Routes · Oceania
Doha to Victoria's south coast: Phillip Island and Wilsons Promontory
Doha → Phillip Island → Wilsons Promontory
A penguin parade & the southern tip of mainland Australia Best season (general guide): Nov–Apr
South-east of Melbourne, Victoria's coast has one of the country's best-loved wildlife sights and a wild granite peninsula. This route spends three nights on Phillip Island and three at Wilsons Promontory. From Doha you'll fly to Melbourne, then drive. Phillip Island lies about 125 kilometres south-south-east of Melbourne.
How to pace it: Spend days one to three on Phillip Island: day one, drive from Melbourne; day two, Penguin Parade at dusk; day three, Cape Woolamai and the Nobbies. Then spend days four to six at Wilsons Promontory: day four, road east to the Prom; day five, Squeaky Beach and Mount Oberon; day six, coastal walk.
The island forms a natural breakwater for Western Port and is 26 kilometres long and 9 kilometres wide. Each evening, little penguins come ashore at Summerland Beach in what is known as the Penguin Parade. The Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit hosts the Australian round of the motorcycle world championship. Cross the bridge to Churchill Island, with its heritage farm.
Wilsons Promontory, called the Prom, is a peninsula that forms the southernmost part of the Australian mainland. South Point is its southernmost tip. Most of it is protected by Wilsons Promontory National Park, one of Victoria's oldest, and a marine national park.
A walking track climbs Mount Oberon for views over the bays and islands. Practical notes: base yourself at Tidal River, near the coast, the main camping and visitor area. Wombats, kangaroos and emus are often seen in the park. Phillip Island's Boonwurrung names include Corriong and Millowl. The Nobbies, at the island's western end, look out to Seal Rocks, home to a large colony of Australian fur seals.
The Wilsons Promontory Lighthouse stands at South East Point, reached by a long walk. The peninsula's granite mountains were once an island, joined to the mainland by sand. The warmer months, from November to April, are best.
Safety: Canada's advice for Australia is to take normal security precautions (updated 26 May 2026), and the US rates Australia Level 1 (18 Aug 2026).
Suggested outline
Doha
Phillip Island
An island of penguins and surf beaches.
"The Nobbies (3099112951).jpg" by Phil Whitehouse from London, United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence Wilsons Promontory
Granite headlands at mainland Australia's southern tip.
Day by day
- Day 1 · Phillip Island — Arrive; drive from Melbourne· Doha → Melbourne (by air) — long-haul; may arrive the next calendar day, then Melbourne → Phillip Island (overland)
- Day 2 · Phillip Island — Penguin Parade at dusk
- Day 3 · Phillip Island — Cape Woolamai and the Nobbies
- Day 4 · Wilsons Promontory — Road east to the Prom· Phillip Island → Wilsons Promontory (by road)
- Day 5 · Wilsons Promontory — Squeaky Beach and Mount Oberon
- Day 6 · Wilsons Promontory — Coastal walk
- Day 7 · Wilsons Promontory — Travel home from Wilsons Promontory· Wilsons Promontory → Melbourne (by road), then Melbourne → Doha (by air)
A suggested pace only; expedition days are set by the operator.
Flights, leg by leg
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- Doha → Phillip Island (DOH → MEL) · Check today's price Search fares DOH → MEL · 3 Dec ↗
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Phillip Island
Nearest airport: Melbourne Search fares · Melbourne ↗
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