My first knowledge of Phillip Island was watching Wayne Gardner race his 500cc motorbike at the inaugural Motorcycle Grand Prix in 1989 and winning that race. That race captured the hearts of Australians and secured the Philip Island Grand Prix as a world class race track. It is a beautiful race track with the blue ocean of Bass Strait as its backdrop and during our stay here on the island we have driven past it numerous times. The size of Phillip Island is 40,000 acres and has a permanent population of 14,000. The population soars to 70,000 during peak holiday periods (now!).
Yesterday we tackled the 8.5 km Cliff Top Walk at Cape Woolomai. We hadn't hiked since Dove Lake at Cradle Mountain so we were really looking forward to it. Although there is elevation of around 130 metres it is a gradual incline and only 80 odd steps. Just my type of walk. But it's the views that make this walk spectacular. A far percentage of the walk is along the beach before ascending the cliff top and again after the descent. The only part of the walk that I found difficult was waking over the sand dune to reach the car park at the very end. My legs were very tired by that stage.
Most people only walk as far as the Pinnacles and then turn around and they are certainly a sight to behold with the heavily eroded rock face. Philip commented that they look like a miniature Tasman Island.
We continued the circular trail all the while taking in the breathtaking views in all directions. At the halfway mark we reach the highest point of Cape Woolomai and you can see almost all of Phillip Island from this vantage point.
The second half of the hike takes us away from the coastline and for most of this section we are walking on soft grass. There is not a lot of shade on this walk so when we do come to a shady part of the walk I am pleased as the day has really warmed up.
The tide plays a big part in this walk as the final section is along the beach that cannot be accessed at high tide. Low tide is around 1.30pm so we had to do this hike in the middle of the day that is not always the best time to be walking. However, we carry three bottles of water so we never de-hydrate. The beach is a welcome sight as it is slightly cooler at the waters edge and the sand is hard and flat that makes walking so much easier. As I mentioned previously the hardest part was the very end when we had to cross a sand dune to reach the carpark!
Today was a much easier day for us. We drove to "The Nobbies" that is just a little further along the road past the Penguin Parade. It is the southern most end of Phillip Island and has a prolific bird population of gulls, terns and cape barren geese. The circular boardwalk is around 800m in length and all along the boardwalk are fairy penguin burrows. How on earth they reach these burrows is beyond my imagination but we were told by our guide that some walk several kilometres to reach their burrow. We see pads along the cliff edge where the little penguins have made their way.
Once we return to the car we drive to the largest township on Phillip Island, Cowes. It is very busy here but then again the whole island is full of tourists and the bridge leading to the island is just a continuous stream of traffic.
We will definitely return to Phillip Island but not in the school holidays. February/March would be a good time to visit. Tomorrow we start heading north to Lakes Entrance that is still just inside the Victorian border. We are going to be there for three nights so I am already researching things to do in the area.
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