An Australian roadtrip: Welcome to Philip Island

Philip Island , Victoria, Australia, day travel guide

Great friends, beautiful scenery, upbeat music and limitless time, what could be better than renting a car and driving through some of the most beautiful scenery that Western Australia has to offer?

For the last couple of weeks I have been based in Melbourne, while I’ve been sorting out the ins and outs of this whole working holiday malarkey. While Melbourne is a city that I definitely do not feel the need to ‘escape from’ when a couple of friends from my hostel suggested we take a car and drive two hours to the beautiful Philip Island for the day, I couldn’t resist.

What is Philip Island? 

If you’re a sports fan like my dad, then you’ll know of Phillip island for its famous Grand Prix circuit, however what makes it special is its scenery. Golden sand beaches, rugged cliffs, wild penguins, whales and kangaroos, yet surprisingly all still fairly untouched from tourism, there couldn’t be a better place to experience the real Australia in a day trip from Melbourne.

How to get around Philip Island

Like I mentioned on a previous blog post, I can’t drive. Luckily I was with two people who could. I hate to say it but I don’t think it would have been half the experience that it was if we didn’t have the car. Driving along the coast listening to music, pulling up at the side of the road when we spotted (my first ever!) kangaroo, parking up at secluded beaches. I have done a bit of research online and if you can’t get a car then your best option is booking a tour that takes you around the island. You can also take the train to the island from Melbourne however it will be hard for you to get around the island once you’re there as it’s quite big.

Things to do in Philip Island

There are quite a lot of ‘things to do’ in Philip island from the Penguin parade where you can see wild penguins in the evening to the koala sanctuary and the wildlife park however I think the best thing to do is to just drive and stop off at all of the beautiful beaches and viewpoints.

Here are a few of my favourite areas on Philip island: 

• Woolamai surf beach: A really beautiful long beach, good for surfing weather depending. There is a really scenic hike that you can do from across the far end of the island which has loads of picturesque lookout points to stop at along the way.
• Pyramid rock:  There are spectacular views out over the ocean from this point where you might catch a glimpse of some whales if you’re lucky. You can take a short walk out to a really stunning viewpoint.
• The Nobbies: Another beautiful viewpoint with lots of protected wildlife nearby. Here you can stop of at the Nobbies centre to chill for a bit and get a coffee. It’s really near to the penguin parade beach if you are planning on doing that too. It’s worth pre booking the penguin parade as it gets really busy. It’s also really expensive and I’m not sure the price is entirely justified in all honesty.