budget travel asia

Are you searching for an island w/c offers great fun and relaxation together with abundant Australian flora and fauna? Phillip Island is surely the place. Phillip Island is approximately one hundred and forty kilometres SE of Melbourne and is the home of the world famous Penguin Parade and the Australian MotoGP event.

As its name says, it is named after Captain Arthur Phillip, the first Governor of New South Wales. Access to Phillip Island is via a bridge amidst San Remo, on the mainland, and Newhaven on Phillip Island. The island has an expanse of about ten thousand Hectares, and the view is slightly undulating with the peak point being Cape Woolamai at one hundred and nine metres (357 ft) above sea level. The island has approximately 101 kilometres (60 miles) of coastline with the south and part of the west coast being revealed to the open ocean, Bass Strait, giving it some of the greatest surf beaches and breathtaking coastline in Australia. The northerly coastline is found in Westernport Bay and give great sandy beaches that have calm and safe swimming areas, while the western coastline has a no. of bays and inlets that contained magnificent mangrove flats.

Phillip Island has an array of natural and man-made sceneries to visit as well as a host of activities that will keep you occupied for hours. The Penguin Parade is one of the best known and popular tourist attractions on Phillip Island. Each evening (at dusk) the short penguins, better known as fairy penguins, stroll up the coastline to after a period of time at sea to return to their burrows.

The world's largest colony of Australian Fur Seal is on a rocky outcrop, known as Seal Rocks, about a kilometre from Phillip Islands coastline. Wildlife Coast Cruises has trip out daily to the Seal Rock during most of the year, and Phillip Island Helicopters have some great attractive flights that will offer you a birds eye view of the Island and Seal Rocks. Koalas can be seen at the Koala Conservation Centre, while kangaroos, wallabies and possums are fairly numerous around Phillip Island. The wetlands and bush parts on Phillip Island are home to an family of birds, while many migratory birds nest on the island during certain seasons of the year. All of these local animals can also be seen close up at the Phillip Island Wildlife Park on the primary road to Cowes.

Both Adults and children will enjoy several of the other sceneries found on Phillip Is. and San Remo such as the Amaze N Things w/ its giant maze, mini golf and indoor illusions centre, while the National Vietnam Veterans Museum is a surprise package with its great displays and information such as the Huey Cobra gunship. Some of the other attractions in and around the island include; The Fun Shed, The Chocolate Factory, Grumpys Waterslide, Rhyll Fishing Park, Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit, Pelican Feeding, Phillip Island Winery, Purple Hen Winery, Mingara Gallery, and the newest addition Laser Strike.

Fishing is a very well known activity and T-Cat Charters specialising in fishing trips in Western Port bay and out in Bass Strait. Phillip Island has two great golf courses, The Aussie Golf Ranch is set on 23 acres of seashore dune land, boasting Australia's magnificent Par 3 Golf Course, while Phillip Island Golf Club is a full eighteen hole and is one of the most enjoyable courses to play.

If you are seeking for an adrenalin rush, then the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit may have what you're searching for with HSV Hot Laps on the circuit or Go-kart on the scaled down duplicate track of the principal circuit. Laser Strike is a safe outdoor laser skirmish which is guaranteed to get the heart pumping.

Drop by and stay in one of the several apartments, holiday houses, B&Bs or hotels on Phillip Island. There is a wide range of accommodation to suit all budgets and with the sun, sea, surf, parks wildlife you have all you need for a never to be forgotten vacation.