Top 5 Wildlife Experiences at Phillip Island
Phillip Island is easily one of the best places for wildlife experiences and encounters in Victoria. Our Phillip Island tour takes you to all the best places to see some of Australia’s cutest and most adorable animals.
Using the knowledge of our increible Bunyip team, we have put together a list of the 5 best wildlife experiences on Phillip Island!
1 – Little Penguins at the Penguin Parade
It’s no surprise that the Penguin Parade is at the top of our list! Phillip Island is the best place in the world to see these adorable, little penguins. There are some 30,000 little penguins in this particular colony. They travel around the waters of the Bass Strait and Southern Ocean, before coming on home in the Phillip Island Nature Park. Groups of penguins come out of the water and onto the island together, in one of nature’s most adorable shows.
2 – Fur Seals at The Nobbies
The Nobbies is just nearby to the Penguin Parade, and has a number of things to do. There is a visitor centre that has information on the coastline and surrounding area, and a beautiful boardwalk with stunning views of Round Island and Seal Rock.
If you’re lucky, you may even spot some of the 25,000-strong colony of Fur Seals. The best chance will be from October to December in the seal’s breeding season. Look out for them sunbathing on the rocks!
3 – Wallabies and Echidnas at Phillip Island Nature Park
In the same nature park where you will find incredible sea life, you’ll also find some pretty amazing animals on land, too! Taking the back road from The Nobbies to the Penguin Parade, keep your eye out for some Swamp Wallabies, and Echidnas.
Swamp Wallabies don’t actually live in swamps! They roam around the island freely, but are very shy and probably won’t want to say “G’day” to you.
Echidnas are even more shy! They are one of the only egg-laying mammals in the world. They have a beautiful spiny back, which is made from keratin (the same as our fingernails).
4 – Bird Life at Cape Woolamai
Phillip Island is a genuine haven for bird enthusiasts. Your most likely encounter with a bird will be with some Cape Barren Geese. They are a lovely ash grey colour, with a unique and prominent bright greeny-yellow bill. These geese mate for life (cuuuute!) and are rarely on their own. Make sure you drive slow though; sometimes they’ll stay on the road and have a good old-fashioned staredown with you!
Other birds that love the Phillip Island environment are white-bellied sea eagles and wedge-tailed eagles. You’ll see them soaring in the skies looking for the next meal. Another amazing feature of Phillip Island is the migration of a million short-tailed shearwaters, also known as mutton birds. Mutton Birds undertake a gruelling voyage halfway around the world from the Alaskan Aleutian Islands to Phillip Island every spring.
5 – Farm Life at Churchill Island
Another great feature of our tour is visiting the historic farmhouse on Churchill Island. You can check out the sheep shearing, stroll by the cows and horses, and even catch some sheepdogs in action. Churchill Island is home to one of the first European agricultural pursuits in Australia, dating back to the 1850s.
The historic site has beautiful views of Port Phillip Bay, and a wetlands area where you’ll be sure to see some of the birds that call Phillip Island home.
So there you have it! Phillip Island is full of amazing wildlife experiences, and we can’t wait to get back out there. You can check out our tours here