Phillip Island and those birds in dinner suits...

I really can't concentrate because we're at the prickly end of the semi-final between the Roger FedEx and the Novak Djoker at the Aussie Open.

In any case, enjoy these photos from my 5 day stay in Melbourne, then Phillip Island, and then back to Melbourne again.

Saturday night was spent at the A-Chef's place, where the BudCycler brought his very own Ice Kachang machine and it took more than the appropriate number of boys to get the requisite amount of ice shaved.

[The end result? A refreshing and colourful Ice Kachang:]

[So many arms:]

The next morning, we headed off for the drive across the bridge and into Phillip Island. We stayed at a charming Bed and Breakfast called the Holmwood Guesthouse. Talk about comfy, we woke up at 9 am, indulged in some continental breakfast and loitered out the door to see the sights of Phillip Island.

On Saturday night we saw the Penguin Parade, but we weren't allowed to take any photos because it stresses the plucky penguins out and they run back into the sea (apparently crossing the beach after night has fallen is the most stressful part of a little penguin's day). But the next day at the Nobbies, we spied some tiny baby penguins holding the fort while their parents searched for food:

Here we are at Seal Rocks:

Then the next day we hung out at Panny's Phillip Island Chocolate Factory and broke all the rules:

Meanwhile Man from Mars met his match with Chocolate Adonis:

This Dame Edna is made entirely of CHOCOLATES!

And... freshly tempered and perfectly snappy, this chocolate is right ready to be wrapped and shipped off:

Next stop was the Koala Conservation Centre. We saw real snuggly koalas and bearhugged some fake giant ones too:

[A koala and her baby:]

[Boing!!! Wallaby spots us from 200 metres away:]

[Delicate butterfly with striking wings:]

Great Aussie bird builds his humble abode:

[On the beach:]

... And to end, Aussie flowers!

And homebound again... giant tumbleweed (or so I thought)- bales of hay, in actual fact:

And the trip came to an end soon after! Highly recommended if you're looking out for a quick trip that won't cost the earth and take your mind far far away from the city and work.