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Phillip Island - Cities, Towns and Localities |
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Phillip Island was discovered in January 1798, ten years after the arrival of
the first fleet in Sydney, by George Bass and named by him after the
first governor, Captain Arthur Phillip.
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Part of the Bass Coast region, Phillip
Island is located an easy 140 km from
Melbourne, and is one of Victoria’s major tourist destinations,
attracting over 3.5 million visitors annually. Visitors to Phillip Island will pass Churchill Island,
also worth a visit. Originally part of Phillip Island, when the sea levels rose
some 10-15,000 years ago, the land linking them was submerged.
On arrival at Phillip Island, for first time visitors, your first
stop should be the Information Centre, packed with information on
accommodation, attractions and available tours. You can also purchase many of your passes
to the various attractions from here.
There is plenty to do on the island, including bushwalking, rock climbing,
fishing, fossicking, bird watching, historical exploration, motor bike and motor
car enthusiasts, just to name a few. Yet it is the Penguin Parade that is the
highlight of a visit to Phillip Island for the first time tourist. With the sun
slipping into the Bass Strait, and the drawing of the evening light, little
penguins come ashore at Summerland Beach to return to their burrows, after a day
of feeding out at sea.
Check out our listing of
Phillip
Island accommodation. In addition to our listed online travel guide
information, contact the local tourism visitor centre for your destination for
more attractions, tours, local maps and other information. |
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Amaze‘n’things
• 1805
Phillip Island Rd, COWES VIC 3922 • Ph: 03 5952 2283 • Fax: 03 5952 2227 •
• Intriguing, bizarre, mazes, puzzles, optical illusions, mini golf,
great fun for the whole family.
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Churchill Island
• Churchill Island is Phillip Island’s
main historic attraction and was the site of Victoria's first European
settlement.
Access to the island was originally by barge at high tide. Today, the bridge
makes it easier for visitors to enjoy the history and scenic beauty of the
island.
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Koala Conservation
Centre
• Phillip Island Nature Parks
• Harbison Rd, PHILLIP ISLAND
VIC 3922
• Ph: +61 3 5951 2800
• Fax: +61 3 5956 8394
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• Stroll through this eucalypt woodland
and come ‘face-to-face’ with koalas in their natural habitat. The Koala
Conservation Centre’s unique tree top boardwalks and close viewing areas allow
visitors to see how truly amazing koalas are. The new koala boardwalk provides
exceptional koala viewing and features amazing views of a beautiful natural
wetland area.
Promoting koala conservation, this ecotourism attraction has been essential for
saving Phillip Island’s koala population and natural bush environment. The new
close viewing area plays host to a special koala breeding program over the next
year, ensuring it remains a key player in the conservation of these important
animals. Visitors have the opportunity to experience a ranger-led ‘Koala
Eco-Explorer Tour’ which provides them with the chance to discover behind the
scenes information about one of Australia’s favourite icons.
Another spectacular area is the woodland walk. Wandering through natural bush,
amongst hundreds of different species of Australian wildlife, (including
wallabies, possums, echidnas and snakes) visitors can try to spot the koalas
themselves.
The Koala Conservation Centre also features a visitor interpretation centre with
gift shop and educational displays, which visitors will find extremely
fascinating and informative. The Koala Conservation Centre is part of the
Phillip Island Nature Parks and is a great addition to any trip to Phillip
Island and the Penguin Parade.
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Maru Koala & Fauna
Park
•
1650 Bass Hwy, GRANTVILLE VIC 3984
• Ph: +61 3 5678 8548
• Fax: +61 3 5678 86074
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• Experience ‘up close and personal’ contact with the animals. Hand feed
kangaroos, wallabies, emus, birds; observe koalas from the comfort of the
restaurant (Licenced); mini-Golf Extravaganza!! Putt your way around Aust.
Swings!; 18 holes from the beach to the outback zone; enjoy a snack or a meal
with Devonshire teas a specialty; BBQ facilities available.
Situated on Bass Highway at Grantville, en-route to the penguins at Phillip
Island.
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National Vietnam Veterans Museum
• 25 Veterans Drv (formerly Churchill Rd South), NEWHAVEN VIC 3925 • Ph: +61 3
5956 6400
• The National Vietnam Veterans Museum
is the only Museum of its kind in Australia that covers a specific period in
Australia's military history. The collection of around 6,000 artefacts exists to
permanently record Australia's longest commitment to any war, a period of 10
years that spanned from 1962 to 1972.
It presents the story of Australia’s military involvement at a time of deep
division among the Australian population over conscription. The Museum is of
great historical and cultural significance for Australians of all ages and also
provides a nostalgic meeting place for Veterans and their families.
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Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit
• Back Beach Rd, COWES VIC
3922 • Ph: 03 5952 9400 • Circuit & Events: 03 5952 9400
• Relive the
fascinating history of motor sport on Phillip Island. Stroll through
tranquil water gardens and Australian wildlife enclosures.
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 Phillip Island Nature
Park
• PO Box 97, COWES VIC 3922 • Ph: 03 5951 2800 • Fax: 03 5956 8394
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• Very popular sunset parade of the world’s smallest penguin: the Little
Penguin. The trick is to stay when the majority of the tourist depart,
because the Little Penguins, take all night to arrive back on the beach
and into their sand dune burrows. Please note that video camera and
photography is ‘Not Permitted’, during the viewing of the Little
Penguins.
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Wildlife Wonderland
• Bass Hwy, BASS VIC 3991 • Ph: 03 5678
2222 •
• Under new management. Animals on display
include: 3 Southern & 3 Northern Koalas (& Joeys), 20 Eastern & 2 Red
Kangaroos (& Joeys), 8 Wallabies (and Joeys), 13 Wombats, 7 Dingos, Emus,
numerous Australian Birds, Great White Shark Display (5m Shark
preserved in a large viewing tank), 6 Water Buffalo, 20 Deer. All
animals are very tame with visitors who are able to hand feed the
Kangaroos and Deer, have photos taken with the wombats and Koalas.
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 Seal
Rocks Sea Life Centre
• Seal Rocks Sea Life Centre Head Office •
RMB 1108, COWES VIC 3922 • Ph: +61 3 5952 9333 •
• Journey into the zoo of the future featuring Australia’s largest fur
seal colony. Located on the western tip of Phillip Island, the Seal
Rocks Sea Life Centre combines education with entertainment to present
the unique world of the Bass Strait marine ecosystem.
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Phillip Island Events
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• Victoria Events |
Australian
Motorcycle Grand Prix
• Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit • Ph: 03 9258 7100 • Ph: 131 931 •
• October
• With its combination of fast
straights over 300 km/h on Gardner, going into Doohan Corner at
Turn One and sweeping corners, plus such technicalities as two
first-gear right-handers, the Island circuit's four-and-a-half
kilometres have a touch of everything. What the world's other tracks
don't have, though, is the spectacular Bass Strait backdrop against
which the world's best riders make an awesome sight as they soar
over Southern Loop as they make their way up to Lukey Heights.
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Distance to Phillip Island
• Following are some approximate distances by
road to Phillip Island:
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Distances given are only approximation, they should be verified with the appropriate
maps.
The
Australian Automotive Motoring Associations also offer select access to travel trip planners. |
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Phillip Island
• The
official tourism association website for attractions, accommodation, apartments,
bed and breakfasts, holiday houses on and around Phillip Island. Supporting
members of the Phillip Island Tourism Association Inc.
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