Phillip Island Marine Life

Phillip Island is nestled along the edge of Victoria only 90 minutes from Melbourne.

The region offers unique experiences in Australia’s lush terrain, with farms, beaches, eateries, and more! Surrounded by water, Phillip Island is famous for its marine life, with visitors coming from all over to catch sight of many of the world-famous animals that roam the shallow waters. Find out more about the best marine life you can see in this picturesque region!

• Whales

  Every year, thousands of whales migrate from the Antarctic waters towards the Indian Ocean, moving to the warmer waters to breed and birth their young. Their path connects with Australia’s shallow waters, with the creatures resting for months in Victoria’s coastal region on their way. Phillip Island is one of the best places to see these magnificent creatures, either looking from the area’s official whale lookout cliff points, or via the many local whale cruise boats. The whales come to the shallow shores of Phillip Island during the cooler months, typically between May to October. Check out the official Phillip Island Whale sighting website to get up to date with all the recent whale sightings and head to the lookout points to guarantee you at least a couple sightings!

• Little Penguins

  

  The smallest penguins on Earth, stretching up to a mere 30 centimetres, there is a reason why these sea birds have been nicknamed ‘little’. Phillip Island is famed as the home of the largest little penguin colony around. As one of the most popular wildlife encounters on Phillip Island, the region has created a sustainable and cheap experience for travellers to safely view the penguins. The Penguin Parade, which offers state of the art sustainable viewing platforms, sits alongside the beach and gives you front row seats to viewing penguins up close and personal. Open every day, you can see these creatures as they emerge from the ocean after a long day of fishing, and slowly waddle to their sandy nests.

• Seals

  See the Australian Fur Seals, with Phillip Island home to the largest local colony around. Known as the Seal Rocks, the rocky beach is home to 30,000 fur seals. Travellers can stroll along the coastal boardwalks at the Nobbies and see these creatures frolicking in the shallow waters and snoozing the day away on the smooth rocks. For an even closer look, travellers can opt to join one of the wildlife cruises offered, hopping on a small boat and travelling out to the outer regions to see the seals gliding through the waters effortlessly.

Related article: Phillip Island Walks to Enjoy

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