Native name: Corriong/Worne/Millowl | |
|---|---|
 Map of Phillip Island | |
  Phillip Island | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Western Port |
| Coordinates | 38°29′S145°14′E / 38.483°S 145.233°E /-38.483; 145.233 |
| Area | 101 km2 (39 sq mi) |
| Length | 26 km (16.2 mi) |
| Width | 9 km (5.6 mi) |
| Coastline | 97 km (60.3 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 110 m (360 ft) |
| Administration | |
Australia | |
| State | Victoria |
| LGA | Bass Coast Shire |
| Largest settlement | Cowes (pop. 6593[1]) |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 13,799 (2021) |
| Pop. density | 137.03/km2 (354.91/sq mi) |
Phillip Island (Boonwurrung:Corriong,Worne orMillowl)[2][3] is an Australian island about 125 km (78 mi) south-southeast ofMelbourne,Victoria. The island is named afterGovernor Arthur Phillip, the first Governor ofNew South Wales, by explorer and seamanGeorge Bass, who sailed in awhaleboat, arriving from Sydney on 5 January 1798.
Phillip Island forms a naturalbreakwater for the shallow waters of theWestern Port. It is 26 km (16 mi) long and 9 km (5.6 mi) wide, with an area of about 101 km2 (40 sq mi).[4] It has 97 km (60 mi) of coastline and is part of theBass Coast Shire.
A 640 m (2,100 ft)concrete bridge (originally a wooden bridge) connects the mainland townSan Remo with the island townNewhaven.[4] In the2021 census, the island's permanent population was 13,799,[5] compared to 7,071 in 2001.[6] 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 byUNESCO as part of theMornington Peninsula and Western Port Biosphere Reserve.[7] 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.[8]
The earliest inhabitants of the area were the Yalloc Bulluk clan of theBunurong people, of theKulin nation.[9] In theBunwurrung language the island is known ascorriong ormillowl.[2] Their coastal territory with its sheltered bays meant that the Yalloc Bulluk, along with other Bunurong clans, were among the firstAboriginal people inVictoria to have contact with European mariners.[9][10]
Following reports of the 1798 exploration byGeorge Bass andMatthew Flinders, the area was frequented by sealers fromVan Diemen's Land, whose interaction with the Bunurong people was not without conflict.[10] In 1801, navigatorJames Grant visited the adjoiningChurchill Island (which he named) and planted a crop of corn and wheat.[11][12] In 1826, the scientific voyage ofDumont d'Urville, in command of the corvetteAstrolabe, led to British concerns of an attempt by the French to establish a colony inWestern Port.[13] This saw the dispatch fromSydney ofHMS Fly, under the command of Captain Wetherall, and the brigsDragon andAmity, byGovernor Darling.[14]
While the French colonisation did not eventuate, Wetherall reported on finding a sealer's camp and also two acres of wheat and corn.[15] A fort was constructed nearRhyll, and named Dumaresq after the Governor's private secretary. The "abundance" of wood, quality soil and the discovery ofcoal atCape Woolamai, were mentioned in newspaper accounts.[15][16][17] Wetherall also erected a flag staff on "the flat-top'd rock off Point Grant" (commonly known today asThe Nobbies) on the Island's western extremity as a marker for the harbour entrance.[16]
Of his encounters with theBunurong people, Wetherall toldDarling:
"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 toSettlement Point on the mainland coast.[15][16]
During the third voyage ofHMS Beagle, 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".[18] The water question was again addressed, by Captain Moore, who accompanied SurveyorRobert Hoddle in 1840, that "water can be obtained on Phillip Island, near the best anchorage, off Sandy Point."[19]
In 1835Samuel Anderson established the third permanent settlement in what would be Victoria at the mainland site ofBass 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.[20] The McHaffies, and later settlers, assisted the VictorianAcclimatisation society (forerunner of the committee which established theMelbourne Zoo) by introducing animals such as pheasants, deer and wallabies to Phillip Island.[21]
Plans for the first bridge to the island, fromSan Remo toNewhaven commenced in 1938,[22] at a cost of £50,000, with the official opening by PremierAlbert Dunstan taking place in November 1940.[23] A full public holiday was declared on the island to celebrate.[23]
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.[24] The Phillip Island & District Historical Society serves as a repository of the Island’s history.
Phillip Island Nature Parks managesnature conservation andecotourism on the island.[25]
The southern and western coasts of the island lie within thePhillip Island Important Bird Area, so identified byBirdLife International because of its importance in supporting significant populations oflittle penguins,short-tailed shearwaters andPacific gulls.[26] As of 2023[update] the island's population of little penguins is estimated at around 40,000, with the birds living on the Summerland Estate on theSummerland Peninsula (which was bought by theVictorian Government in the 1980s for use as awildlife reserve). After many penguins died in a 2019 heatwave, native plants such asbower 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 ofclimate 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.[25] 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 usedphosphine gas to fumigate the island's extensive rabbit warrens, which can destabilise houses.[27]
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 offur seals in Australia (up to 16,000 around 2008).[28]
In recent years, other than local population ofcritically endangered endemicBurrunan dolphins or migratorykiller whales,southern right whales andhumpback whales are starting to show recoveries in the area[29] long after commercial and illegal hunts by theSoviet 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 commercialwhale watching activities in the vicinity of the island.[30]
TheEastern 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.
Phillip Island possesses anoceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb), with tepid, relatively dry summers and mild, wetter winters. Tempered by prevailing south-westerly winds from theBass Strait, the island has a milder climate thanMelbourne. Average maxima vary from 23.8 °C (74.8 °F) in February to 13.5 °C (56.3 °F) in July, while average minima fluctuate between 14.0 °C (57.2 °F) in February and 6.8 °C (44.2 °F) in July. Meanprecipitation is moderately low (averaging 738.1 mm (29.06 in) per annum), but rainfall is frequent, as Phillip Island receives 151.4 precipitation days annually (with a maximum frequency of rain inwinter). The island is not very sunny, experiencing 31.8 clear days and 98.7 cloudy days per year. Extreme temperatures have ranged from 41.5 °C (106.7 °F) on 29 January 2009 to −2.3 °C (27.9 °F) on 28 July 1994.[31]
Phillip Island's Grand Prix motorcycle race is traditionally held in October, often seeing unreliable and fickle weather conditions, such as very cold surface temperatures and extreme wind.[32]
On 10 August 2005, snow was observed on the island.[33] This was a very unusual event.
| Climate data for Phillip Island (38°31′S145°09′E / 38.51°S 145.15°E /-38.51; 145.15, 7 m AMSL) (1981-2018 normals & extremes) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 41.5 (106.7) | 39.2 (102.6) | 37.2 (99.0) | 33.0 (91.4) | 25.1 (77.2) | 21.8 (71.2) | 21.8 (71.2) | 23.8 (74.8) | 27.8 (82.0) | 30.9 (87.6) | 34.2 (93.6) | 39.2 (102.6) | 41.5 (106.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 23.7 (74.7) | 23.8 (74.8) | 22.3 (72.1) | 19.8 (67.6) | 16.8 (62.2) | 14.4 (57.9) | 13.5 (56.3) | 14.5 (58.1) | 16.1 (61.0) | 17.8 (64.0) | 19.8 (67.6) | 21.9 (71.4) | 18.7 (65.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 13.9 (57.0) | 14.0 (57.2) | 12.9 (55.2) | 10.6 (51.1) | 8.9 (48.0) | 7.5 (45.5) | 6.8 (44.2) | 7.3 (45.1) | 8.3 (46.9) | 9.1 (48.4) | 10.5 (50.9) | 12.1 (53.8) | 10.2 (50.3) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 4.0 (39.2) | 4.4 (39.9) | 1.6 (34.9) | 0.7 (33.3) | −0.2 (31.6) | −1.5 (29.3) | −2.3 (27.9) | −2.0 (28.4) | −1.0 (30.2) | 0.6 (33.1) | 0.5 (32.9) | 1.7 (35.1) | −2.3 (27.9) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 33.4 (1.31) | 34.0 (1.34) | 49.4 (1.94) | 63.1 (2.48) | 70.0 (2.76) | 78.2 (3.08) | 76.9 (3.03) | 79.7 (3.14) | 69.5 (2.74) | 66.9 (2.63) | 60.0 (2.36) | 48.9 (1.93) | 738.1 (29.06) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.2 mm) | 7.8 | 6.8 | 9.5 | 12.5 | 13.9 | 15.3 | 17.6 | 17.7 | 15.9 | 13.8 | 11.4 | 9.2 | 151.4 |
| Average afternoonrelative humidity (%) | 67 | 67 | 67 | 69 | 76 | 78 | 76 | 73 | 71 | 69 | 69 | 68 | 71 |
| Averagedew point °C (°F) | 13.8 (56.8) | 14.8 (58.6) | 13.6 (56.5) | 11.8 (53.2) | 10.6 (51.1) | 9.4 (48.9) | 8.1 (46.6) | 8.2 (46.8) | 8.8 (47.8) | 9.9 (49.8) | 11.5 (52.7) | 12.6 (54.7) | 11.1 (52.0) |
| Source:Bureau of Meteorology (1981-2018 normals & extremes)[34] | |||||||||||||
Phillip Island is a significanttourist destination in Australia and is visited by 3.5 million people annually.[4]
In September 2023 authorities issued a safety reminder after a 22-year-old woman fell 50 metres down a cliff edge from the Pinnacles Lookout at Cape Woolamai while taking photos for social media.[44]
Phillip Island is steeped in the history of Australian motor racing. A temporary circuit utilizing the island's interior public roads was used for the inauguralAustralian Grand Prix in1928 and continued to be used for the race up until1935. Racing on public road circuits continued through to 1940. In 1952 the Phillip Island Auto Racing Club was formed and commenced construction on the permanentPhillip Island Grand Prix Circuit which opened in 1956. In1960, the inauguralArmstrong 500 was held, although, with the bridge to the mainland unable to support heavy hotmix bitumen equipment, the track broke up during the third running of the race in1962. The damage rendered the circuit unusable for racing and for1963 the Armstrong 500 was relocated to theMount Panorama Circuit and over time evolved into what is known today as theBathurst 1000.
The circuit was refurbished and was reopened in October 1967. It was closed in 1978, but was redeveloped and re-opened in 1988 and the following year hosted the first international version of theAustralian motorcycle Grand Prix. It continues to host the race today and is also a venue for rounds of theSuperbike World Championship, theMotoGP Championship, theV8 Supercars Championship and theAustralian Drivers' Championship.
In September 2011, state planning minister Matthew Guy overruledBass Coast Shire and rezoned a 5.7-hectare farming property at Ventnor from farmland into the township, making it available for development.[45] The rezoning decision was unpopular, with one hundred submissions calling for the town boundaries to be retained, while only one submission from the developers supported the rezoning.[45] Those opposed to the rezoning included American singerMiley Cyrus, who tweeted to her 2.5 million followers that "Phillip Island is such a magical place, it would be a shame to see it change".[46] Days later, Guy reversed his decision.[47]
The developer behind the rezoning, Carley Nicholls, claims to have received a favourable hearing from Guy when she briefed him on the scheme at a "kitchen table meeting" in her home months before he controversially approved it.[48] Nicholls purchased the property based on the rezoning decision and subsequently sought to sue Guy and have his original rezoning decision reinstated.[48] In defence, Guy stated in court documents that he acted "in error" in rezoning the land relying on the advice of ministerial staff and that he overturned his decision after learning that the Bass Coast Shire Council opposed the extension of town boundaries at Ventnor. Guy denied discussing the Ventnor project with Ms Nicholls or even knowing of her interest in the property.[48]
Legal proceedings terminated in August 2013 with a multimillion-dollar out-of-court settlement to Nicholls.[49][50] In October 2013, the Victorian ombudsman George Brouwer launched an investigation into Guy's decision to rezone the Ventnor site, against the original advice of his department, the department's lawyers, the local Bass Coast shire and an independent planning panel.[49] The settlement cost Victoria $2.5 million plus costs, for a total of more than $3.5 million, documents reveal. Senior lawyers had told the government that it should have paid a maximum of $250,000 plus legal costs.[51]
In early 2014, Guy overruled his department to block the release of freedom of information documents about the botched rezoning of farmland on Phillip Island.[52]
Phillip Island has been featured in a wide range of media from fiction and non-fiction books to poetry, documentaries, and Hollywood films. Known for its coastal scenery and Penguin Parade, the island has served as a backdrop in Australian literature, television, and nature documentaries. It has also appeared in international productions, with its dramatic landscapes lending themselves to film and TV, solidifying its place in both Australian culture and global media. The most famous example isOn the Beach, which brought Hollywood royaltyFred Astaire,Gregory Peck,Ava Gardner andAnthony Perkins to Phillip Island, whilst filming scenes at the Grand Prix Circuit.
Towns on the island include:
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Localities in theBass Coast Shire | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mainland |
|  | |||||
| Philip Island |
| ||||||
| NearEast Gippsland | |
|---|---|
| NearCorner Inlet | |
| NearWilsons Promontory | |
| InWestern Port | |
| InPort Phillip | |
| NearPortland Bay | |
| In rivers | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
