phillip island
What a magic place Phillip Island is! From penguins, to Pyramid Rock, to the yummiest pizzas we have eaten, it sure was a highlight of our holiday!
Phillip Island was the second stop of our 'Flocks, Docks and Gold Rush Frocks' trip around Victoria. And to our surprise, it turned out to be our last destination as COVID was being a real pain in the butt! We stayed at Phillip Island Beachfront Holiday Park at Cowes. Cowes is such a cool little place to stay with everything that you need at the palm of your hand. If you fancy the most delicious pizzas and pastas, hit up Pino's Trattoria!
Anyways, moving past food and back to the caravan park! We stayed on 201B which was a powered site and had awesome views over the water. We had a cabin to the left of us and behind us making our site the only caravan site on the block. Across the road were more powered caravan sites with even closer views of the water. The beach access was practically at their doorstep. The amenities block wasn't anything aesthetically pleasing but it made for one of the best amenities blocks that we have ever stayed at. What's the game changer I hear you asking? They had aircon heating which meant that after you enjoyed a steamy hot shower in the middle of the Victorian winter, you could dry and dress yourself and still stay cosy warm! The caravan boasts itself on location, followed by fun playgrounds, a pizza oven, ride-on trikes and regular school holidays activities. The caravan park did say on their website that fire pits weren't permitted, but you can actually hire fire pits or use your own. Firewood is for sale at the front office. The caravan park was central to all of the attractions found on Phillip Island.
Anyways, moving past food and back to the caravan park! We stayed on 201B which was a powered site and had awesome views over the water. We had a cabin to the left of us and behind us making our site the only caravan site on the block. Across the road were more powered caravan sites with even closer views of the water. The beach access was practically at their doorstep. The amenities block wasn't anything aesthetically pleasing but it made for one of the best amenities blocks that we have ever stayed at. What's the game changer I hear you asking? They had aircon heating which meant that after you enjoyed a steamy hot shower in the middle of the Victorian winter, you could dry and dress yourself and still stay cosy warm! The caravan boasts itself on location, followed by fun playgrounds, a pizza oven, ride-on trikes and regular school holidays activities. The caravan park did say on their website that fire pits weren't permitted, but you can actually hire fire pits or use your own. Firewood is for sale at the front office. The caravan park was central to all of the attractions found on Phillip Island.
penguin parade
You can’t visit the island without seeing the famous Penguin Parade! We were so lucky to have had perfect weather! It poured in the hours leading up to it (which we were dreading as the show still goes on in the rain), but finally someone had our back and made for a dry, still evening of watching the penguins come into shore.
The blue light from phones and cameras harm the penguins eyesight so no photography or filming is allowed, but it was perfect as it made you be present in the moment. It is rather something special to see.
We paid a little bit more to purchase Penguin Plus tickets. The ticket is to sit at a premium viewing platform to watch the penguins up close as they waddle up the path to their homes. If you travel that far to see it, it’s worth paying that little bit more. We saw close to 100 little penguins walk straight past us! We were not disappointed!
A serious threat to penguins is oil pollution. When penguins become oiled, they try to preen and clean the toxic oil from their feathers. Ingesting the oil can kill them. It also damages their delicate feathers, which exposes their skin to the elements. This prevents them from swimming, hunting, as well as leaving them cold.
Little Penguin rehabilitation jumpers temporarily act as a barrier so rescue staff can work on removing the oil from their bodies. The ‘Knits for Nature’ program has been running for 20 years and with volunteers from around the world. They have made over 100,000 little penguin jumpers! Some of these jumpers were too big or small, or came with embellishments which could pose a risk to the penguins, so these jumpers are sold with plush penguins to raise money for wildlife conservation on Phillip Island! You can make a donation or adopt a penguin by visiting the Penguin Foundation.
The blue light from phones and cameras harm the penguins eyesight so no photography or filming is allowed, but it was perfect as it made you be present in the moment. It is rather something special to see.
We paid a little bit more to purchase Penguin Plus tickets. The ticket is to sit at a premium viewing platform to watch the penguins up close as they waddle up the path to their homes. If you travel that far to see it, it’s worth paying that little bit more. We saw close to 100 little penguins walk straight past us! We were not disappointed!
A serious threat to penguins is oil pollution. When penguins become oiled, they try to preen and clean the toxic oil from their feathers. Ingesting the oil can kill them. It also damages their delicate feathers, which exposes their skin to the elements. This prevents them from swimming, hunting, as well as leaving them cold.
Little Penguin rehabilitation jumpers temporarily act as a barrier so rescue staff can work on removing the oil from their bodies. The ‘Knits for Nature’ program has been running for 20 years and with volunteers from around the world. They have made over 100,000 little penguin jumpers! Some of these jumpers were too big or small, or came with embellishments which could pose a risk to the penguins, so these jumpers are sold with plush penguins to raise money for wildlife conservation on Phillip Island! You can make a donation or adopt a penguin by visiting the Penguin Foundation.
The nobbies
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There are so many beautiful places to visit at Phillip Island. This was going to be a one night stop just to see the penguins but after more research, it turns out that Phillip Island is a big place with natural wonders to see, particularly in the nature park!
This is us standing in the cold windy conditions at The Nobbies. There is a 500m boardwalk that overlooks Bass Strait and if you’re lucky, you will see the blowhole doing it’s thing! Perfect spot to look for some whales if you’re visiting during whale migration plus you can see Seal Rocks which is home to Australia’s largest fur seal colony! Be sure to take the coast road track back towards the Penguin Parade. It’s off-road but an easy track to follow with some breathtaking lookouts. |
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KITTY MILLER BAYNext, we visited Kitty Miller Bay. A serene place to just chill out. Many locals were here out on the break at high tide, a massive paddle out! On low tide, you can walk across the rock platform and around the base of the headland to find the SS Speke Shipwreck!
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PYRAMID ROCKPyramid Rock was our next stop. It was super windy and rainy by the time we got there so we didn’t get to walk out along the boardwalk. However, it still lived up to its expectation, a rock that looks like a pyramid! If the weather is turning it on for you, be sure to do the 5km walk from Pyramid Rock to Berrys Beach.
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FLYNN'S BEACHWe couldn’t not visit a beach that shares the same name as our eldest warrior! Now we’ve visit Flynn’s Beach at Port Macquarie and now Phillip Island. Both just as stunning as each other. The beach is 1.3km long, so allow around 1 hour from the carpark to the historical jetty and back. The beach is not patrolled but you can find some interesting things that are washed up at low tide. It does make for some epic surf conditions, but it also a great swimming spot when the waves are smaller. The best time to go fishing here is in Winter and during high tide.
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PUFFING BILLYTrains run through our blood so we couldn’t not visit Victoria without going on the famous Puffing Billy Railway! It was a 1.5hr one way trip but since we decided to head home the following day, we didn't want to come this far without visiting the classic steam train! We booked our tickets from Belgrave to Lakeside online, as well as a family picnic pack. The lunch was delish and great value for money. The train trip to Lakeside took roughly one hour. It was a beautiful stretch of track through the Dandenong Ranges and our warriors really enjoyed the open windows! We were able to use our Big Lap Bible discount voucher too!
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We acknowledge the Bunurong people as the traditional owners of this land and pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. We say thanks for allowing us to walk, stay and learn on Country. Follow along as we spent our last day in Victoria in the Bellarine Peninsula.
Peace + love,
Peace + love,