously lost penguin, but unmindful of us, it tosses its head with a backward look, as if to say ‘come again’!

The Penguins Parade Visitors’ Centre at Phillip Island, built and designed to protect the penguins’ natural habitat, strikes a fine balance between conservation and commercialisation. Thus every tourist ends his visit by stopping at the souvenir shop to choose from a range of rings, tee-shirts, stuffed toys and brooches.

Not far from the penguin parade ground is the Seal Rocks Sea Life Centre, home to some 16,000 seals, and the Koala Conservation Centre. The last, of course, is of special attraction to visitors from the Northern Hemisphere. Distinctively Australian, the koalas — members of the marsupial family — are loveable and friendly animals, but spend much of their time in dense foliage, thereby giving camera-toting tourists a hard time. Koalas have a nutritionally poor diet heavy on gum leaves, which are tough, fibrous and contain oil and toxins. They have a special digestive system to tackle this food, and conserve their energies by resting and dozing most of the day.

The Koala Centre at Phillip Island is well designed as a safe haven for koalas, whose dwindling numbers pose a serious challenge to conservationists. Though they have few natural predators, the species faces the loss of its natural habitat, roadkills and bacterial infections. At the same time, it must be said that organised efforts — 2002 is being observed as International Eco Tourism Year to strengthen natural resources, while wildlife management programmes promote community awareness and support — have paid dividends: The number of koalas has risen from 1,000 at the turn of the 19th century to many times that number.

To spot koalas in their natural habitat, drive along the Kennett river, along the Grey River Road, a couple of hundred meters away from the Great Ocean Road. But for possibly the greatest drive of your life, check out the Great Ocean Road, a scenic stretch of 250 km meandering along the south-west coast of Victoria. The best part of the drive begins one-and-a-half hours away from Melbourne. When we hit the road, the weather was clear and the sun shining forth in all its glory. The road winds its way langorously through cliff tops, even as waves crash onto the rocks and beaches in contradictory haste.

That is not to say the drive ever gets boring. In fact, the mood changes with almost every twist in the road. After Bellanne peninsula, the countryside opens up to expansive vistas of the ocean and long coastal reaches dotted with hamlets and lighthouses. Further along, the road weaves and winds its way through the gothic Otway ranges. Then suddenly, we are upon limestone cliffs carved by nature, locally known as the Twelves Apostles. As unforgettable is the drive from Lome to Apollo Bay, with each bend of the road revealing newer coastal vistas.

That is true in the larger sense of south-eastern Australia as well. Each new experience is something to ferret away in the memory, to be cherished and relished over time. Make sure you take along plenty of film!