Phillip Island (Boonwurrung: Corriong, Worne or Millowl) is an Australian island about south-southeast of Melbourne, Victoria. The island is named after Governor Arthur Phillip, the first Governor of New South Wales, by explorer and seaman George Bass, who sailed in a whaleboat, arriving from Sydney on 5 January 1798.
Phillip Island forms a natural breakwater for the shallow waters of the Western Port. It is long and wide, with an area of about . It has of coastline and is part of the Bass Coast Shire.
A concrete bridge (originally a wooden bridge) connects the mainland town San Remo with the island town Newhaven. In the 2021 census, the island's permanent population was 13,799, compared to 7,071 in 2001.2001 Population Statistics Bass Coast Shire Council Website During the summer, the population swells to 40,000. 60% of the island is farmland devoted to grazing of sheep and cattle.
Phillip Island is formally recognised by UNESCO as part of the Mornington Peninsula and Western Port Biosphere Reserve. The designation as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve highlights areas of exceptional natural significance where communities collaborate to promote sustainable living practices and sits within a global network of 759 Biosphere Reserves spanning 136 countries.
History The earliest inhabitants of the area were the Yalloc Bulluk clan of the Bunurong people, of the Kulin nation. In the Bunwurrung language the island is known as corriong or millowl. Their coastal territory with its sheltered bays meant that the Yalloc Bulluk, along with other Bunurong clans, were among the first Aboriginal people in Victoria to have contact with European mariners.
Following reports of the 1798 exploration by George Bass and Matthew Flinders, the area was frequented by sealers from Van Diemen's Land, whose interaction with the Bunurong people was not without conflict.Gaughwin, Denise and Sullivan, Hilary. Aboriginal Boundaries and Movements in Western Port, Victoria [online]. Aboriginal History, Vol. 8, 1984: 80-98. Availability: <http://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=055016885148495;res=IELIND> . [cited 19 Sep 13]. In 1801, navigator James Grant visited the adjoining Churchill Island (which he named) and planted a crop of corn and wheat.History and Heritage on Phillip Island In 1826, the scientific voyage of Dumont d'Urville, in command of the corvette Astrolabe, led to British concerns of an attempt by the French to establish a colony in Western Port.The Exploration of Westernport, Western Port Seagrass Partnership 2008, http://www.seagrass.com.au/downloads/PDFs/Exploration_WP.pdf This saw the dispatch from Sydney of , under the command of Captain Wetherall, and the brigs Dragon and Amity, by Governor Darling.
While the French colonisation did not eventuate, Wetherall reported on finding a sealer's camp and also two acres of wheat and corn. A fort was constructed near Rhyll, and named Dumaresq after the Governor's private secretary. The "abundance" of wood, quality soil and the discovery of coal at Cape Woolamai, were mentioned in newspaper accounts. Wetherall also erected a flag staff on "the flat-top'd rock off Point Grant" (commonly known today as The Nobbies) on the Island's western extremity as a marker for the harbour entrance.
Of his encounters with the Bunurong people, Wetherall told Darling: The Natives appear numerous, but we have not been able to obtain an interview, as they desert their camp, and run into the woods on our approach, watching our movements until we depart. As I am aware it is Your Excellency's wish to conciliate them as much as possible, I have not allowed them to be pursued, or molested in any way.
The only reservation Wetherall had was on the island's supply of water; he dug a "tide-well" near the fort but assessed the source as "not in sufficient quantities for the supply of shipping" and this problem would lead to the eventual move to Settlement Point on the mainland coast.
During the third voyage of , in 1839, water was "found by digging in the centre of a clump of bushes on the outer part of the point at the N.E. extremity of the island, which at high water became an island, [and] occasionally made the water brackish" although it was noted "better might have been found a short distance in shore, as there were abundance of shrubs and other indications of water in the neighbourhood". The water question was again addressed, by Captain Moore, who accompanied Surveyor Robert Hoddle in 1840, that "water can be obtained on Phillip Island, near the best anchorage, off Sandy Point."
In 1835 Samuel Anderson established the third permanent settlement in what would be Victoria at the mainland site of Bass across the bay from Phillip Island. In 1841, brothers John David and William McHaffie, were granted Phillip Island as a squatting run and took possession in 1842. The McHaffies, and later settlers, assisted the Victorian Acclimatisation society (forerunner of the committee which established the Melbourne Zoo) by introducing animals such as pheasants, deer and wallabies to Phillip Island.
Plans for the first bridge to the island, from San Remo to Newhaven commenced in 1938, at a cost of £50,000, with the official opening by Premier Albert Dunstan taking place in November 1940. A full public holiday was declared on the island to celebrate.
In 2018, Phillip Island commemorated its 150th anniversary. To mark the moment, various events ran throughout the year including a community street parade, which took place on Saturday 3 November. The Phillip Island & District Historical Society serves as a repository of the Island’s history.
Environment Wildlife
Phillip Island Nature Parks manages nature conservation and ecotourism on the island.
The southern and western coasts of the island lie within the Phillip Island Important Bird Area, so identified by BirdLife International because of its importance in supporting significant populations of little penguins, short-tailed shearwaters and Pacific gulls. the island's population of little penguins is estimated at around 40,000, with the birds living on the Summerland Estate on the Summerland Peninsula (which was bought by the Victorian Government in the 1980s for use as a wildlife reserve). After many penguins died in a 2019 heatwave, native plants such as bower spinach were planted around penguin boxes to insulate them. Grass fires, largely due to poor practices since settlement, and projected to occur more frequently as a result of climate change, threaten the penguins' habitat, and it has been observed that they do not move away from fire. A project is under way to replace more flammable introduced plants with less flammable endemic species, creating natural firebreaks. The island's penguins have also been threatened by an invasive fox population. After the foxes were mostly eradicated in 2017, the absence of predators led to a rise in the invasive rabbit population, which in turn exacerbated erosion and threatened native orchid species. Conservationists have used phosphine gas to fumigate the island's extensive rabbit warrens, which can destabilise houses.
In addition, there is a wildlife park where wallabies and kangaroos roam freely amongst the visitors and can be fed by hand. Seal Rocks, at the western end of the island, hosts the largest colony of fur seals in Australia (up to 16,000 around 2008).Inter Island Ferries About Phillip Island
In recent years, other than local population of critically endangered endemic Burrunan dolphins or migratory killer whales, southern right whales and humpback whales are starting to show recoveries in the areaPhillip Island Winery. 2010. WHALES BREACHING AROUND PHILLIP ISLAND . Retrieved on 31 October. 2014 long after commercial and illegal hunts by the Soviet Union with the help of Japan in 1970s, and the numbers using the area as nursery were growing rapidly by October 2014, allowing a rise in hopes to establish commercial whale watching activities in the vicinity of the island.Wildlife Coast Cruises. Winter Whale Cruise . Retrieved on 31 October. 2014
The Eastern barred bandicoot, a marsupial similar in size to a rabbit, is native to mainland Victoria. The mainland population faces significant challenges and remains the focus of ongoing conservation efforts. In recent years, successful reintroductions have taken place on Phillip Island and in the Westernport Bay region.
Climate Phillip Island has an oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb), with mild, fairly dry summers and cool, wetter winters. South-westerlies from Bass Strait keep conditions milder than Melbourne. Average highs range from 23.8 °C in February to 13.5 °C in July, and average lows from 14.0 °C to 6.8 °C. Annual rainfall is moderate at 738.1 mm, though precipitation is frequent, with about 151 days of rain each year, most common in winter. Sunshine is limited, with roughly 32 clear days and nearly 99 cloudy days annually. Recorded extremes span from 41.5 °C in January 2009 to –2.3 °C in July 1994. On 10 August 2005, snow was observed on the island.Australian Government Bureau of Meteorology Snow in Victoria This was a very unusual event.
Tourism
Phillip Island is a significant tourist destination in Australia and is visited by 3.5 million people annually.
The Penguin Parade at Summerland Beach is Phillip Island’s signature attraction. The island is home to approximately 40,000 little penguins making it the largest penguin colony in the world. Every evening at dusk, visitors gather in a controlled viewing area to watch hundreds of penguins emerge from the sea and waddle across the sand to their burrows in the dunes. This wildlife spectacle, which has been formally operating since the 1920s, is often called Australia’s most popular natural wildlife attraction, drawing people from around the world . The viewing infrastructure is managed by Phillip Island Nature Park to minimise disturbance to the penguins – there are boardwalks and seating, and a state-of-the-art Penguin Parade Visitor Centre (opened in 2019 to replace older facilities) that offers educational exhibits about penguin biology and island ecology. Photography is banned during the parade to protect the penguins. Over the years, the Penguin Parade has won numerous tourism awards for eco-tourism and remains a must-see highlight of Victoria. The Nobbies and Seal Rocks (Nobbies Centre): The Nobbies Centre is an ecotourism destination located at Point Grant, on the western tip of Phillip Island. Previously known as the Seal Rocks Sea Life Centre, the area is managed by the Phillip Island Nature Park. A network of boardwalks outside the centre allow visitors to view the local seal colony, The Nobbies, and The Blowhole (a sea cave), and Seal Rocks in the distance. It’s also a good spot to see wild animals: besides seals, the headland is frequented by seabirds and sometimes little penguins (in burrows along the boardwalk, usually visible at dusk). Dolphin and whale sightings (particularly humpback and southern right whales migrating in winter) have been recorded from The Nobbies. Entry to the boardwalks is free. Importantly, The Nobbies area is closed at sunset to avoid disturbance to penguins that come ashore there and to ensure tourist traffic is routed instead to the managed Penguin Parade site. Phillip Island is also renowned for its consistently reliable and diverse surf conditions, making it one of the premier surfing destinations in the country. In 2013, Victoria’s first National Surfing Reserve was established on the island, encompassing four key locations along the coast: Woolamai, Smiths Beach, Summerlands, and Cat Bay. The National Surfing Reserve is guided by the philosophy of “care, share, and preserve.” Phillip Island has a strong history of hosting major surfing events, including the Rip Curl Pro and the Roxy Pro Women’s Surfing Festival. Currently, it is the venue for the World Surfing League – Phillip Island Pro event.