Phillip Island
Nº 15 · 38.5°S 145.2°E · Melbourne 80 km
Search across Phillip Island
Phillip Island's data leans heavily toward small batch producers, seven wineries, breweries and distilleries scattered from Ventnor and Rhyll through to Cowes, Wonthaggi and even ferry-only French Island. Craft studios in Glen Alvie, Grantville, Anderson and Cowes work fabric, ceramics, glass and steel, while Wonthaggi and Cowes double as the region's cultural anchor, holding museums and a community arts centre. Smaller counts for accommodation, coffee and independent retail suggest a place built more around makers and producers than a conventional tourist strip, with culture and craft threaded through working towns rather than concentrated in one visitor hub.
Best time to visit
Given cool-climate wineries, outdoor lawns for picnics, cellar doors with gardens and atriums, plus coastal inlets and ferry access to French Island, the milder months make outdoor tasting and inlet walks more comfortable. Cooler, wetter periods suit the museums, galleries and craft studios that sit indoors regardless of weather, making the region workable across seasons.
What sets it apart
The weight of the data sits with small batch producers, seven wineries, breweries and distilleries against five craft studios and five culture venues, spread across eleven towns rather than one strip. French Island's ferry-only vineyard and Wonthaggi's coal-mining heritage sit at opposite ends of the region's character, maritime isolation on one side, industrial history on the other. With only two accommodation listings and a single bookshop, the emphasis reads as production and making, not overnight tourism infrastructure.
Where to start
Generated from 21 verified listings · Last updated 6 July 2026
Towns & localities
Guides to Phillip Island
Highlights
A selection of standout places across Phillip Island
Melaleuca Nursery
For over three decades this Inverloch nursery has been the go-to source for…
Food & diningUpBeet Health and Wholefoods
Part wholefoods grocer, part juice bar and cafe, this Graham Street fixture has…
Places to stayPhillip Island Towers
In the heart of Cowes, a few minutes' walk from the beach and the town's shops…
Museums & galleriesPhillip Island and District Historical Society Museum
Run by the Phillip Island and District Historical Society, formed in 1941, this…
Wine & spiritsThe Gurdies Winery
Wendy Heaney and Bruce Preston bought this small South Gippsland winery in…
MakersClay Create Australia
Grantville's Clay Create Australia makes functional ceramics for the kitchen —…
Wine & spirits
Dirty Three Wines
Inverloch, VIC
Boutique East Gippsland winery near Orbost producing small-batch wines from the remote Tambo…
French Island Vineyards - Winery and Cellar Door
French Island, VIC
Getting to French Island requires a ferry, which means the Pinot Noir, Shiraz and Pinot Gris poured…
Mates Gin Distillery
Wonthaggi, VIC
The name started as a joke — MATES stood for Mystery Adventure Tours and Experiences, invented for…
Ocean Reach Brewing
Cowes, VIC
The taproom on Thompson Avenue pours a rotating lineup alongside the core range — Pale, Hazy IPA,…
Phillip Island Winery
Ventnor, VIC
Family-owned and set on the Ventnor slopes of Phillip Island, this winery combines a cellar door —…
Purple Hen Winery
Rhyll, VIC
Five hundred metres from Western Port Bay, the maritime air does most of the work at this…
The Gurdies Winery
The Gurdies, VIC
Wendy Heaney and Bruce Preston bought this small South Gippsland winery in 2020, folding it into…
Museums & galleries
Bunurong Environment Centre & Shell Museum
Inverloch, VIC
Jack Lewis started collecting shells in the 1960s and by 1972 was opening his Inverloch house to…
National Vietnam Veterans Museum
Newhaven, VIC
Vietnam veteran John Methven started this in 1996 with a Land Rover, a trailer of war memorabilia,…
Phillip Island and District Historical Society Museum
Cowes, VIC
Run by the Phillip Island and District Historical Society, formed in 1941, this local history…
Pyramid Rock Gallery
Cowes, VIC
On the main street of Cowes, this contemporary art space shows work by artists from Phillip Island…
Wonthaggi State Coal Mine
Wonthaggi, VIC
Wonthaggi State Coal Mine is a museum in Wonthaggi, VIC. The museum explores themes of mining…
Wonthaggi Union Community Arts Centre
Wonthaggi, VIC
Wonthaggi Union Community Arts Centre is a cultural centre in Wonthaggi, VIC. The cultural centre…
Makers
Artfusion Studio & Gallery
Anderson, VIC
Sculptor Andrew Kasper works steel; Marlene Abela works glass. Both studios operate inside this…
Clay & Co. Studio
Cowes, VIC
Five artists share studio space in a Cowes industrial estate — painters, sculptors, ceramic artists…
Clay Create Australia
Grantville, VIC
Grantville's Clay Create Australia makes functional ceramics for the kitchen — garlic and ginger…
Patchwork Maze
Glen Alvie, VIC
On Coastview Lane in Glen Alvie, this quilting and fabric shop stocks an uncommonly deep range:…
Wonthaggi Woodcrafters
Wonthaggi, VIC
Since 1989, this Bass Coast club has gathered locals around woodturning lathes, scroll saws, and…
Places to stay
Eugenies Inverloch
Inverloch, VIC
Directly opposite the inlet beach at Inverloch, this purpose-built house holds four rooms, each…
Five Acres Farmstay
Cowes, VIC
Genesta House
Cowes, VIC
North Pier Hotel
Cowes, VIC
On the waterfront at Cowes, this independent Phillip Island hotel looks out across the bay from…
Oak Tree Lodge
Rhyll, VIC
Phillip Island Cottages
Cowes, VIC
Phillip Island Towers
Cowes, VIC
In the heart of Cowes, a few minutes' walk from the beach and the town's shops and cafes, this…
Rhyll Haven Luxury Accommodation
Rhyll, VIC
On Phillip Island's quieter eastern flank, this hilltop cluster of suites, lofts, and a standalone…
Ripples n Tonic
Ventnor, VIC
The Inverloch Glamping Co
Inverloch, VIC
A converted livestock paddock on the Bunurong Coast, replanted with thousands of native species…
Verandah Retreat
Cowes, VIC
Wattle Bank Farm
Wattle Bank, VIC
# Wattle Bank Farm Nestled in South Gippsland near Inverloch, this farmstay centres on…
Shops
Blue Gum Garden Centre
Newhaven, VIC
Phillip Island's local garden centre, trading from Newhaven and Cowes with an everyday range of…
Melaleuca Nursery
Inverloch, VIC
For over three decades this Inverloch nursery has been the go-to source for indigenous and native…
Townsend's Nursery Wonthaggi
Wonthaggi, VIC
Lois Townsend and family grow most of what they sell themselves at this Wonthaggi nursery,…
Turn The Page Bookshop
Cowes, VIC
An independent bookshop on Thompson Avenue in Cowes, the main town on Phillip Island, carrying a…
Food & dining
Bassine Specialty Cheeses
Glen Forbes, VIC
Bassine Specialty Cheeses is a family-run farmhouse operation in Glen Forbes, South Gippsland,…
Cowes Curry Club
Cowes, VIC
A modern Indian kitchen on Thompson Avenue serving lunch and dinner every day, with dine-in tables…
Omaru Farm Stay, Store & Cafe
Ventnor, VIC
A working Phillip Island farm that folds together a store, a cafe and farm-stay accommodation, all…
UpBeet Health and Wholefoods
Wonthaggi, VIC
Part wholefoods grocer, part juice bar and cafe, this Graham Street fixture has anchored…
Also in Phillip Island
Tours & walks
Based in Phillip Island
Ocean Adventures Phillip Island
A boat-adventure operator working the granite cliffs and sea caves of Cape Woolamai that…
Departs InverlochOffshore Surf School
A surf school built on hands-on coaching, from one-on-one sessions to group lessons and…
Departs Phillip IslandOutThere Outdoor Activities
Ocean-and-mountain activity outfit offering surfing, body boarding, kayaking, stand-up…
Departs CowesPioneer Kayaking
Guided sea-kayak tours around the Phillip Island coastline, launched out of Cowes. The…
Departs CowesWildlife Coast Cruises
Thirty years of cruising the waters off Phillip Island and Wilsons Promontory, with…
Nearby regions
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