Phillip Island is one of Victoria’s biggest attractions, with 3.5 million visitors a year.
Some 140 km south of Melbourne, connected to the mainland by a bridge, the island is 26 km long and 9 km wide. It certainly has its natural attractions, such as the rocky coves and headlands in the south and sunny north-facing beaches around Cowes, but the island has long since been tamed. Some wildlife continues to thrive, however, and this has been the lynchpin of the island’s tourism success, particularly the rather overrated Penguin Parade. Other visitors come for the superb surfing breaks along the dangerous south coast and the safe swimming beaches on the sandy northern shores. There are some pleasant walking tracks throughout the island, particularly on Cape Woolamai. Newhaven, by the bridge, and Cowes are the main towns, while Rhyll has a quiet charm away from the crowds. San Remo is the gateway town, with accommodation a shade cheaper than on the island itself. The Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix is held here.
At the far end of the island are the Nobbies, a series of rocky islands joined to the coast at low tide, and beyond them Seal Rocks, home to Australia’s largest fur seal colony. There is a new state-of-the-art visitors’ centre and a series of boardwalks weave their way down past through penguin habitats to the rock shelf below. The seals can only be seen with powerful binoculars and a live webcam in the centre, but fairy penguins and gulls can often be seen sheltering under the boardwalks. The road out there is closed at dusk, when the Penguin Parade (visitor centre, T5951 2800, http://www.penguins.org.au, from 1000, parade from dusk, $21.20, children $10.60, concessions $14.80), gets into gear. Fairy penguins burrow in their thousands in the dunes along this stretch of coast, coming ashore in the darkness after a hard day at sea. Huge grandstands and powerful lights have been erected to allow thousands of visitors to watch the tired birds struggle out of the water and up the beach. Koalas are best seen at the Koala Conservation Centre (Phillip Island Rd, 1000-1700, $10.60, children $5.30, concessions $7.40), via an excellent series of elevated boardwalks through stands of gum trees. Other spots include Swan Lake, the island’s only freshwater lake near Penguin Parade, Cape Woolamai, with its popular and pleasant walking tracks, and Rhyll Inlet, a wetland habitat favoured by migratory wading birds. Swan Lake and Rhyll both have boardwalks and bird hides....
