We spent the next days sightseeing Melbourne. We rode the free tourist tram, which was way too crowded and loud so we could not hear the informational commentary. We went the Eureka Tower for a view of the city, and I was curious about the Edge experience. The view from the tower is excellent but the Edge Experience seemed lame and way overpriced. It was just a small room which went in and out of the building a few feet. I guess any hype is good for tourism because it was always crowded and people waited in a line. We also visited The Shrine of Remembrance, which is interesting and the view of the city is great from there.
Melbourne from The Shrine of Remembrance
In the evening, we went to Phillips Island. We went on the Nobbies Boardwalk which was pretty and we even saw a baby penguin. It was neat because we were allowed to take pictures there, unlike at the Penguin parade. We arrived early at the parade because it was advertised to come early, but it is not necessary. We waited for so long in the cold until sunset and when the first wave of penguins came half the people left so there was plenty of good viewing spots empty. The penguins come in waves and waddle on shore to their nests for a few hours, so it is hard to miss. We watched a few waves of penguins and then walked on the boardwalk and saw them come to their nests and meet their little ones. It was adorable and we really enjoyed the experience, we just wished we had come later.
Penguin by the Nobbies Boardwalk
The next day we drove on the Great Ocean Road, for the third time. We did it in reverse this time which was better because we were able to do some stops we were too late to do last time. Also, the sun was great for the Apostles. It was noontime so the sun was straight above and we were able to take amazing pictures. When we were there with Hendrik’s parents the sun was setting and the pictures right against the sun were not very nice.
