Phillip Island by Caravan: Where We Stayed and What We Did in 4 Nights

Phillip Island is one of those places that keeps showing up in different chapters of our lives.

We first visited on our honeymoon. Years later, we returned with our own children when they were little. This time, we were coming back for our third visit, but with another generation joining us: our six-year-old grandson, Alistair.

There was something rather special about that.

The island itself may have changed over the years, and we certainly have, but here we were again, making another set of family memories in a place that already held so many.

For four nights, Alistair joined us in Connie as we explored Phillip Island by caravan. We watched the penguins come home, searched the treetops for koalas, explored the coastline, discovered that Churchill Island was far more of a hit than we expected, and enjoyed the simple fun of having our grandson along for the adventure.

Arriving on Phillip Island

Our plans had changed slightly before we even reached the island.

Originally, we were going to stop in Melbourne overnight, pick up Alistair and then continue to Phillip Island the following day. Instead, we met his parents on Melbourne’s northern outskirts, collected him and decided to keep going.

We reached Phillip Island late afternoon, around 5:30 p.m., after navigating the last stretch in drizzle and peak-hour local traffic.

By then, everyone was ready to stop.

Where We Stayed on Phillip Island

We stayed at what was then BIG4 Newhaven Caravan Park, now BIG4 Ingenia Holidays Phillip Island.

Setting up in the rain wasn’t exactly the welcome to Phillip Island we had imagined, but the staff were welcoming and we managed to get everything sorted before dark.

Our powered site (#57) was a drive-through, which certainly made life easier at the end of a long travel day. It also turned out to be in a great position. We were directly opposite the games room, something Alistair was particularly pleased about, and a pathway near our van led straight down to the beach.

The park had multiple amenities and utility areas spread throughout, along with a laundry, playground areas, outdoor seating and powered tent sites. With facilities spread around the park, we didn’t have to trek from one end to the other whenever we needed something.

For us, though, one highlight was simply being able to wander down the path beside our site and be at the water. It was a lovely spot to finish the day.

If you’re planning your own Phillip Island caravan stay, you can check current sites and accommodation at BIG4 Ingenia Holidays Phillip Island here.

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Phillip Island Chocolate Factory

Our first full day on Phillip Island was deliberately fairly relaxed. We had tickets for the Penguin Parade that evening, so rather than trying to cram too much into the day, we slowly made our way across the island.

One of our first stops was the Phillip Island Chocolate Factory.

We considered the full paid experience but decided it was a little expensive for what we wanted that day. Instead, we explored what we could, tried the hot chocolate and, naturally, bought a couple of chocolate treats.

It was a fun stop along the way, although if we visited again, I’m not sure the full experience would be at the top of our list.

Cat Bay and The Nobbies

From there, we continued towards the western end of Phillip Island, stopping at Cat Bay before heading to The Nobbies.

This was one of those places where the scenery really does the talking.

A kilometre of boardwalk lets you explore the area, with views across the rugged coastline and towards the blowhole.

We didn’t walk the entire boardwalk system. With Alistair with us and the Penguin Parade still ahead that evening, we stayed around the upper section and enjoyed the coastal views from there.

That’s one of the things we’re learning as we travel. You don’t necessarily have to do every walk, visit every lookout or see every corner of an attraction for it to be worthwhile. Sometimes seeing what works for you on the day is enough.

The Phillip Island Penguin Parade

The Penguin Parade was one of the big reasons we wanted to bring Alistair to Phillip Island.

We arrived early, along with what felt like several thousand other people, and joined the crowd waiting for the evening’s little penguins to come ashore.

We had the standard seating rather than one of the upgraded viewing experiences, and getting there early gave us time to find our way around and get settled before the penguins arrived.

And yes, apparently taking your grandson to see one of Australia’s most famous wildlife experiences also means discovering that a hot dog can cost $14!

Photography and video aren’t permitted during the Penguin Parade, so we put the cameras away and simply enjoyed watching the penguins make their way up from the beach.

Sometimes that’s not a bad thing. Instead of worrying about capturing everything for the camera, we could just sit there with our grandson and experience it with him.

Is the Phillip Island 3 Parks Pass Useful?

For our visit, we bought a 3 Parks Pass, which included three of the places we wanted to visit:

Penguin Parade

Koala Conservation Reserve

Churchill Island Heritage Farm

For us, it worked well because we genuinely wanted to visit all three attractions.

Rather than choosing the pass simply because it bundles several attractions, I’d suggest looking at what you actually want to do on Phillip Island and comparing current individual admission prices with the pass before deciding what makes sense for your trip.

Koala Conservation Reserve

Our next wildlife stop was the Koala Conservation Reserve.

The reserve has bush trails and treetop boardwalks, and we enjoyed taking our time and looking for koalas among the trees.

One thing we particularly appreciated was having staff and volunteers along the boardwalks. They knew where the koalas were hanging out and could help point them out, which saved us staring hopefully into trees, wondering whether that grey lump was a koala or just another branch.

It was a lovely, relaxed visit and gave Alistair the chance to see koalas in a very different environment from simply walking past an enclosure.

Fish and Chips at Cowes

Not every memorable travel experience needs an admission ticket.

After the koalas, we headed into Cowes looking for something considerably simpler: fish and chips, ice cream and possibly a beach.

The weather quickly ruled out the swimming part of that plan, but Phil was quite happy to discover that Cowes gave him a choice of fish and chip shops.

Sometimes wandering through town, finding lunch and spending a little time by the water is exactly what you need between the bigger attractions.

Churchill Island Heritage Farm

Churchill Island Heritage Farm was probably the surprise of our Phillip Island stay.

I knew I would enjoy it. Give me an old house, a bit of history and farm animals, and I’m generally quite happy. What surprised us was just how much Alistair enjoyed it too.

We explored the historic buildings and farm before watching demonstrations, including sheep shearing and working dogs. We also had opportunities to get involved in some of the farm activities.

The historic homestead was another highlight for me. I love Federation-style homes, so naturally I looked at the wallpaper, the rooms, and even the tiny old bath. It certainly made me appreciate the size of the one at home!

And somewhere amongst the chickens, Phil may have accidentally suggested that perhaps we could have chickens at home one day.

There is video evidence.

By the time we left, Churchill Island had become one of those experiences that was much better than we expected. It was a lovely way to spend the afternoon and a reminder not to assume which attractions children will or won’t enjoy.

Travelling Phillip Island With Our Grandson

Having Alistair with us changed this part of our Victorian road trip.

We chose some activities because we thought a six-year-old would enjoy them. Our days moved at a slightly different pace. The games room at the caravan park suddenly became considerably more important than it would have been if it were just Phil and me travelling.

And that was part of what made these four nights special.

We love travelling as a couple, but occasionally bringing our family into that part of our lives adds something different.

By the end of our stay, Alistair had experienced his first few nights travelling with us in Connie and, most importantly, he wanted to come again.

I think we can call that a successful first caravan trip with the grandson.

Would We Return to Phillip Island?

Considering this was our third visit, I think we already know the answer to that one.

Phillip Island has now been part of three very different seasons of our lives.

We came here as newlyweds on our honeymoon. We returned years later as parents with our children. And now we’ve come back with our grandson.

This visit was different again.

We chose some activities because we thought a six-year-old would enjoy them. We experienced familiar places through someone else’s eyes and made completely new memories along the way.

There is certainly more of Phillip Island we could explore another time, but after four nights we felt we’d had a good taste of the island without simply racing from one attraction to another.

Maybe that’s part of why we like Phillip Island so much. It isn’t just somewhere we’ve visited. It’s somewhere that has quietly woven itself through our family’s story.

Who knows? Perhaps there’ll be a fourth visit one day.

One Last Phillip Island Story…

Apparently Phillip Island wasn’t quite finished with us when we packed up Connie and left.

Not long after, the police pulled Phil over.

For a moment there was some confusion because the officer thought our caravan might be unregistered. We were driving in Victoria with NSW registration, and the officer initially read our number plate as Victorian.

Once everything was checked, including Phil’s licence, the ute and the caravan registration, all was well.

It did, however, lead to an interesting conversation in the car afterwards when we realised neither of us could immediately remember exactly when Connie’s registration was due!

Nothing like a roadside police check to make you suddenly very interested in your caravan paperwork.

Thankfully, it was simply an unexpected bit of drama at the end of what had been a lovely four nights on Phillip Island.

Watch Our Phillip Island Caravan Adventure

Want to see what our four nights actually looked like?

Come along as we explore Phillip Island with Alistair, visit the Penguin Parade, search for koalas, discover Churchill Island and show you around the caravan park where we stayed.

Watch our Phillip Island adventure on YouTube

Continuing Our Victorian Road Trip

Phillip Island was only one part of our Victorian caravan adventure.

From here, we continued through Victoria, eventually ticking off one of the trips that had been sitting on our travel wish list for years: the Great Ocean Road.

Read our Great Ocean Road itinerary: Three Days Exploring the Coast & Otways

Travelling with our grandson made this part of the road trip very different from our usual travels as a couple, but that’s also what made it memorable.

Sometimes travelling brilliantly together means the two of us heading off on our own adventure. Sometimes it means looking back at how far we’ve travelled together. And sometimes it means making a little extra room in the caravan for the next generation.