Phillip Island, located about 140 kilometres (87 miles) southeast of Melbourne, Victoria, is a beloved destination known for its stunning landscapes, diverse wildlife and, most famously, its penguins. Often referred to as “Penguin Island”, it is home to the largest little penguin colony in the world (around 40,000 birds) as well as Australia’s largest fur seal colony at Seal Rocks. More than 700,000 people come every year to watch the nightly parade of little penguins returning to shore. Here’s a complete guide to exploring the island.
Table of Contents
When to visit Phillip Island and How to get There?
Location
Phillip Island is easily accessible from Melbourne, making it a popular day trip or weekend getaway destination.
- By car: The drive from Melbourne to Phillip Island takes about 1.5 to 2 hours via the South Gippsland Highway (M420) and the Bass Highway (A420). Once you cross the San Remo bridge, you’ll find yourself on Phillip Island. There is free parking on-site.
- By bus: Public transportation is limited on Phillip Island. The V-line serves Phillip Island’s main town of Cowes from Southern Cross station in Melbourne. Two things to know: the bus does not drop you at the Penguin Parade, and there is no return bus to Melbourne after the parade ends. Sort out your way back before you go.
- By taxi: Contact Phillip Island Taxis on 03 5952 2200 to arrange transfers on Phillip Island.
- On a tour: if you don’t have a car, an organised day tour from Melbourne is the simplest solution. See the Guided Tours section below.
Best Season to visit Phillip Island
Located in the very south of Australia, the island has a cool winter: around 14°C on average across May, June and July. To make the most of your stay, go for the warmer months, October to February.
The Penguin Parade runs 365 nights a year, but the penguins are at their most numerous during the Australian summer, December to February.
Two things to plan around:
The Christmas period is by far the busiest of the year.
From mid-December to late January, and during long weekends and school holidays, the island gets very busy: heavy traffic on the way in, and seating in General Viewing is no longer guaranteed (standing space remains available). Book ahead and leave earlier than you think you need to.
Things to Do in Phillip Island
Penguins Parade
The Penguin Parade is the star attraction of Phillip Island, drawing visitors from all over the world. Every night at sunset, little penguins — the smallest penguin species in the world, roughly 33 cm tall and 1 kg — come ashore in small groups and waddle across Summerland Beach to their burrows. They wait until enough of them have gathered before crossing together.
Reserve your ticket for the famous Penguin Parade. Penguins usually arrive between 8pm and 8.45pm in summer, and between 5.15pm and 6.45pm in winter.
Grandstands and boardwalks have been built so you can watch without disturbing the colony, including the Shearwater Boardwalk and the new Penguins Premium beachfront platform, both part of a recent $5 million upgrade funded through the Regional Tourism Investment Fund.
The rules you need to know
Photography is not allowed — and neither is using your phone. It has to stay in your pocket or bag for the whole parade. Screen light disorients little penguins just as much as a camera flash does. The rule applies to every viewing option, from the General Viewing grandstands to Underground Viewing.
📸 During the day, however, you can photograph freely: at the visitor centre, at The Nobbies and at the Koala Conservation Reserve.
Before you book
- Booking is essential. Sessions sell out, especially in summer.
- The Penguin Parade Visitor Centre opens at 5pm.
- Arrive 1 hour before the penguins are due for General Viewing, Penguins Plus and Penguins Premium, and 30 minutes before for Underground Viewing. Guided tours have their own departure time, shown on your ticket.
- Arrival times shift by several hours across the year. Phillip Island Nature Parks publishes a penguin arrival calendar, check it before you book.
Ticket options at a glance
All prices in Australian dollars, checked July 2026.
| Option | Adult (16+) | Child (4–15) | Family (2+2) |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Viewing | $32 | $16 | $80 |
| Penguins Plus | $80 | $40 | $200 |
| Penguins Premium | $80 | $40 | $200 |
| Underground Viewing | $90 | $45 | $225 |
| Guided Penguin Tour (12+) | $100 | — | — |
| Ultimate Adventure Tour (16+) | $120 | — | — |
| Family Wildlife Tour | $85 | $42.50 | $212.50 |
Australian pensioner / seniors rate (card required): $22.40 for General Viewing and $59.50 for the Family Wildlife Tour. There is no student rate.
Phillip Island Penguin Parade – General viewing
The classic and most affordable option: tiered grandstands looking out over Summerland Beach. It’s also the busiest. In December and January, arrive at the time shown on your ticket — seats aren’t guaranteed.
💸 Price: $32 per adult, $16 per child, $80 per family. ✅ Book here.
Penguins Plus
A smaller grandstand right on the beach, giving you a much closer view of the little penguins.
💸 Price: $80 per adult. ✅ Book here.
Underground viewing
Watch the penguins from an underground gallery, sheltered from the weather — no small thing on this coast. They waddle right past the window, sometimes only centimetres away.
💸 Price: $90 per adult. ✅ Book here.
Guided Penguin Tour
An informative walk through the colony with a ranger, with individual headsets for the commentary and a great view of the penguins emerging from the water. Minimum age 12.
💸 Price: $100. ✅ Book here.
Ultimate Adventure Tour
Be one of the few to head out to a secluded beach away from the Penguin Parade. Individual headsets carry the commentary and night vision goggles let you watch the penguins in the dark, right in the heart of the colony. An accredited eco tour, minimum age 16. A reasonable level of fitness is needed: soft sand, around 20 stairs and up to 1.5 km of walking each way.
💸 Price: $120. ✅ Book here.
Family Wildlife Tour
A ranger-led educational tour that starts with a talk about the wildlife of Millowl (the Aboriginal name for Phillip Island), followed by reserved front-row seating in the tiered viewing area. Each family goes home with a penguin jumper and a book. Available Friday and Saturday, and nightly through the school holidays.
💸 Price: $85 per adult, $42.50 per child (4–15), $212.50 per family. ✅ Book here.
Rest assured: despite this long list of paid options, you can also see penguins for free elsewhere on the island, particularly from the boardwalks at The Nobbies. They are very discreet, so pay attention to your surroundings if you want to catch a glimpse.
Other Wildlife Attractions
Fur seals at The Nobbies
Off the western tip of the island, Seal Rocks is home to Australia’s largest colony of fur seals — several thousand animals hauled out on the rocks, about 1.5 km offshore. Watching them from the coastal boardwalks is free.
The Nobbies Centre opens at 11am, with closing times following the sunset: around 8pm in summer, 6pm in spring, 5pm in autumn and 4pm in winter. Bring binoculars — the rocks are a fair way out.
Koala Conservation Reserve
We advise you to visit the Koala Reserve to learn more about the way of life of these little living teddy bears. They sleep 20 hours a day and feed exclusively on eucalyptus leaves, which allow them to stay hydrated. Koalas rarely change trees.
Book your ticket in advance: $16 per adult, open daily from 10am (closing at 5pm, later during the Australian summer).
Churchill Island Heritage Farm
Step back in time at this working farm, where you can watch sheep shearing, cow milking and other farm activities. The island has beautiful gardens and walking trails with stunning views.
If you want to visit several parks and/or several reserves on Phillip Island, it’s a good idea to buy a Multi Pass (entry to 4 parks) to save money.
💡 Phillip Island Nature Parks is a not-for-profit organisation: all revenue funds research and conservation. That’s what paid for buying back and demolishing the housing estate built on the penguins’ breeding ground, and why the colony has grown from around 12,000 birds in the 1980s to roughly 40,000 today, the largest little penguin colony in the world.
Outdoor Activities
Beaches
- Cowes Beach: A family-friendly beach with calm waters, perfect for swimming and picnicking.
- Smiths Beach: Popular with surfers and known for its consistent waves.
- Summerland Beach: Besides being the site of the Penguin Parade, it’s a beautiful spot to relax and enjoy the scenery.
Walking and Cycling Trails
Phillip Island Nature Parks maintains walking tracks all over the island, from the short Nobbies Boardwalk to the longer Cape Woolamai circuit (see The Best Hikes below). The island is also a favourite with cyclists: the loop road linking Cowes, Ventnor and The Nobbies takes in most of the main sights, with wide shoulders and gentle gradients.
Guided Tours from Melbourne
If you’re looking for an easy way to visit Phillip Island, especially if you don’t have a car, you might like to book a day tour (from about $170 per person). Leaving from Melbourne, these tours include entry to the Koala Conservation Reserve and the Penguin Parade.
The Grand Prix Circuit: the final MotoGP season
Phillip Island isn’t only about penguins. For motorsport fans it’s a pilgrimage: the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit at Ventnor is widely rated as one of the finest tracks in the world. Its 4.4 km run right along the coast, with long, fast sweepers and a permanent view over Bass Strait.
Opened in 1956 and completely rebuilt in the 1980s, the circuit hosted the Australian motorcycle Grand Prix in 1989 and 1990 — Australian Wayne Gardner won that first edition — before a spell at Eastern Creek and a return to the island from 1997. The World Superbike Championship has opened its season here almost every year since 1990.
🏁 If you’re in Victoria in 2026: MotoGP is saying goodbye to Phillip Island. The race on 23–25 October 2026 is the last one ever held on the island. From 2027 the Australian Grand Prix moves to a street circuit in Adelaide (first edition in November 2027, on a six-year deal). Crowds will be enormous, so book accommodation and tickets a long way in advance.
World Superbike stays on the island for 2027 and opens the season on 19–21 February, with pre-season testing on 15–16 February. Beyond that, its future is less certain: the series is expected to move to The Bend in South Australia from 2028.
What about outside race weekends? The circuit is open all year. At the Visitor Centre you can take a guided track tour — with access to race control, the pit roof and the podium — ride shotgun for hot laps in a race car, or drive go-karts on a 750 m replica of the track. There’s also a motorsport history exhibition, simulators and slot car tracks. Current opening hours and prices are on the circuit’s official website.
The circuit sits a few minutes from The Nobbies, so it’s easy to fit into the same day.
The Best Hikes on Phillip Island
There are many hikes on Phillip Island that will delight nature lovers. Here are our top 3:
Cape Woolamai
🚶 Distance: up to 8.4 km for the full circuit. Difficulty: moderate.
At the southern entrance to the island, Cape Woolamai is Phillip Island’s highest point and a very popular spot for surfers as well as for lazing on the beach. Three marked routes start from the surf club car park, including the Pinnacle Loop (4 km, green markers, about 2 hours) leading to the granite pinnacles, and the Old Granite Quarry Walk (6 km, blue markers) to the old quarry. Link them together and you’ll cover roughly 8.4 km along the cliffs. Take your time — the views are incredible and there’s wildlife hiding in the scenery.
The Nobbies
🚶 Distance: about 1 km. Difficulty: easy (20 to 40 minutes).
At the western tip of the island, a few minutes from the Penguin Parade, The Nobbies is a timber boardwalk running above the sea and along the coast. It’s the best vantage point for the fur seals of Seal Rocks, and one of the few places you can spot little penguins for free — look through the slats of the walkway. Don’t miss the blowhole, spectacular when the swell is up. Note that the route includes steps, so it isn’t well suited to prams or wheelchairs.
Forest Caves
🚶 Distance: 1.4 km. Difficulty: easy.
Go at low tide to see spectacular sea caves. These rock formations are reached from the lookout on Phillip Island Road, in the southeast of the island. Check the tide times before heading down — access is along the beach, and animals can hide in the caves.
Take a look at the best hikes here.
Where to stay on Phillip Island
Camping
The mobile apps Campermate (free) and Wikicamps ($7.99) list a wide selection of campsites for you to choose from. You will find both sites where you can camp with your equipment, and cabins fitted out according to your needs.
Free camping is not permitted on Phillip Island.
Hotels
If you’re on a bigger budget, hotels and Airbnbs are also available on Phillip Island. Kaloha Holiday Resort Phillip Island is a tropical, beachfront park that’s a great choice for families, with a heated swimming pool, children’s playground, and BBQ facilities. Rooms from $165. Another great option is Ingenia Holidays Phillip Island, where you can choose from standard cabins or more luxurious deluxe and premium villas. Prices from just $80.
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