Ecotourism At Phillip Island: A Sustainable Way To Reconnect With Nature

Phillip Island: A Haven for Ecotourism

As a citizen of the modern era of science and technology, one thing that is getting depleted from our minds is the rich bounteous nature. It seems that man is getting trapped between the forces of mechanization. This is giving rise to a large number of tensions around us. Being a tourism journalist, I took up the most current issue that I could see around myself. I saw that there were people who have a strong affinity towards visiting the areas filled with the natural elements in order to get a break from the heavy din and bustle of the cities and towns. I took up the issue of ecotourism and interviewed some of the potential tourists who have a strong inclination towards such places like eco-tourism, nature tours, and other such aspects. According to my perception, ecotourism is one of the most sustainable and economic activity as it has manifold advantages. It does not only help in giving refreshment to the tourists but also helps in conserving the nature as well.

I always had a strong affinity towards traveling and I am also an animal lover. So, this time, I undertook traveling to the land of penguins located in the lap of Australia. It is none other than the Philip Island situated in Melbourne. The most attractive thing about this place is the wide range of flora and fauna that it displays. It is a huge plethora of the abundant surprises of nature. One of the very beautiful sites that one can see in this place is the large group of penguins walking across the beautiful pristine beach (Discover Your Wild Side 2018).

This place is also having a very rich and cultural-historical background as well. It is connected to the arrival of the aboriginals who came to this island for collecting the items of their day to day consumption like the Wallabies, ochre, fish, shellfish and other such organisms. Slowly the local residents of this island started taking the tourists as guides to have a look towards the island and the rich flora and fauna of the island. So, it is understandable that right from the past this tourism activity had a source of income for the local people of the island. This was followed by establishing many nature parks, wildlife sanctuaries and rehabilitation of the penguin as well

Almost all the tourists that I have interviewed love to see the Penguin Parade (Penguin Parade – Phillip Island Nature Parks 2018). This is one of the most beautiful and rarest sites that they get to see in the tourist spots that they visit. Apart from this, there is a huge opportunity for the adventure lovers as well. Wild Ocean eco boat tourism one of the most important attractions of this place. Eco boat tours take care that no harm is being caused to the aquatic flora and fauna. It is designed for checking the environmental pollution. It is through these eco-tour boats that the tourists are taken to see the largest colony of the sea fur seals.

The Rich Cultural-Historical Background of Phillip Island

One can also meet the koalas at the Koala conservation center (Koala Conservation Centre – Phillip Island Nature Parks 2018). At present they have tried to influence the nature in a very positive way. They rescue these koalas and keep them safe within their protected, natural habitat and make sure that they are not being harmed. They are putting forward each and every effort to promote the sustainability of nature. They have set many wetlands, mangrove, woodland habitats that have a very good environmental impact. Some of their key attractions include a walk or a cycling tour around the wetlands, natural parks, the wetlands.

Cape Woolamai gives the tourists a chance to walk across the beach that is richly adorned with different kinds of rocks. One can see the varieties kinds’ of rock formations that have been carved by the sea waves and the winds. One can enjoy a pleasant walk over the granite laden beaches that would give them a beautiful and serene feeling. Each and every natural element helps the tourists to take a deep breath in the open and pollution free air. Another breathtaking view is the walk along the wetlands. One can walk on the mangrove boardwalk and enjoy the site of the beautiful village that is located on either side saltwater marsh.

I have got this from the opinion of all the people I have interviewed that getting a view of the ancient, rich, historic view of the aboriginal village is one of the most important aspects of the Phillip Island tourism. The other important and worth mentioning aspects of this tourism is the bird watching site by the Swan Lake Bird Hide (Phillip Island | Tourism 2018).

This is a great opportunity for the bird watchers and the nature lovers. This is also one of the significant sites for the local aboriginal people. So, what I find very remarkable about this place is the concern that they have for the tribal and the local people. They are generating a good source of income by going them this employment opportunity. The local people have a very good connection with nature and they can act as very good guides for the tourists. They have also employed a huge amount of the workforce. Between the years 2015 to 2016, about 2800 posts were opened and people were appointed in the tourism industry. Among them, about 17.8 percent were people from the local regions of the Phillip Island. $ 1.1 billion in the tourism consumption was directly given by the tourism activities that took place at the Philip Island. I have found out from the interviews that majority of the visitors are interstate people who like to spend their time on the Phillip Island. 70 percent of the interstate visitors have contributed about $780 million to the total economy.  

Captivating Sites and Activities at Phillip Island

There has been a significant mention in the interviews; about the National, Vietnam Veterans Museum at the Phillip Island is one of the significant efforts to restore the historical, traditional and the social activities of Australia (Vafiadis 2015). It shows the experiences of the veterans during the Vietnam War and its impacts on the people. It is a rich storehouse of the artifacts and the breathtaking light and sound shows are a major attraction for the tourists.

So, it is also one of the most appealing characteristic feature of this island that they pay due importance to the social and cultural aspects as well. They not only have concern for the culture and the tradition but they have due importance for the modern generation people as well. They have free penguin parade app in the tablets and smartphones that help the young tech-savvy people to see the detailed image oriented platform giving them an in-depth description of the penguin parade. This is a step towards promoting sustainability. This will encourage the youth to come forward and volunteer themselves in protecting the rare species of animals like penguins. They pay importance to the educational aspect as well. They have beautiful and open arenas for many environmental science activities. They currently have many education rangers who have brilliant expertise in taking care of the students and guiding them with their projects. The interested candidate can book their educational sessions through the Phillip island booking office. Among the tourists that I have interviewed some were students who are have said that they are highly satisfied with the experience that they have gathered at the Phillip Island ecotourism.

One of the important activity is Protecting the Hooded Plover (which is a part of Unit 3 AOS 1, Unit 4 AOS 3). It is here where the students will learn about the protection and the conservation of the rare species of the Hooded Plover birds. The researchers, volunteers and the Rangers take care to educate and guide the students in learning about the origin and species of this bird and the ways of protecting and conserving them. Wildlife rescue and protection is one of their major areas of expertise and concern. They have special rescue teams that run the operation for rescuing any injured animal species from in and around the island and there is also a clinic for giving timely medical aid to the injured animals.

So, it can be concluded that the Phillip island tourism abides by all the legal rules and regulations of the Bass Shire Council in order to maintain all its operations peacefully and in an organized manner. However, they must make sure to follow the policy properly so that they never face any problems. They will also have to make sure that all the tourists are abiding by the proper rules and regulations. No tourists must be taking the undue advantage of the facilities that they are getting. The tourism council must implement some strict rules that are to be obeyed by all the tourists. They must not throw garbage on the island or carry on any illegal activities like poaching or harming the wildlife. It has to open up a number of activities for the tourists and follow the process of constant development so that they can give a tough competition to the competitors. They must open up a number of eco-tourism activities like eco-tour rides and also open up many eco hotels so that the tourists can enjoy a pleasant stay. I have been amazed by the sites and sound of nature on this island. I would suggest all the nature and adventure visit this place at least once in their lifetime. I can assure you that you cannot just visit there once! The pristine natural view will leave a long-standing impression in the pages of your memory.

References

Koala Conservation Centre – Phillip Island Nature Parks. (2018). Penguins.org.au.

Penguin Parade – Phillip Island Nature Parks. (2018). Penguins.org.au.

Phillip Island | Tourism. (2018). Visitphillipisland.com.

Vafiadis, P., 2015. Coastal guide to nature and history 2: Mornington Peninsula’s ocean shore, Western Port, Phillip Island and French Island [Book Review]. Victorian Naturalist, The, 132(3), p.91.