Cape Woolamai: The best walks on Phillip Island, Victoria

The best Cape Woolamai walks on Phillip Island head to the Pinnacles, Old Granite Quarry and Cape Woolamai Beacon. They combine to make the Cape Woolamai Circuit.

Cape Woolamai is the south-eastern tip of Victoria’s Phillip Island, often ignored by travellers as they flock to the Penguin Parade in the south-west. But that might be a mistake – Cape Woolamai is arguably where Phillip Island feels most wild and least touristy.

Surfers don’t make this mistake. The Woolamai Surf Beach is renowned for its consistent breaks, and it’s one of the closest beaches to Melbourne with good surf.

5 Phillip Island experiences to book before arriving

The legendary Penguin Parade – watch dozens of little penguins waddle home from the sea.
Seal-watching cruise – visit Australia’s largest fur seal colony.
Phillip Island helicopter tour – fly above the beaches and dramatic sea cliffs.
Whale-watching cruise – with dolphins, seals and rare sea birds on the way.
Phillip Island Chocolate Factory tour – with more than a touch of Willy Wonka.

Cape Woolamai walks

For non-surfers, however, the main reason to visit Cape Woolamai on a day trip from Melbourne is the walk along the clifftops. There are three Cape Woolamai walking tracks, all of which can be combined in the Cape Woolamai Circuit.

A walker at Cape Woolamai, Phillip Island, Victoria. Photo courtesy of Visit Victoria.

The shortest of these three Cape Woolamai walks on Phillip Island is the Pinnacles Walk. This trail is around 4km long, marked with green markers. The Pinnacles Walk goes to the Pinnacles Lookout, which offers ocean views foregrounded by jagged rock formations in the sea.

Which Phillip Island tour from Melbourne should I choose?

For wildlife: Small group tour including Penguin Parade 🐧, Moonlit Sanctuary and Brighton Beach bathing boxes.
For koalas: Phillip Island Penguin Parade 🐧 trip including Koala Conservation Reserve 🐨.
For value: Full day tour including Penguin Parade and seals at the Nobbies Centre.

The Old Granite Quarry Walk is a bit longer, at 6km. Blue markers line the route, and the walk takes around three hours. Wildlife hangs out here – there’s a decent chance of seeing an echidna snuffling along the track.

Cape Woolamai shearwaters

The main wildlife attraction at Cape Woolamai, however, is the enormous shearwater colony. Short-tailed shearwaters, also known as mutton birds) make burrows all over the Cape.

The longest of the three Cape Woolamai walks is the Cape Woolamai Beacon Walk. This coastal walk is around 6.6km long, with black markers showing the way. The Cape Woolamai Beacon Walk should take about 3.5 hours, and it visits the Cape Woolamai Beacon. This is basically a lighthouse done on the cheap.

Best walks on Phillip Island

All of the walks begin at the information shelter by the Cape Woolamai Surf Lifesaving Club car park. None are especially difficult, although the price of moody coastal scenery is often blustery winds on the exposed clifftops.

If you’d prefer to see Cape Woolamai from the sea, the Phillip Island whale-watching tours run by Wildlife Coast Cruises pass by in the winter months. The Phillip Island weather is better in summer, though. You can also explore Phillip Island’s indulgent side at the Phillip Island Chocolate Factory, Purple Hen Winery and Rusty Water Brewery.