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Best things to do on Phillip Island: Fish and chips, wine and penguins

Chloe Cann Chloe Cann
From wine tasting to surfing, country walks and penguin spotting, this little corner of Gippsland has a lot to offer.

A seaside hotspot, Phillip Island has long been popular with holidaymaking families and international tourists, but there’s plenty more to this Bass Coast isle than just sun, sand, ice cream and penguins. Read on for our top seven things to do on Phillip Island.

1. Indulge in a wine tasting (and beer)

a hand holding a glass of wine at Purple Hen vineyard, Phillip Island
The idyllic Purple Hen vineyard produces premium cool-climate wines. (Image: Visit Victoria)

This little pocket of Gippsland is home to two cool-climate wineries with cellar doors. Going strong since 1993, Phillip Island Winery isn’t just some tourist trap: it produces a range of popular reds and whites (sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, merlot, cabernet sauvignon and pinot noir) and is also host to a gorgeous little boutique that dispenses fresh local produce as well as flowers, sourdough, cookbooks, candles and wine. You can dine here too.

Known for its pinot noir and shiraz, but with plenty of whites and sparkling on offer too, Purple Hen Wines is in a scenic spot. Take your time on a tasting at one of the tables inside, admiring the view from the floor-to-ceiling windows, or grab a glass (or bottle) of your favourite drop to enjoy one of the picnic tables outside on the grass.

Beer lovers aren’t left out of the equation either. In the main town of Cowes lies independent, sustainable and family-run taphouse Ocean Reach Brewing: come for a tasting paddle and stay for the burgers.

2. Watch the Penguin Parade

the penguin parade on Phillip Island
Phillip Island is a proud home to the world’s largest Little Penguin colony. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Perhaps Phillip Island’s most iconic and enduring attraction, the Penguin Parade is the home of the largest Little Penguin colony in the world, drawing in kids, animal lovers and tourists alike. Watch legions of the flightless birds waddle out of the surf and onto the shore before heading up to their burrows, arriving like clockwork at sunset every night. Tiered seating overlooks the picturesque Summerlands Beach, and there’s an underground viewing area too. Arrive early and exploit the interactive activities and wealth of information supplied at the attraction’s visitors’ centre.

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3. Take a leisurely country walk

a man walking with his dog along the George Bass Coastal Walk, Phillip Island
Traverse the clifftop trail along the George Bass Coastal Walk. (Image: Visit Victoria)

There’s a multitude of country walks to enjoy on this Bass Coast isle, many exploiting the rugged coastline views. Venture up to Cape Woolamai, the highest point on the island, from where you can gorge on 360-degree views of San Remo, Kilcunda and beyond. Take the Kitty Miller Bay Walk that leads to the rusted remains of a shipwreck. Waltz around Churchill Island, and you’ll likely encounter some highland cattle. Or hit one of the Conservation Hill And Rhyll Inlet Walks, home to the southernmost mangroves in the world.

4. Hit the surf

surfers at Surf Beach, Phillip Island.
Surf’s up on Phillip Island. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Home to Victoria’s first National Surfing Reserve, Phillip Island is a bit of a surfer’s paradise. A number of different surf schools operate out of family-friendly Smiths Beach, with its moderate and consistent swells, including Girls on Board, Island Surfboards and Archy Surf. But the beach is also home to ‘Express Point’, a barrelling reef break known in some surfing circles as the island’s premier wave. More experienced surfers might want to make for the world-class beach breaks of Woolamai, or Cat Bay’s left- and right-hand reef breaks.

5. Jump on a boat and spot some seals

seals swimming in the sea, Phillip Island
Seal Rocks is home to more than 25,000 fur seals. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Did you know Phillip Island is home to Australia’s largest fur seal colony? Pay a visit to this community of furry fellas with eco-friendly local operator Wildlife Coast Cruises. The company’s two-hour trip will take you within metres of the seals, which regularly approach the boat for a closer look, and on average, daytrippers will see more than 5,000 up-close, not to mention seabirds and pods of dolphins, if you’re lucky.

If you’re in the market for something a touch more high-octane, then give Ocean Adventures a call. You’ll speed along the island’s coastline on either a jet boat or thundercat, exploring the granite cliffs and caves of Cape Woolamai along the way.

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6. Get your catch of the day

a couple heading to San Remo Fisherman's Cooperative
Make a beeline for the best fish and chips in town at San Remo Fisherman’s Cooperative. (Image: Visit Victoria)

From jetties and beaches to boat charters, there are plenty of opportunities to cast a line of this little isle, with local anglers routinely catching flathead, snapper, whiting, garfish, salmon, shark and squid. Try Reel Obsession, T-Cat Fishing Charters, or The Island Charter Boat for a day out on the water. And if you don’t have much success then don’t fret: you can pick up super fresh fish from the professionals at San Remo Fisherman’s Cooperative anyway.

7. Rev up your adrenaline

motorcycles racing at the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, Phillip Island
Witness the heart-racing Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Phillip Island is known for hosting the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix, and the World Superbike Championship too, but that doesn’t mean petrolheads have to time their visit to coincide with the MotoGP. Rock up at any time of year and you can still take a guided circuit tour, which gives you access to race control, the media centre and the winner’s podium. Or stroll through the History of Motorsport Display. Or buckle up and race around Australia’s largest four-lane GP, at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit Visitor Centre, which is home to a 760-metre scale replica of the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, overlooking the Bass Strait.

Family-friendly activities

Penguin Parade and boat trips aside, there are a number of activities to entertain families on the island. Chief among them is Phillip Island Wildlife Park, where kangaroos, wallabies, emus, cassowaries, wombats, and koalas roam. Its grounds are spread across a whopping 60 acres and offer up-close encounters. A highlight for many visitors is the opportunity to hand-feed and pat kangaroos.

Those who have an affinity for koalas should head for the Koala Conservation Reserve, where treetop boardwalks wind through the Aussie bush. Guided tours are also on offer, promising a deeper insight into the lives of these sleep-loving creatures.

Older kids might get a kick out of the experiences at A Maze’N Things, such as mini golf, 3D mazes and a high ropes course.

Discover the best accommodation on Phillip Island

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Chloe Cann
Chloe Cann is an award-winning freelance travel and food writer, born in England, based in Melbourne and Roman by adoption. Since honing her skills at City St George's, University of London with a master's degree in journalism, she's been writing almost exclusively about travel for more than a decade, and has worked in-house at newspapers and travel magazines in London, Phnom Penh, Sydney and Melbourne. Through a mixture of work and pleasure, she's been fortunate enough to visit 80 countries to date, though there are many more that she is itching to reach. While the strength of a region's food scene tends to dictate the location of her next trip, she can be equally swayed by the promise of interesting landscapes and offbeat experiences. And with a small person now in tow, travel looks a little different these days, but it remains at the front of her mind.
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This scenic Victorian region is the perfect antidote to city life

    Craig Tansley Craig Tansley
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    Video credit: Visit Victoria/Tourism Australia

    The Grampians just might be the ultimate antidote for the metropolis, writes one returning Aussie ready to disconnect from the modern world and reconnect to the Great outdoors.

    There are no kangaroos back in Chicago: they’re all here in the Grampians/Gariwerd. In the heart of the Grampians National Park’s main gateway town, Halls Gap, pods of eastern greys are eating grass beside my parked rental car beneath the stars. Next morning, when I see the backyard of my rented villa on the edge of town for the first time, there are kangaroos feeding beside a slow-moving creek, lined with river red gums.

    Five hundred metres up the road, 50 or so of them are eating by the side of the road in a paddock. I pull over to watch and spot three emus. Yellow-tailed black cockatoos fly overhead towards the tall green mountains just beyond town.

    ‘Kee-ow, keee-oww’… their calls fuse with the maniacal cackle of a kookaburra (or 10). Gawd, how I’ve missed the sound of them. Far above, a wedge-tailed eagle watches, and there you go: the ‘great birds of Australia’ trifecta, all half a kay from the town limits.

    Exchanging city chaos for country calm

    kangaroos near Halls Gap, Grampians National Park
    The park is renowned for its significant diversity of native fauna species. (Image: Visit Victoria/Robert Blackburn)

    I’ve come to the Grampians to disconnect, but the bush offers a connection of its own. This isn’t just any bush, mind you. The Grampians National Park is iconic for many reasons, mostly for its striking sandstone mountains – five ridges run north to south, with abrupt, orange slopes which tumble right into Halls Gap – and for the fact there’s 20,000 years of traditional rock art. Across these mountains there are more than 200 recorded sites to see, created by the Djab Wurrung, Jardwadjali and Gunditjmara peoples. It’s just like our outback… but three hours from Melbourne.

    I’ve come here for a chance at renewal after the chaos of my life in America’s third-largest city, Chicago, where I live for now, at the whim of a relative’s cancer journey. Flying into Melbourne’s airport, it only takes an hour’s drive to feel far away from any concept of suburbia. When I arrive in Halls Gap two hours later, the restaurant I’m eating at clears out entirely by 7:45pm; Chicago already feels a lifetime ago.

    The trails and treasures of the Grampians

    sunrise at Grampians National Park /Gariwerd
    Grampians National Park /Gariwerd covers almost 2000 square kilometres. (Image: Ben Savage)

    Though the national park covers almost 2000 square kilometres, its best-known landmarks are remarkably easy to access. From my carpark here, among the cockatoos and kangaroos on the fringe of Halls Gap, it only takes 60 seconds’ driving time before I’m winding my way up a steep road through rainforest, deep into the mountains.

    Then it’s five minutes more to a carpark that serves as a trailhead for a hike to one of the park’s best vantage points, The Pinnacles. I walk for an hour or so, reacquainting myself with the smells and the sounds of the Aussie bush, before I reach it: a sheer cliff’s edge lookout 500 metres up above Halls Gap.

    walking through a cave, Hollow Mountain
    Overlooking the vast Grampians landscape from Hollow Mountain. (Image: Robert Blackburn)

    There are hikes and there are lookouts and waterfalls all across this part of the park near town. Some are a short stroll from a carpark; others involve long, arduous hikes through forest. The longest is the Grampians Peaks Trail, Victoria’s newest and longest iconic walk, which runs 160 kilometres – the entire length of Grampians National Park.

    Local activities operator Absolute Outdoors shows me glimpses of the trail. The company’s owner, Adrian Manikas, says it’s the best walk he’s done in Australia. He says he’s worked in national parks across the world, but this was the one he wanted to bring his children up in.

    “There’s something about the Grampians,” he says, as he leads me up a path to where there’s wooden platforms for tents, beside a hut looking straight out across western Victoria from a kilometre up in the sky (these are part of the guided hiking options for the trail). “There are things out here that you won’t see anywhere else in Australia.” Last summer, 80 per cent of the park was damaged by bushfire, but Manikas shows me its regrowth, and tells me of the manic effort put in by volunteers from town – with firefighters from all over Australia – to help save Halls Gap.

    wildflowers in Grampians National Park
    Spot wildflowers. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    We drive back down to Halls Gap at dusk to abseil down a mountain under the stars, a few minutes’ walk off the main road into town. We have headlamps, but a full moon is enough to light my way down. It takes blind faith to walk backwards down a mountain into a black void, though the upside is I can’t see the extent of my descent.

    Grampians National Park at sunset
    Grampians National Park at sunset. (Image: Wine Australian)

    The stargazing is ruined by the moon, of course, but you should see how its glow lights up the orange of the sandstone, like in a theme park. When I’m done, I stand on a rocky plateau drinking hot chocolate and listening to the Aussie animals who prefer nighttime. I can see the streets of Halls Gap off in the distance on this Friday night. The restaurants may stay open until 8pm tonight.

    What else is on offer in The Grampians?

    a boat travelling along the Wimmera River inDimboola
    Travelling along the Wimmera River in Dimboola. (Image: Chris McConville)

    You’ll find all sorts of adventures out here – from rock climbing to canoeing to hiking – but there’s more to the Grampians than a couple of thousand square kilometres of trees and mountains. Halls Gap may be known to most people, but what of Pomonal, and Dimboola, and Horsham? Here in the shadow of those big sandstone mountains there are towns and communities most of us don’t know to visit.

    And who knew that the Grampians is home to Victoria’s most underrated wine region? My disconnection this morning comes not in a forest, but in the tasting rooms and winery restaurants of the district. Like Pomonal Estate, barely 10 minutes’ drive east of Halls Gap, where UK-born chef Dean Sibthorp prepares a locally caught barramundi with lentil, pumpkin and finger lime in a restaurant beside the vines at the base of the Grampians. Husband-and-wife team Pep and Adam Atchison tell me stories as they pour their prize wines (shiraz is the hero in these parts).

    dining at Pomonal Estate
    Dine in a restaurant beside vines at Pomonal Estate. (Image: Tourism Australia)

    Three minutes’ drive back down the road, long-time mates Hadyn Black and Darcy Naunton run an eclectic cellar door out of a corrugated iron shed, near downtown Pomonal. The Christmas before last, half the houses in Pomonal burnt down in a bushfire, but these locals are a resilient lot.

    The fires also didn’t stop the construction of the first art centre in Australia dedicated to environmental art in a nature-based precinct a little further down the road (that’s Wama – the National Centre for Environmental Arts), which opened in July. And some of the world’s oldest and rarest grape vines have survived 160 years at Best’s Wines, outside the heritage town of Great Western. There’s plantings here from the year 1868, and there’s wines stored in century-old barrels within 150-year-old tunnels beneath the tasting room. On the other side of town, Seppelt Wines’ roots go back to 1865. They’re both only a 30-minute drive from Halls Gap.

    Salingers of Great Western
    Great Western is a charming heritage town. (Image: Griffin Simm)

    There’s more to explore yet; I drive through tiny historic towns that barely make the map. Still part of the Grampians, they’re as pretty as the mountains behind them: full of late 19th-century/early 20th-century post offices, government offices and bank buildings, converted now to all manner of bric-a-brac stores and cafes.

    The Imaginarium is one, in quirky Dimboola, where I sleep in the manager’s residence of an old National Australia Bank after a gourmet dinner at the local golf club, run by noted chef and teacher, Cat Clarke – a pioneer of modern Indigenous Australian cooking. Just south, I spend an entire afternoon at a winery, Norton Estate Wines, set on rolling calico-coloured hills that make me think of Tuscany, chit-chatting with owners Chris and Sam Spence.

    Being here takes me back two decades, when I lived here for a time. It had all seemed as foreign as if I’d driven to another planet back then (from Sydney/Warrane), but there seemed something inherently and immediately good about this place, like I’d lived here before.

    And it’s the Australian small-town familiarity of the Grampians that offers me connection back to my own country. Even in the better-known Halls Gap, Liz from Kerrie’s Creations knows I like my lattes with soy milk and one sugar. And while I never do get the name of the lady at the local Ampol station, I sure know a lot about her life.

    Kookaburras on a tree
    Kookaburras are one of some 230 bird species. (Image: Darren Donlen)

    You can be a local here in a day; how good is that? In Chicago, I don’t even know who my neighbour is. Though each day at dusk – when the kangaroos gather outside my villa, and the kookaburras and the black cockatoos shout out loud before settling in to sleep – I prefer the quieter connection I get out there in the bush, beneath these orange mountains.

    A traveller’s checklist

    Staying there

    Sleep beside the wildlife on the edge of Halls Gap at Serenity.

    Playing there

    abseiling down Hollow Mountain
    Hollow Mountain is a popular abseiling site.

    Go abseiling under the stars or join a guided hike with Absolute Outdoors. Visit Wama, Australia’s first environmental art centre. Check out Dimboola’s eccentric Imaginarium.

    Eating there

    steak, naan bread and beer at Paper Scissors Rock in Halls Gap
    Paper Scissors Rock in Halls Gap serves a great steak on naan bread.

    Eat world-class cuisine at Pomonal Estate. Dine and stay at much-revered icon Royal Mail Hotel in Dunkeld. The ‘steak on naan’ at Halls Gap brewhouse Paper Scissors Rock, can’t be beat.

    Dunkeld Arboretum in Grampians National Park
    The serene Dunkeld Arboretum.

    For Halls Gap’s best breakfasts head to Livefast Cafe. Sip local wines at Great Western’s historic wineries, Best’s Wines, Seppelt Wines and Norton Estate Wines.

    two glasses of beer at Paper Scissors Rock in Halls Gap
    Sink a cold one at Paper Scissors Rock.