Just a two-hour drive from Melbourne, Phillip Island is paradise for nature lovers. Here are five great things for families to do when they visit
1. PENGUIN PARADE
Phillip Island is home to the largest Little Penguin colony in the world. Each night, you can experience the magic of watching these amazing seabirds waddle home, from the ocean to their burrows, from specially built viewing platforms and boardwalks on Summerland Beach. It’s an experience you will never forget!
2. KOALA CONSERVATION RESERVE
See koalas up close in their natural habitat at the Koala Conservation Reserve. There are two treetop boardwalks, which both take around 20 minutes — the 800m-long Tree Top Koala Boardwalk loop and 600m-long Tree Top Woodland Boardwalk loop. While you explore, also look out for wallabies, echidnas and various birdlife and learn about the lives of koalas with the interactive displays in the new visitor centre.
3. ANTARCTIC JOURNEY AT THE NOBBIES
Learn stories of conservation, climate resilience and what lives in the deep with the interactive and immersive experiences at the Antarctic Journey at the Nobbies Centre, just five minutes’ drive from the Penguin Parade. A joint venture between the Nature Parks and WWF-Australia, the attraction takes you on a virtual journey through the Southern Ocean to Antarctica. ‘Feel the freeze’ as you enter the Antarctic Chill Zone, before viewing your thermal image and comparing it to that of an Emperor penguin. The Sound Lab and Research Station offers an insight into the sights and sounds of Antarctic wildlife with animal calls, microscopes and fascinating specimens. With the remarkable Antarctic landscape as the backdrop, the unique wildlife, ongoing research activities, and the critically important conservation values of this remote continent will come alive before your eyes, via cutting-edge augmented reality technology that puts you right in the heart of the action.
4. CHURCHILL ISLAND
Kids will love taking part in activities such as milking cows, watching sheep being sheared and seeing working dogs in action at the Heritage Farm on Churchill Island. Connected to Phillip Island by a bridge, the island also has a range of walking and cycling trails and a thriving population of nocturnal Eastern Barred Bandicoots, which are classified as extinct on the mainland.
5. NATURE RESERVES AND WALKS
Explore the various coastal, wetland, mangrove and woodland habitats on Phillip Island by walking or cycling to visit nature reserves. From the Nobbies boardwalk, just outside the centre, you can also see Seal Rocks off the coast, which is home to around 30,000 Australian fur seals. Sometimes, you can even spot Little Penguins popping their heads out of their burrows beside the boardwalk.
4 PARKS PASS
Save up to 20 per cent when you book Phillip Island’s best value ticket – the 4 Parks Pass. It includes entry to the Penguin Parade, Koala Conservation Reserve, Churchill Island and the Antarctic Journey at the Nobbies at a discounted price. And remember, every visit supports conservation efforts to help protect nature and wildlife on the island!
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH DESTINATION PHILLIP ISLAND AND PHILLIP ISLAND NATURE PARKS
