Phillip Island

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Phillip Island is an island (obviously) a couple of hours from Melbourne accessible via a bridge from San Remo. Whilst being most famous for its penguin population there is a lot to see on Phillip Island, and it is a great place to hang out relax for a while.

Driving to Phillip Island takes about two hours from Melbourne, though be wary that you can get caught in peak hour traffic conditions if driving in that direction after about 3.30pm on weekdays.

You can also access Phillip Island without a car if you're willing to have a bit of an adventure on public transport!

  1. From the city get on any train going towards "Frankston", and remain on it until it arrives to Frankston (50 minutes - 1 hour). 
  2. Once there you will need to change onto a 'Stony Point' train until you reach Stony Point, a beautiful little train station at the end of the line just next to the beach. This little section (1 hour) is on a diesel train that looks much different from the rest of the Metro trains, and there is talk about electrifying it and including it with the normal part of the Metro line. 
  3. From Stony Point you need to get the ferry to Phillip Island with 'Western Port Ferries'. You can find information about all the prices here: 
  4. Do the reverse on the way home!
Beware of the timetables of the ferry so you do not get stuck on Phillip Island if you are planning on making it back out to Melbourne on the same day. 


If you're driving down and want to see some animals along the way, I have a few suggestions for you. One of those is 'Moonlit Sanctuary,' which in my opinion is the best animal sanctuary (far better than Healsville) in Victoria. Here you'll even be able to cuddle koalas. Otherwise, you can go to Warook Farm, where you can (amongst seeing kangaroos and emus), you get to go on a tour and see the working dog demonstration.

If you're going through Tooradin, make sure to stop in at the Tooradin Ice Cream Shop which I think is one of the best I've ever been to.

Anyway onto Phillip Island. You'll arrive to a beautiful drive over the bridge from San Remo, and if you continue along about 10 minutes drive you'll see a turnoff to Cape Woolamai Beach, which is a beautiful (but dangerous for beginners) spot to stop for a swim. This is probably my favourite beach on the entire island. After a bit of a swim there, you can go check out Cowes which is the main town.

The main attractions on the island are the 'Nobbies', as well as the Penguin Parade. The penguins come in right on sunset, which can range anywhere from 5.30pm-9pm depending on the time of the year. During peak season, the penguin parade experience will often sell out, meaning that if you haven't booked ahead of time you'll be refused access to the beach where it occurs. I think arguably the highlight for me though is the return drive from the Nobbies Centre if you follow the signs which say 'Penguin Parade via alternate route.' It takes you along an amazing cliff drive (I reccomend bringing a picnic and some supplies and enjoying it slowly). 

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