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Creating family memories on Phillip Island

Jen Adams | January 22, 2014 | 11:59 am | Comment

Penguin Parade
Phillip Island’s much-loved Penguin Parade

Sometimes I can’t work out if I can actually remember a place I visited as a young child or if I am only remembering because of the family photos and stories mum and dad share when we’re taking a trip down memory lane together. 

There’s the one when dad caught the shark in Eden in NSW, the one where I broke my arm when I was double bounced off a trampoline, I vividly remember the endless summer barbecues, being dumped in the waves, playing cards with mum and dad and my brother and sister, and of course having scruffy camping hair! And then there’s the memory of watching the Penguin Parade at Phillip Island with my grandad Stan out from England when I was just 3 years old.

Fast-forward 3 decades (where on earth did the time go?) and here I am. In Phillip Island with my 5 year old daughter who shares the same scruffy blonde hair as I had. As soon as we enter the grounds, even though I was here a couple of years ago, I have a big lump in my throat that just won’t go away as Charli excitedly swings on my arms. “Mum this is the best day ever” she squeals. “Dad, can we pick them up and cuddle them when they walk up the beach?” she asks Clint.

phillip island penguin parade
Excitedly waiting for the Parade to start!

We’re here filming for our TV series. But you’d barely know it. We’re really here with our good friends Emma and Russell (Russell happens to be our cameraman) and their two children Ella and Evie who have never been to see the Parade before.

Together we make our way onto the viewing platform on the beach. A lot has changed since I was a child – with well planned walkways, special lights near the penguins’ burrows, even an app for your iPhone as you tour the centre – and of course these days no show would be complete without popcorn and a coffee cart!

With a few thousand other excited tourists from not only across Australia but all over the world, together we wait for the sun to go down so it’s safe for the penguins to make the dash to their burrows. Every now and then you hear someone yell out “over there, over there…at 11 o’clock!”. The outbursts become more frequent and all off a sudden a silence comes over us all. The Penguins are on Parade. One appears first. Then slips back into the shadows of the water. Then another appears, and then another. All of a sudden when a big enough group has gathered, they head up the beach together. Safety in numbers. Waddling, Stopping. Looking. Waddling. Making a waddle for it. Before we know it, it’s pitch black and the penguins here in Phillip Island have made it home to their waiting chicks for the night.

phillip island penguin parade
Behind the scenes: tracking the life of a penguin with the research team

As I sit with 10-year-old Ella, I ask her how she finds the night. Completely mesmerised by these endearing creatures she replies, “I didn’t know much about penguins to be honest…I’d only seen them at the zoo…and there’s just nothing like seeing them in their natural environment doing what they would do whether we were here or not… you can’t learn that at school… this place is cool…”

As the crowds disperse, we head back to the walkway where you can see the last of the penguins still making their way through the shrubs to their burrows. Ella, Evie and Charli are crouched down together, excitedly pointing “Can you see the mum in her home?” they whisper. Already they’re asking if they can buy a penguin from the souvenir shop. I have no doubt this is a holiday story they’ll be reminiscing about one day too.

Jen x

Ready to make your own memories on Philip Island? Find out more here.

Where are the places that hold holiday memories for you? Have you been back lately? Tell us below.

About Jen Adams

Places We Go is Jen's dream come true. As the founder, she simply wanted to 'share the world with the world'. With the tag line “It’s not just the places we go, but the people we meet that capture our heart” Jen knows that it's always the locals that bring our travels alive.

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I was lucky enough explore regional Victoria earli I was lucky enough explore regional Victoria earlier in the year (between lockdowns!), and tour the Goldfields with @big4holidayparks – Sure, I got my much-needed fix of the outdoors and was able to feed my insatiable curiosity as I explored the regions utterly fascinating history & culture, but it was sitting up at the old bar of family run Munari wines, just outside of Heathcote that got me.
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 Chatting to the chief winemaker Adrian Munari, and his daughter India (over a lovely red, of course) I heard all about the historic sheep station that was established in 1871, and life on the property today. (I wonder how the farmers endured the pandemic in 1919?)  
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Here’s to a happy summer holiday for us all, of enjoying those ‘moments’, wherever we are. 
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 I based myself at the @BIG4BendigoAscotHolidayPark 
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 See link in bio if want to plan your own getaway 😍
 .
#holidayhearthisyear #ExploreBIG4 #BIG4HolidayParks #VisitVictoria @visitmelbourne
WHO WANTS TO **WIN** A LUXURIOUS 2-NIGHT GETAWAY? WHO WANTS TO **WIN** A LUXURIOUS 2-NIGHT GETAWAY?
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How would you (and a friend!) like to escape to NSW’s New England Tablelands on a 2-night LUXURIOUS getaway, experiencing the best of Armidale’s premium accom, stunning food, wine & beer, an immersion in the local arts AND a World-Heritage Listed backyard to cap it off? 
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Your weekend will include: 
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- 2 night premium suite package at the historic Tattersalls Hotel (including food & drink from their award-winning restaurant & breakfast included) 
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- A special "Private Directors Tour" at the New England Regional Art Museum of HINTON: Treasures of Australian Art, plus some goodies to take home! 
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- Grabbing a beer at Great Hops Brewing Company PLUS some special gifts delivered to your home
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- A special Hema Australian Atlas & Guide plus a NSW State Map 
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Take it from me, this is worth entering, and if you do in fact WIN, set your alarm and get up for sunrise in the New England National Park, followed by a trip to Wollomombi Falls (the second highest falls in the county!) - it was sincerely exceptional.
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Oh and say hello to John at the Tattersalls Hotel, Rachael from the Art Gallery, and Sam from Great Hops Brewery. 
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 **TAG A FRIEND YOU'D  LOVE TO TAKE, and increase your chances of winning by both entering.. I know I would 😉❤
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 **LINK IN BIO **
Good luck, 
Jen xx
WE HAVE LIFT OFF!!! ON TV TODAY 😎🕺 . Would WE HAVE LIFT OFF!!! ON TV TODAY 😎🕺
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Would love you to join me as we celebrate the locals of #armidale on TV today
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Tune in (or set your record buttons) @ 1.30pm, ON TEN **TODAY**
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A special thanks to all those that not only shared their magnificent backyard with us, but who opened their hearts and let our TV cameras in.
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Armidale, you can no longer use the term “hidden treasure” 😉
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Ps did I say “today” enough times? 😆🤪🙏 Jen xx
ARMIDALE IN THE SPOTLIGHT Ready for another cele ARMIDALE IN THE SPOTLIGHT
 
Ready for another celebration of a brilliant person and travel experience for us all?
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Meet James Rainger from @fleetadventures 
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He not only spends his life taking us travellers on scenic chopper tours over his World-Heritage Listed backyard of the #newengland region – he’s one of the many brilliant pilots who you’ll find hovering above the blazing heat helping fight our Australian Bushfires.
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When I shared my nerves about flying, he settled me with in seconds. Super grounded, in safe hands kind-a-feeling, with the biggest sparkle in his eye.
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“To be part of the firefighting team is being in the #armidale  community - we all live here, our kids go to school here, so we love it. Armidale is a community where we all band together, we’re very passionate about our backyard, and we hope it shows.. and we certainly hope people come and see what it’s like. We’ve got a unique view of part of the world that not many people get to see. And there are not hordes of people here, so it’s very personal, we like to bring people into our world and our life – and share it – thank you for taking the time to come and visit us… “
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As for the flight? Put it on your @theaustralianbucketlist
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Jen xx

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