Checked out of our accommodation this morning, dropped the key, then made our way to the hire car (Sixt).

As we walked past Sothern Cross station, there was a loud alarm sounding and a recorded message instructing everyone to evacuate immediately - clearly being ignored by everyone… Eventually found the Sixt office and went in & the alarm was going in there and very loud (It's part of the huge Sothern Cross station facility). They were also ignoring the alarm until the manager noted that she thought it might actually be for real, so we were all evacuated. Shortly thereafter it stopped, and some garbled message came across, and we were allowed back in… So that made for an interesting start to the day. Hate to think what might happen if there is a real emergency.

Regardless of the alarm, there was a long wait for the car but when we were seen to it turned out they had run out of the small Toyota Yaris we had rented, so they upgraded us to a larger BMW! This came with a lot of "toys" but took a bit of figuring out & the European indicator drove me nuts! However, it is very nice to drive and quite intuitive. That said, on driving through a long tunnel (I think on the M1), someone started talking to us - I first thought it was a message through the radio from the tunnel operator - however turned out Ethan pressing lots of buttons (no idea who he got that from…) - and there are a lot of buttons, and had managed to alert some BMW response service that we needed help! They were very understanding when I explained what had happened.

The car has a lot of features - that we've not managed to figure out. Including ridiculous features like projecting "BWM" onto the ground from the driver's door when you unlock it!

Drove to the Chadstone shopping centre to get a few things & see the balloon art, which was quite impressive. 2 displays, one being an underwater scene and the other of dinosaurs, both over 2 floors. Also saw a "3D" hologram using the spinning light bar display we recently saw on YouTube - looks very impressive, but impossible to photograph or video as the refresh rate doesn't align with the refresh rate of the spinning bar. There were a lot of "la-te-da" shops (like Gucci with security guards everywhere, only a couple of shoppers at a time in the store & a cue waiting to get in…!). Had a light lunch - a bit of Sushi & a boost juice.

Decided to get coffee down the road as all the café's in the centre rated poorly. The one we went to was great - a new business, and the owner was good to chat to and very matriculate & the cheapest coffee we've had since being in Melbourne - and one of the best.

Made our way to the Mornington Peninsula & went to Arthurs Sear Eagle - catching the gondola up to the top of the hill. Provided a great view of the Peninsula. Had some chips & roasted chestnuts, came back down - then drove to the beach. Played on the beach (sand) for quite a while making up games with the sun setting. There are some old colourful beach huts along the beach.

Headed off to Philip Island, Ethan read for a bit then fell asleep for much of the drive. Went into town (Cowes) got some food from Woollies & a kebab from a food truck then went off to find our accommodation.

Finding the villa we're staying in proved a bit tricker than expected, and we found the villa number (is part of a larger resort) per the booking, but it looked like there was someone's stuff in it… So checked and double-checked and triple-checked the booking details. While doing so, someone drove in - turned out it was the owner of the villa, the one we were at - but also the one that we were meant to be in (around the corner). Apparently Booking-com provides only 1 address for all the villas & we were meant to get a map prior with the correct details but never received it… As it happened the owner had left a mobile phone behind and was coming back to get it when she found us confused (which was fortunate as the key code we had been sent was also wrong!).

The space is good and comfortable, with a few odd items (like cotton buds that claim to be "infused with the potent hydrating, anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidising properties of pure, organic coconut oil"… )

Have settled in, but Ethan having slept for quite a while, is not too tired!