Meet the locals

Beyond its famous penguins, Phillip Island is home to a curious collection of unique birds, monotremes and aquatic wildlife. With a diversity of colourful native birds, marine mammals and icons of the Australian bush, Phillip Island is paradise for wildlife lovers. Away from the traffic and noise of the city, the island is a great place to encounter wildlife. Have fun ticking off some (or all) of these local wildlife experiences.

LITTLE PENGUINS

The Penguin Parade is a timeworn Phillip Island tradition that has drawn visitors from far and wide for a century. Watch in wonder as hundreds of Little Penguins waddle from the sea at dusk, then clamber to their nests in the dunes.

CAPE BARREN GOOSE

Thousands of these large, grey geese with striking yellow‑green bills can be found on Phillip Island. In the 1950s, population numbers of this species were incredibly low, but a rescue and breeding program reversed this bird’s decline, with its population now considered stable.

AUSTRALIAN FUR SEAL

Australia’s largest fur seal colony can be found just off the coast of Phillip Island. Jump on a Wildlife Coast Cruise and head out to Seal Rocks to see thousands of these marine mammals sunning themselves on rocks.

SHORT-BEAKED ECHIDNA

Active during both day and night, these small, spiky monotremes can occasionally be spotted in bushland or feeding on ants and grass on roadsides throughout the island. Be sure to drive with care to keep these special native critters safe.

Wander the treetop boardwalks at the Koala Conservation Reserve to see the resident koalas snoozing and feeding in the surrounding eucalypts, oblivious to the noisy birdlife.

PELICANS

Marvel at the majestic pelicans as they swoop to scoop a fish from the sea or visit the foreshore next to San Remo at midday to watch them lining up for a feed.

PURPLE SWAMPHEN

This attractive native bird with a bright red bill and purple‑blue breast can be found wandering in the water in Phillip Island’s wetland areas such as Swan Lake in Summerland.

SWAMP WALLABIES

These adorable wallabies have a distinctive light cheek stripe and are much smaller than a kangaroo. They are the only species found on the island and can be seen in grassy areas and are most active at dawn and dusk. Also known as mutton birds, this species of migratory bird can be found on Phillip Island from September to April. After making the epic journey from Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, these birds build a burrow into the sandy dunes of the coast, where they lay a single egg in November. Once the egg hatches in January, the chick is fed by its parents until it migrates back to Alaska in April.

WHALES

Humpback whales, southern right whales and sometimes even orcas can be spotted off the coast of Phillip Island from May to October. Head out on a Wildlife Coast Cruise to see them or stay on dry land and keep your eyes peeled along the Bass Coast Whale Trail. Some excellent vantage points on the island are Cape Woolamai, The Nobbies or Pyramid Rock.

EASTERN BARRED BANDICOOT

Until October 2022, these cute little creatures were marked as extinct in the wild. But now, thanks to the tireless work of the Phillip Island Nature Parks and a fox free island, there are two thriving populations on Churchill Island and the Summerland Peninsula. They live a solitary, secretive life foraging in open grassland at night and can be difficult to spot.