Phillip Island is an island located on the Australian south coast and is a great destination for a day tour from Melbourne! Here you can see the beautiful coast and especially observe kangaroos, koalas and penguins.

From Melbourne you can drive to the beautiful island in less than two hours or you can book a day tour with a bus company. However, it is definitely worth renting a car for one day for example when you are minimum two people — you are flexible and can even enjoy the places without the hustle and bustle of tourists.

The first highlight is just before the bridge that leads to Phillip Island. At the intersection in front of the bridge in San Remo, turn left and drive towards the port. You will immediately see the large signs that draw attention to the pelican feeding. From 12pm the many pelicans are waiting for their daily feeding at the harbor. Be sure to be prepared for a lot of visitors here — go to the spectacle a few minutes earlier so that you have a good view.
The pelicans gather every day to get their fresh fish snack, while the staff give an educational lecture on pelican biology and environmental sustainability.

After the pelican feeding continue across the bridge to the island. The best thing to do is to head straight to Phillip Island Nature Park to avoid the large number of visitors later in the afternoon. In the huge nature park you can feed free-running kangaroos and watch wallabies, koalas, wombats and birds. Only feed the kangaroos the food you can buy at the entrance to the park and nothing else!

As soon as you enter the large area with the many kangaroos, the first emus will rush towards you. To be honest: these big animals are really kind of scary. We could not really enjoy cuddling with the kangaroos because the emus are addicted to the food bag and disturb the togetherness a bit. But still: finally kangaroos have been seen, petted and fed in Australia !! #lifegoal

Now: Let’s explore the island! After a short stop at the local supermarket, we went to the Surf Beach with our car and had a picnic there. Unfortunately it rained a bit — but you can also dine in the trunk with a super beautiful view of the ocean. Depending on the time of day and weather conditions, you can also go with your surfboard into the waves.

From the Surf Beach you can continue along the coast to the Pyramid Rock Lookout. In any case, keep your eyes open when driving: Some wild wallabies often jump through nature. Aww 🙂

From the advertised parking lot, follow the path towards the coast for a few minutes. From the two viewing platforms you can see the Pyramid Rock in an incredibly great setting — it is particularly worthwhile at sunset.

At sunset, one of Australia’s most popular attractions also takes place on Phillip Island: Every evening, many small penguins waddle back ashore at sunset after their fish migration. The viewpoints and promenades right on the beach offer a great view of the penguin colony. However, you have to secure a ticket here in advance: The entrance tickets for adults start from 26 AUD (= approx. 16 euros).

Attention: Neither photos nor film recordings may be made. That scares the small islanders.

If you want to see the penguins, however, you should be aware that the tourist crowds are accordingly massive. Those who prefer to watch the little penguins in peace and with less people can do so in St Kilda near Melbourne. (see picture below)

Whether penguin parade or not — a day trip to Phillip Island is definitely worth it! If you have a better day than us with warmer temperatures, you can relax in the sand or also explore the Chocolate Factory and the local museums when it rains.

Lots of Love ♥