I spent 48 hours on Phillip Island, this is the ultimate 2 day itinerary

There’s more to this Victorian holiday hotspot than penguins - like this new beachfront accommodation. 

It’s one of the few Australian islands you can drive to and, at a tick under two hours from Melbourne, Phillip Island (Millowl) is a favourite summer haunt for Victorian holiday-makers. Come for the little penguins (the nightly beach parade is legendary) and stay for the dramatic natural wonders, beach breaks and laid-back coastal vibes. A new beachfront glamping experience sweetens the deal.

Day 1: Lunchtime

Roll into the gateway town of San Remo for the noon pelican feeding spectacle (free) at the Fisherman’s Co-Op near the Phillip Island bridge. After watching squadrons of birds gulp their fill of fish, pop into the co-op to order your own. The fish and chips here are some of the freshest you will eat – best consumed on the lawn overlooking the pier.

Meet the locals at Phillip Island Koala Reserve. Picture: Catherine Best

Afternoon

Cross the bridge on to Phillip Island proper (affectionately known as “The Island”) and take a right-hand turn to Conservation Hill and Rhyll Inlet, a Ramsar-listed wetland and summer haven for migrating birds. Take the short 500m return boardwalk through mangroves and mudflats to the lookout and keep your eyes peeled for scurrying crabs and a plethora of birds, including spoonbills, oystercatchers and egrets. Get back on the main drag (Phillip Island Rd) and pull in to the Koala Conservation Reserve, where a treetop walk will deliver up-close encounters with the fluffy national favourite.

Check in to a brand-new waterfront glamping tent at the NRMA Phillip Island Beachfront Holiday Park. The safari tents have the best outlook of any digs on the island, situated a few paces from the water, and will challenge everything you know about caravan park stays. Think four-poster bed, soft linens, coastal chic decor and a crackling electric fireplace. The highlight is the enormous two-tiered deck with outdoor claw-foot tub (really), barbecue and lounge with box seat views of Western Port Bay.

Hire an onsite e-bike and explore the tourist hub of Cowes, 1km up the road, and the foreshore and jetty precinct. Cool off with a swim, grab a gelato from Isola Di Capri, and be sure to pick up some barbecue supplies for dinner because that al fresco bath tub is calling and you’re not going to want to eat out.

Safari tent at NRMA Phillip Island Beachfront Holiday Park. Picture: Catherine Best

Evening

After dinner, head to Summerland Beach for the Penguin Parade. The beach is home to the world’s largest colony of little penguins – numbering about 32,000 – and seeing them waddle up the sand to their burrows at sunset is one of Australia’s great wildlife experiences. Book well ahead and check times as the penguins can appear anytime from 5.15pm in winter to 9pm in summer. 

Little Penguins at Phillip Island. Picture: Phillip Island Nature Parks

Day 2: Morning

Eggs on the barbie with a side of lapping waves is glamping brekky done right. You’ll need to fuel up for this morning’s kayaking adventure at Cape Woolamai. Meet Stewart Bathgate, owner of Pioneer Kayaking, at the beach off Cottesloe Ave and get kitted out with a lifejacket and double kayak. Stewart is a local high school PE and outdoor education teacher, so you’re in good hands.

The two-hour paddle hugs the granite clifftops of Cape Woolamai, traversing the strait between the mainland and the island’s big toe. Keep your eyes peeled for dolphins and cormorants, paddle inside a thrilling sea cave, and enjoy a pit stop on a secluded beach. Dry off and head to Woolamai Beach, home to pro-surfing events, and check out the swell. The clifftop walk here to The Pinnacles is worth a detour. 

Cape Woolamai kayak with Pioneer Kayaking. Picture: Catherine Best

Afternoon

Swing past Bang Bang Bar & Food on your way out of Cape Woolamai for oysters done half-a-dozen ways and mouth-watering Asian-influenced share plates.

Spend the afternoon exploring the beaches and rugged clifftops of the island’s south coast, starting with Forrest Caves, a sunlit chamber carved out of hardened volcanic ash on the beach and accessible at low tide. Continue west to Smiths Beach, a favourite family surfing spot, before calling in to the lookout at Pyramid Rock, a volcano-shaped dome pounded by the Southern Ocean.

Take the turn off to Kitty Miller Bay for one of the island’s hidden delights – the remains of the SS Speke, a three-masted Welsh vessel wrecked when it ran ashore in 1906. From the beach, walk left up over the headland and down a steep embankment to the rocky shoreline where the ship’s rusted hull protrudes from the beach (about a 1km walk).

At the island’s westernmost point, you arrive at The Nobbies, a wave-battered promontory of jagged sea cliffs, rock platforms and islands that are home to Australia’s largest fur seal colony.

Take the 1.2km return boardwalk across clifftops dotted with fat Cape Barren geese, seabirds and penguin nesting boxes, to Seal Rocks lookout and the blowhole. 

Exploring Forrest Caves on Phillip Island. Picture: Catherine Best

Evening

Pre-book a slot at the holiday park’s wood-fired pizza oven in the camp kitchen and make your own culinary creation while mingling with other campers. If you’d rather someone else man the fire, try Pino’s Trattoria in town. 

View from Churchill Island. Picture: Robert Blackburn/Visit Victoria

Day 3: Morning

Get your breakfast fill at Penny Lane Island Cafe, a bright and airy eatery tucked in a laneway off Cowes’ main retail strip, where the smashed avo is served with Persian fetta and pumpkin seed sourdough.

Before you head back to the mainland, take time to hop over to Churchill Island, an island off an island that’s also accessible by car. Churchill Island was the site of the first European garden planted in Victoria (1801) and features open green spaces and various preserved cottages and stables where you can enjoy demonstrations of sheep shearing and cow milking.

Before you cross the bridge back to San Remo, make one last pit stop at the Phillip Island Chocolate Factory. Choose from 190 chocolatey treats to sweeten your journey back to the big smoke. 

The writer was a guest of NRMA Phillip Island Beachfront Holiday Park and Destination Phillip Island.

Visiting Phillip Island

Phillip Island is 125km south of Melbourne via the South Gippsland and Bass highways. For discount entry to the penguins, koalas and Churchill Island, book a 3 Parks Pass. 

Originally published as I spent 48 hours on Phillip Island, this is the ultimate 2 day itinerary