Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

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CHAPTER 11 . MELBOURNE
An excellent budget option is a half-day trip with Melbourne Sightseeing
(& 03/9663 3388). Tours depart Melbourne daily at 1:30pm and include visits to
a cattle farm where you can hand-feed kangaroos, the Koala Conservation Centre,
a seal colony, as well as the Penguin Parade. The coach returns to Melbourne at
10:30pm. The trip costs A$75 (US$49) for adults (A$49/US$32 with a YHA card)
and A$38 (US$25) for children. For the same price, an express bus leaves Melbourne
at 5:30pm (returning at 11pm) and travels directly to the Penguin Parade.
V/Line trains (& 13 22 32 in Australia, or 03/9619 5000) run in summer
from Flinders Street Station to Phillip Island via Dandenong. The trip takes 2
hours and 15 minutes and costs A$13 (US$8.70).
VISITOR INFORMATION The Phillip Island Information Centre,
Phillip Island Tourist Road, Newhaven, VIC 3922 (& 1300/366 422 in Australia,
or 03/5956 7447), is an attraction in itself, with interactive computer displays,
relevant information, dioramas giving visitors a glimpse into the penguin’s
world, and a theaterette. It’s open daily from 9am to 5pm (to 6pm in the summer).
www.phillipisland.net.au.
EXPLORING THE AREA
Visitors approach the island from the east, passing through the town of
Newhaven. Just a little past Newhaven is the Phillip Island Information Centre.
The main town on the island, Cowes (pop. 2,400), is on the far north coast.
It’s worth taking a stroll along its Esplanade. The Penguin Parade is on the far
southwest coast.
The west coast of the Summerland Peninsula ends in an interesting rock formation
called The Nobbies. This strange-looking outcropping can be reached at
low tide by a basalt causeway. You’ll get some spectacular views of the coastline
and two offshore islands from here. On the farthest of these islands is a population
of up to 12,000 Australian fur seals, the largest colony in Australia. (Bring
your binoculars.) This area is also home to thousands of nesting silver gulls.
On the north coast you can explore Rhyll Inlet, an inter-tidal mangrove wetland,
where you can see wading birds such as spoonbills, oystercatchers, herons,
egrets, cormorants, and the rare bar-tailed godwit, and the whimbrel.
Birdwatchers will also love Swan Lake, another breeding habitat for wetland
birds.
Elsewhere, walking trails lead through heath and pink granite to Cape
Woolamai, the island’s highest point, where there are fabulous coastal views.
September through April the cape is home to thousands of short-tailed shearwaters,
or muttonbirds, as they are sometimes called.
If you really want to see a bit of the island (instead of just seeing the parade
and dashing off), consider taking one of the 15 different tours offered by Mike
Cleeland and his Island Nature Tours, RMB 6080, Cowes, Phillip Island, VIC
3922 (& 03/5956 7883).
A pedestrian bridge is the only connection to Churchill Island, an islet where
you can visit beautiful gardens and a villa situated 1km ( 1 ⁄2 mile) from Newhaven,
open every day except Christmas. Admission is A$7.70 (US$5) adults, A$3.70
(US$2.40) children.
Koala Conservation Centre Koalas were introduced to Phillip Island in
the 1880s and at first they thrived in the predator-free environment. However,
overpopulation, the introduction of foxes and dogs, and the clearing of land for
farmland and roads, have all taken their toll. Though today you can still see a few
koalas in the wild, the best place to find them is at this sanctuary, set up for