If you’re visiting Melbourne and have the time for a day trip then I would highly recommend visiting Philip Island. With so much to see and do on the way there and on Philip Island itself, you’ll be highly entertained for the entire day. Where to go, and what you can’t miss? I’ll tell you in this article.
Does it get any more Aussie? Wallabies and koalas!
Philip Island is located 2 hours south of Melbourne, and on the way there you’ll find the the Moonlit Koala Sanctuary.
I’m normally not a big fan of sanctuaries/zoos since I believe animals should live in their natural habitat, but Moonlit does a really good job letting their animals do their own thing and giving them the opportunity to get away from people whenever they please.
Embark on the wallaby walk and get a chance to feed the wallabies. And most importantly: smile for your kangaroo-selfie! 😉
At Moonlit you also get the opportunity to take a photo with a koala. What I really like here is that you are not allowed to actually hold the animal. Being handed over from person to person, which happens in a lot of parks in the state Queensland, is very stressful for these furry creatures. Read why you should not hold or a cuddle a koala here. At the Moonlit Sanctuary they only let two people at the same time get close to the koala, while the koalas itself is chilling in a tiny tree nibbling on some eucalyptus.
Churchill island
The next stop of the day is Churchill Island. This is a gorgeous little island right next to Philip Island and surrounded by crystal clear waters and bright meadows.
At the Churchill Island Heritage Farm you get the opportunity to watch a classical sheep shearing, but since I personally can only imagine the horror of having all of my hair shaved off at once, I opted to explore the surroundings instead. I walked through the meadows, greeted some cows and horses and stared at the insanely beautiful views.
More koalas? Yes please!
When you arrive at Philip Island you’ll soon realize there are no wild koalas there. Why? Because it is simply just too dangerous for them, as they might get ran over while trying to cross the road.
Instead you’ll find a bunch of koalas living in a controlled area in the Koala Reserve. Here you can walk the tree-top boardwalks to spot some more of these eucalyptus lovers.
Fun fact: Did you know that koala is the aboriginal word for ‘does not drink’? A healthy koala gets enough liquid from the eucalyptus leaves it eats, so no need to drink!
Amazing views at the Nobbies
It was almost time to watch the penguins come home, but not before we enjoyed the amazing coastal views at the Nobbies centre. The boardwalk offers some amazing lookout points and lucky as I was I even spotted a penguin!
Penguin time!
The last stop of the day is, of course, the Penguin Parade. Right after the sun disappears you’ll be able to spot the first penguins in the waves. And not long after that many groups of penguins follow. These little creatures are not bigger than knee-height (or even smaller), so I have nothing but respect for them when I heard that some of them walk 2 kilometres to get to their homes! Wow!
After most penguins arrived at the beach you can make your way over to the specially made boardwalks to see the penguins pass by. I was amazed by how brave these little fellas are; there were hundreds of tourists watching them but they did not really seem to care and calmly carried on with their daily commute.
It is not allowed to take photos of the penguins because this might scare them and stop them from coming home to the island, so that’s why I don’t have any actual pictures of the penguins to show you 🙂
I did this trip in collaboration with Bunyip Tours. Interested in booking the tour yourself? Yay! You can find it here: http://www.bunyiptours.com/phillip-island/penguin-tours
Enjoy your day trip from Melbourne, to Philip Island!
All pictures in this article are edited with Eef’s Presets – get yours here.
❤ Eef
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