Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
PHILLIP ISLAND
POP 9406
Famous for the Penguin Parade and Motorcycle Grand Prix circuit, Phillip Island attracts a
curious mix of surfers, petrolheads and international tourists making a beeline for those
little penguins.
At its heart, Phillip Island is still a farming community, but nature has conspired to turn
it into one of Victoria's hottest tourist destinations. Apart from the nightly waddling of the
penguins, there's a large seal colony, abundant bird life around the Rhyll wetlands and a
koala colony. The rugged south coast has some fabulous surf beaches and the swell of tour-
ists - the holiday population jumps to around 40,000 over summer - means there's a swag
of family attractions, plenty of accommodation, and a buzzing if unexciting cafe and res-
taurant scene in the island capital, Cowes. Visit in winter, though, and you'll find a very
quiet place where the local population of farmers, surfers and hippies go about their busi-
ness.
'The Island', as it's locally known, is only about 100 sq km, so it's easy and quick to get
around by car or bike - it's just a 15-minute drive from Cowes to the Penguin Parade or
Grand Prix circuit. It's linked to the mainland by a bridge across the Narrows from San
Remo to Newhaven. If you're on foot or bicycle, you can get here by ferry from Stony
Point to Cowes. Cowes runs along the island's north coast, while Rhyll, 7km to the east,
occupies a promontory that juts out from the island's northeast corner. Cape Woolamai,
14km southeast of Cowes, is a long finger of land that extends out into the ocean from the
island's far southeast, south of Newhaven.
The Boonwurrung people are the traditional inhabitants of the island, though what they'd
have made of coachloads of Penguin Parade tourists and biker gangs making their way over
the San Remo bridge is anyone's guess.
