Synonymous with penguins and petrolheads, Phillip Island attracts a curious mix of holidaymakers and tourists. At its heart, the island is still a farming community, but nature has conspired to turn it into one of Victoria’s most popular tourist destinations. Apart from the major draws of the Penguin Parade and the annual Motorcycle Grand Prix, there’s rich Indigenous history here (the Boon Wurrung people are the traditional custodians), as well as abundant bird life and fauna. And there are also wonderful beaches, which are a major attraction in summer.

Phillip Island is about a 1.5 to 2 hours drive (140km) from Melbourne, depending on traffic. The 4 parks pass 4 General Viewing include the Penguin Parade, Koala Reserve, Churchill Island and Antarctic Journey. We did not book online on KKDay or Klook even though it was readily available on such online booking platforms. I was not too sure about the Penguin Parade, whether to choose between General Viewing or the VIP Viewing.

Our first stop of the day was the Koala Reserve. Take a walk on the wild side in Koala Conservation Reserve. Make your way through treetop boardwalks and encounter cuddly koala bears in their natural habitats. Hike along forest trails, and keep your eyes peeled for other local wildlife—such as wallabies, echidnas, and over eighty bird species. There were a total of 8 koala bears to be spotted in the sanctuary.

It was therapeutic to see the koalas lazing around or feeding on the eucalyptus leaves. When not sleeping, they’re usually eating. They rely on the eucalyptus tree for both habitat and food. Koalas can eat more than a pound of eucalyptus leaves a day. Eucalyptus is toxic, so the koala’s digestive system has to work hard to digest it, breaking down the toxins and extracting limited nutrients.

Moving on, we drove to the Nobbies Ocean Discovery Centre to learn more about the Antarctic Journey. It was time for lunch, so we had the first freshly fried fish and chips on the trip, at the cafe overlooking the ocean.

Take a virtual journey through the Southern Ocean to Antarctica with the interactive and immersive experiences at the Antarctic Journey – a joint venture between Phillip Island Nature Parks and WWF Australia. While the importance of this exhibit is not to be undermined, many of the hands-on exhibits were not working when we visited at that time. This made it less interactive. The view outside the Antarctic Journey with windswept cliffs was more dramatic and we attempted to take a group photo with the winds blowing our hair all over the place.

Next, we drove back towards the entrance of Philiip Island for an authentic farm experience.

Meet Australia’s local animals in close quarters, and learn all about farming culture in the country. Admire the charming scenery, feed the goats, and catch a live sheep shearing show.

A tip: do arrive at Churchill Island around 2.00pm so you would not miss out on the various farm activities. We got to see the sheep dog rounding up the sheep and also had a hand at trying out the whiplash. You can participate in daily agricultural activities like sheep shearing and cow milking, then hit the stand-out on-site cafe for a bite with a bucolic view.

There were also horses which were not for riding, but you can feed them with hay or pet them.

Churchill Island Heritage Farm

• Blacksmithing: 10:30 am
• Cow milking: 2:00 pm
• Sheep shearing: 2:30 pm
• Working dogs show: 2:45 pm
• Whip cracking: 3:00 pm

For the last of the four parks, we arrived at the Penguin Parade around 4.30pm, just in time for the winter sunset which would happen one hour later. Make your way to the beach to see the world’s largest colony of Little Penguins! See the adorable seabirds, the smallest penguins in the world, waddle back to their burrows at sunset during the iconic Penguin Parade. See the big picture from the General Viewing Platform, or get up close and personal in Penguins Plus.

Penguin Plus is the VIP area and the ticket is much more expensive. You are guaranteed of seeing at least 60% of the penguins that come ashore. As for the General Viewing Platform, it has a 40% chance of viewing. Nevertheless, once the penguins come on shore, they would waddle over to their burrows on land, which is accessible via the boardwalk and everyone has a chance to see them.

The little penguins are only found in southern Australia and New Zealand, and they typically breed only once a year, in October.

Little penguins have bred for thousands of years along the Phillip Island coastline, but when the rural island was connected to mainland Victoria by a bridge in 1939, the interest in the penguins—and in owning beachside property on the island—skyrocketed.

It was definitely a fun-filled day trip to Phillip Island, where we got to see lots of wildlife. Driving around the island is easily and the road signs are clearly posted. However, if you would like to avoid driving back in the dark to Melbourne after watching the Penguin Parade, you may consider staying in one of the hotels on Phillip Island.

Amaroo Park Phillip Island
starting from $129/ night for this 3-star hotel

Ramada Resort by Wyndham Phillip Island
starting from $190/ night for this 4-star hotel