Phillip Island

Just 90 minutes’ drive from Melbourne, Phillip Island has earned its stripes as the “don’t miss” destination in Victoria, attracting more than 3.5 million visitors a year. Famous for its nightly penguin parade, big wave surfing, international racing at the Grand Prix circuit and a colony of fur seals perched on rocks – there’s weeks of adventure to be had on this rugged island discovered by George Bass in 1798.

First stop is Sunderland Bay at sunset, where you can witness the fascinating arrival of the Little Penguins, as they make their way ashore and up into their burrows amid the sandunes. The nightly Penguin Parade lets you peer into the life of the world’s smallest penguin – and discover why the pint-sized bird has won the hearts of so many international visitors.

You’ll find the other cute local on Phillip Island lazing the day away in gum trees – at the Koala Conservation Centre & Woodland. In fact, when you get up close and personal with a koala bear on the treetop boardwalk, chances are he’ll be sleeping. The nocturnal koala spends up to 20 hours of his day snoozing – what a life!

In noisy contrast, the thousands of fur seals you’ll find on Seal Rocks are a lively bunch, barking and splashing in the sun to the delight of cruising visitors, who watch their antics from a ferry. The Seal Watching Cruise departs daily from central Cowes, offering an intimate glimpse into Australia’s largest seal colony on the rugged rocks around The Nobbies.