Tag Archives: Phillip Island

Sunday 10th November

We awoke to more wind and rain but not as bad so always the optimist we checked the ferry website and there was no indication that the ferry had been cancelled today.

So we packed up and headed for the jetty hoping for the best the water looked choppy to say the lest In the distance we could see a little boat bob bob bobbing it’s way slowly towards us, yes we can leave the island. It’s funny when you are involuntary staying somewhere you do feel like a prisoner even though you still have your freedom your still stuck in limbo and it’s a strange feeling.

Five brave soles boarded the small vessel us and three older ladies out on a day trip they were excitingly chatting and taking selfies not in the least bit worried about the rough crossing un like mike and myself I guess we’re just wimps!

Half a hour later feeling slightly queasy we are on main land and it’s good to start cycling.

It’s easy going, a bit of wind and rain but nothing to challenging and we make good progress. However we are now heading into the city of Melbourne the traffic is heavy and drivers have no regard for our safety close passes and angry beeps galore. Australia is by far the worst country we have ever cycled. I was stopped at a busy junction waiting to turn left, a gap in traffic so I pulled out the car behind decided to pull out at the same time cutting the corner and me up. He had only just missed me by a hair width. I know that I was going slow enough that if he did hit me I would live but anyone whose been in that situation will tell you how scary it is and would probably end up with something broken it’s getting beyond a joke.

We are in a ibis for the night as the campsite is more expensive, city prices! Opposite is a bike shop and the airport is only 30 miles away. So after reflection and with a heavy heart we have decided to fly to Perth. People all along have warned us not to cycle the great ocean road because the drivers are bad, not taking the chance that they are worse than what we have already experienced we went into the bike shop and got two cardboard boxes, decision made tomorrow we will box up the bikes, book a flight and head to Perth.

Saturday 2nd November-Friday 8th November

We have been relaxing on Phillip Island for the week. From Phillip Island we can get a pedestrian ferry across to Melbourne and then continue our journey on. Well that’s the plan but unfortunately for us it’s a small ferry. Only taking 30 minutes to cross meaning that in bad weather it gets cancelled, it’s not run for the last 3 days and the weather forecast is still pretty bad for the next few days. Even had snow in Melbourne and there was us thinking Australia was going to be to hot.

So a extended stay in Phillip Island we are staying in a small town called Cowes there are a lot of similarities to the Isle of Wight, there’s a Ventnor also,and the landscape and beaches are similar add to that the rain and wind we’ve been having we could of just stayed a weeks holiday back home we only live a short ferry ride away from cowes.

Mind you you don’t get penguins on the Isle of Wight. Phillip Island is home to one of Australia’s largest penguin colonies. Little penguins are the smallest of 17 penguin species and the only penguin that lives permanently in Australia. They are counted in each night at a place called penguin parade, last nights count was 2.5k they make their way from the sea to shore every night at sunset such a awesome site.

The rest of our time has been spent walking the long empty beaches and browsing through the tourist trash and trinket shops it’s good to have a rest of the bikes. We can sit the weather out and wait for the ferry to run or do a 100 mile detour around against the 25mph wind and cycle to Melbourne. I think we will wait!

Friday 1st November

Wow November already where does the time go. So another short day following a rail trail this time we joined the bass rail trail a lovely easy route passing beaches into kilcunda where we had a lunch break tea and toasted sandwiches.

We passed over a old trestle bridge but I couldn’t find any information about it, just a old railway bridge.

After lunch we joined the cycle path onto Phillip Island and for some unknown reason they made the cycle path steeper than the road, ha ha Australia you’re so funny!

We are staying on the island for the next week and the weather is looking rather damp.