The Grampians, my birthday, and Phillip Island

Hey Everybody,

It's been two long weeks, but I'm back. These past two weeks were highlighted by a spectacular camping trip to The Grampians, my birthday, and a day trip out to Phillip Island. The Grampians is a mountain range and national park about 146 miles west of Melbourne. Me and a group of 12 friends set out by bus to Halls Gap, the largest town in the Grampians region. I was joined by my friends from Rutgers, Kev and Laura and a bunch of american girls, Christy, Emily, Allie, and Alyssa. Than there was Dave (a frenchman), Andreas (a swede), Anthony, Libby, Ruby, and Hugh (Australians) We planned on camping in the designated camping are in town for the first night, and than setting out into the bush to find a place to camp the second night. The first day was spent hiking to a waterfall, and than a beautiful walk along a rocky ridge. I even had the good fortune of spotting an echidna, a porcupine like creature found only in Australia. That night was spent star gazing and drinking. I also met two motorcyclists on their way back to Adelaide who were very eager to hear about my adventures in Australia, as well as recommend locations in Victoria I should travel to. We woke up the next morning and packed all our gear in Anthony's car, with the expectation that we would set out before dusk to find a spot to camp in the bush (saving us money of course) We than did a 4 mile day hike up to a spot in The Grampians called The Pinnacle. It is a thin rock face that juts out of the mountain overlooking Halls Gap. On the way we did a detour up a steep rock face. It was harrowing but also very rewarding. It had an amazing view, and linked up with the trail that we would have taken back from The Pinnacle. Waiting for us at the top of the mountain were giant, winged, ants that had stingers. As someone who is afraid of insects with stingers, with good cause, I spent most of my time on The Pinnacle looking to avoid these pests. On our way back to Anthony's car to get our camping gear, we ran into around twenty gray kangaroos. They were just grazing outside the camp area. While they were understandably skittish, we held out our empty hands and more often than not, a kangaroo would hop over to within a few feet expecting food. There were also white cockatoos and green and red parrots flying all over the place. Before it got to dark, we set out on the trail to look for a suitable place to camp. With a group of thirteen, we were going to need an area that would be suitable for the four tents, as well as the tarp that Andreas, Kev, and I had slept on the night before. We made it back to the waterfall, but still could not find a place to camp. About an hour before nightfall, Kev and Christy ran ahead on the trail to look for a spot. Luckily, they found one about twenty minutes on the trail, and than 5 minutes off it. After clearing space, we set up camp in the forest overlooking a valley. That night happened was the beginning of my birthday so we stayed up late, talking and drinking. It was real camping, and it was fantastic. The next day we woke up with the sun and hiked back down. We chilled in Halls Gap for an hour or two before our bus came to take us back to Melbourne. The following Saturday, Kev, Laura, Dave, Jochka (girl from Budapest), and I woke up early and made the two hour drive to Phillip Island. Phillip Island is one of the more popular tourist attractions in Victoria because of its beautiful coastline and because of its colony of little penguins. The little penguin is the smallest species of penguin typically growing to only 17 inches tall. Than we got the treat of witnessing the "Penguin Parade." At about 7 at night, we paid twenty bucks to sit with a bunch of loud tourists at designated spots on the beach. As it grew colder and darker, our anticipation grew. Than at about 8:30, little penguins started landing on the beach by parachute, no, they came from the ocean. Than in groups of 10-20, they began to scurry to their burrows on the beach, passing us as they went. A "little penguin" is smaller than the emperor penguin chicks from March of the Penguins. It was great to see how they would wait in the shallows, bunch up in formation, than scurry for their homes. Earlier in the evening, some loud raptors had been circling the beach. Unfortunately, but understandably, pictures were not allowed. It was a unique experience and one I won't soon forget. We headed back to Melbourne at around 10, got stuck in traffic, got grouchy, and got back to the village at around 12:30. Than I woke up in morning and watched Northern Iowa defeat Kansas. I love the time difference. More to come...