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Penguin parade
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They watched with bated breath as the tiny little black and white figures waddled across ... . SABITA RADHAKRISHNA on a major attraction.
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SABITA RADHAKRISHNA
Precis eand disciplined... back home.
ONE of the highlights of our visit to Australia was the visit to Phillip Island discovered in 1798 by George Bass. Initially christened Snapper Island and later Grant Island, it finally acquired its present name after its first Governor Captain Arthur Phillip.
You look around and spot some quaintly shaped kilns scattered around the island, and are told that they are reminders of the chicory farming, which drew to a close after World War II. Chicory was one of the earliest crops on Philip Island and the first chicory kiln was built in 1870. A major industry of Philip Island, chicory was used as a bulk additive to coffee, which was very expensive and scarce. The root was dug with a fork and washed, sliced and roasted in the kilns.
Nature's show
We drove from Melbourne at a leisurely pace of 11/2 hours to reach this gorgeous island mainly to witness a major international attraction — the Penguin Parade.
When you look at flightless birds, the 17 species of penguins form the largest in the group. Penguins are usually associated with the cold Antarctic regions, but they are also found around the coasts of most islands in the Southern Ocean. The Emperor penguins are large and found only in the Antarctic regions. Fiordland penguins are found among the fiords that make up the South West coast of New Zealand's South Island and on Stewart Island (just south of New Zealand). Royal penguins are sometimes regarded as a sub-species of Macaroni penguins with a white throat. They are only found on Macquarie Island south of Australia.
The Fairy penguins with which we were to be acquainted with stand 35 to 40 cm high and weigh about one kilogram. They breed on the coasts of Southern Australia and Tasmania as well as in New Zealand and several sub-Antarctic Islands south of New Zealand.
Gallery viewing
We were advised to wear warm clothes, as it would be windy near the ocean in the open air and you would probably feel the cold seeping into your bones. Warmly clad with a jerkin over our pullovers, colourful scarves and protection for the head, we were led to a huge open space which sloped to the level of the ocean. Stone slabs at different levels provided gallery viewing. We were told that the little penguins would emerge at about 8 p.m. Would we be quiet and just watch the water carefully? As our luck held, the moon rose gloriously turning the sea into a sheet of silver and the waves took on a mesmerising efflorescence. As it happened it was a delightfully warm evening. We peeled off our coats to enjoy the gentle breeze and dared not to even whisper as the countdown began.
Slowly, one finger from the excited audience pointed to the ocean, then another and another and we watched with bated breath as tiny little black and white figures waddled across in straight lines like an army about to descend upon us. We could hardly see them till they came into our full viewing range. Looking like cuddly toys, with fish in their beaks, they walked purposefully towards their burrows where there was work to be done. We are told that they had been fishing in the sea all day long and that they mainly eat fish and squid. When a few walked faster than the rest, they would pause and wait for the others to catch up. There were lines of penguins one behind the other, precise and disciplined.
The little penguins dig out long burrows to use as nests. Two eggs are normally laid and often two chicks are raised. Incubation takes 33 to 39 days with both parents sharing in shifts of one to three days. One parent guards the chicks while the other is collecting food for up to 30 days and crèches are unusual. The chicks moult and go to sea when 50 to 65 days old.
As the penguins came closer, we moved away into cordoned areas and watched them reaching to the burrows in the ground feeding their young, with each baby opening its beak in eager anticipation. It was a great experience "cute and unforgettable" as someone in our group said.
Apart from the penguins, Australia's largest colony of fur seals sun themselves on Seal Rocks off shore from Point Grant. At the Koala Conservation Centre, visitors can get a tree top view through raised boardwalks. And the wildlife park with over 900 native animals gives one the feel of communicating with nature and a free environment. And when you linger on the spectacular coastal scenery, you come away with a feeling that something wonderful has been added to your panorama of life.
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