Koalas and Penguins

Sun. 4/19 We toured Melbourne this morning. It is a city of contrasts - beautiful 18th century Victorian buildings and the most bizarre contemporary architecture ever. In the afternoon we went down to Phillips Island to see the Penguin Parade. On the way we saw 10 or 12 koalas. Most were sleeping - they do that 18 hours a day. One little guy climbed down and entertained us for 10 minutes or so then climbed up and went back to sleep. Koalas are very appealing animals. At sundown we saw the little penguins come back across the beach to return to their burrows. They are only about 12 inches tall, the world's smallest. They gather together in a group to get up the nerve to cross the beach. Very cute. Tom continues to work on his goal of trying every beer made in New Zealand and Australia. He says he may have to extend his stay if he runs out of days before he runs out of beers.