|
Friday November 2, 2007 (Day 17)
Cowes Australia
Cowes is less than 2 hours or about 142 kilometers south of Melbourne. We traveled
by tour bus along the South Gippsland Highway from Melbourne, turning onto Bass
Highway and to followed the road through Grantville and Bass before turning off
to San Remo. We entered Phillip Island over the bridge between San Remo and Newhaven.
It is also possible to reach Cowes by passenger ferry from Stony Point on the Mornington Peninsula.
Cowes is the main settlement of Phillip Island has a population of 4,000.
It is a bustling hub of cultural, artistic and recreational life. Originally the
town was named 'Mussel Rocks'.
Cowes was the main point of arrival by ferry from the mainland before the bridge
linking San Remo and Newhaven was opened. Early visitors arrived by steamboat,
stayed in one of the many grand guest houses along the seafront and traveled around
the Island on horseback to enjoy the many natural wonders and attractions on offer.
As part of the tour we where given time to pick an eating place of our choosing,
we choose an Italian restaurant and had Pizza before we proceed to the Penguin walk.
After dinner we walked around the town and found many craft and souvenir shops.
Cowes also has beautiful beaches with fine sand that face north onto Western Port,
with views of French Island and the Mornington Peninsula.
|