Phillip Island
Victoria'S Wildlife Island Two Hours From Melbourne, Where Little Penguins Waddle Ashore At Dusk Every Night Of The Year At The Penguin Parade, Alongside A Grand Prix Circuit That Hosts World Championship Motorcycle And Touring Car Racing · Cowes, Victoria
Phillip Island sits across a bridge at San Remo, about two hours south-east of Melbourne, and earns two completely different kinds of visitor. At Summerland Beach, one of the world's largest colonies of little penguins - the smallest penguin species alive, barely the size of a chicken - waddles ashore from Bass Strait every single night of the year, usually within an hour of sunset, watched from boardwalks and grandstand seating run by a conservation centre that has studied the colony for decades. A few kilometres inland, the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit hosts the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix and a round of the Australian Superbike Championship, filling every bed on the island and clogging its one main road on race weekends. Beyond the penguins and the circuit, the island carries a fur seal colony at the Nobbies, a koala conservation centre, and surf beaches facing straight into the Bass Strait swell. Driving after dusk carries real risk, since wallabies and penguins cross the roads without warning.
An island two hours south-east of Melbourne via a bridge at San Remo, with the Penguin Parade at Summerland Beach and the Grand Prix circuit inland, Cowes, Victoria, Australia
The Penguin Parade runs every night of the year, rain or fine, with viewing from about an hour before sunset until the last penguins come ashore, usually within ninety minutes; exact start times shift with sunset and are posted a day ahead, so check before you drive out. The visitor centre, boardwalks and underground viewing hide close well after the parade ends and reopen mid-morning. The Nobbies Centre and boardwalk keep shorter daytime hours and close at dusk. The Grand Prix Circuit is open for general viewing and lap tours most days outside event weekends, but access tightens sharply and ticket-only entry applies during the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix and Superbike rounds, when the island's roads also slow to a crawl.