We’ve been living in Melbourne for over six months now and I have very little bad to say about it. The weather reminds me of a bit too much of my hometown, Buffalo, New York, with its constant changing seasons within a 24 hour period, but other than that, it has been a wonderful place to call home. A few months ago, winter finally started to break a little and we were itching to get out of the house and do something outdoorsy. We wanted to go somewhere new for us, someplace serene, peaceful, and most importantly, not a city. Our destination- Phillip Island.
Phillip Island is about an hour and a half drive outside of Melbourne and lies just off of Victoria’s southern coast. It’s very well known for the Penguin Parade, which happens daily at sunset. Spectators gather to witness large groups of little penguins waddling ashore. I’m sure it’s quite a sight to see! However, as we were visiting during the afternoon, we searched for other activities to do. I also wanted to make this a budget-friendly outing and thanks to a little ahead of time preparation & research, we were able to have a wonderful day without spending a dime!
On the morning of our outing, I put together a huge lunch for the two of us of easy things that can last in the car for a couple of hours- sandwiches, fruit, tortellini salad, & cheese and crackers. That covered our food for the day and saved us the cost of having to eat out. We left the house on the earlier side, filled up our gas tank and we hit the road. The ride alone was very pretty and what a change of scenery once you’re out of the city!
Our first stop was Newhaven, a little town right when you cross over the bridge onto the island. With a population of roughly 500, you can only imagine how quaint it is. There are some restaurants and shops, a pretty waterfront, and beautiful neighborhoods. We took a little drive around and eventually pulled over to get out of the car and admire the views.
The breeze off of the water was very nice and the colors of the landscape were beautiful. We walked along the beach for a while and then slowly made our way back to the car.
From there we drove 20-minutes to the other side of the island, which brought us to Kitty Miller Bay. Kitty Miller Bay is a gorgeous, colorful bay with a huge rock platform that spans quite far during low tide. Walking out onto the rocks, we were able to admire incredible rock pools filled with beautiful shells and really cool little creatures. I’m not sure if it was the time of day, but we almost had the whole beach to ourselves. It was so peaceful and quiet, with only the sounds of crashing waves and the wind blowing.
We eventually made our way on to the land where a little trail had been made through the grass. Although steep in some areas, we followed the trail all the way to the top of the hill to find the most stunning view of the bay. From there you can also see the remnants of the SS Speke shipwreck, which took place in 1906! The views go on for as far as the eye can see and you could honestly spend a whole day in this area alone taking in the sights. Unfortunately, as we had a couple more stops on our list, after an hour or so of exploring this area, we moved on to our next destination.
We had another 10-minute drive from Kitty Miller Bay to The Nobbies. The Nobbies Center, which overlooks Bass Straight, is an ecotourism destination and home to Australia’s largest colony of Fur Seals, as well as home to other important wildlife. Along the coastline, there’s an amazing boardwalk for the visitors to walk the sights and truly enjoy the incredible scenery that the Noobies has to offer. We enjoyed it so much that we walked the entire boardwalk until you couldn’t walk anymore! Even though the total walk is only about 1/2 a mile, it takes a bit of time, as you’ll want to stop to admire and really take in what you’re seeing. The views truly are stunning and quite breathtaking!
We had one last stop for the day and that was to Oswin Roberts Reserve, about a half an hour drive going in the direction of our final destination off of the island. As we had spent most of the day on the coast and around the water, which is something that both of us love, it was nice to have a little change of scenery and be amongst trees and wilderness, something else we both love. Oswin Roberts Reserve is the last remaining bushland on Philip Island. There are a couple of different walking trails that all take different lengths of time. We took the medium-length trail, which was about an hour-long, with high hopes of seeing some koala bears. The trails are filled with eucalyptus trees, which are generally koala’s natural habitat, but we were not fortunate enough to see any along our walk. We did, however, enjoy the lovely walk, which led us to a beautiful open field of cows, ducks, and a couple of really cute wallabies, which neither of us had yet seen in person.
The trail looped around, eventually bringing us back to the car park. After one more failed look around for koalas, we called it a day and started to make our journey back home to Melbourne. There are quite a few things Philip Island has to offer that we didn’t get to experience this time around, so I think it’s safe to say we will be back again! If you plan on making a trip to Phillip Island and would like to follow the route we took, please see the map below:
Phillip Island is absolutely a destination worth visiting, especially if you live in Melbourne or the surrounding areas. The beauty is indescribable, the atmosphere is relaxing, and the sights are beyond breathtaking! Please leave any questions or comments below. Thank you for reading and happy travels!
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