From September to April you may see muttonbirds (shearwaters) here – they arrive in September to breed and head for the same burrows each year, after an incredible flight from the Bering Strait in the Arctic Circle. Further off Point Grant, Seal Rocks are two rocky islets with the largest known colony of Australian fur seals, estimated to number around 16,000. In the breeding season between late October and December the number of seals present on the rocks peaks, but it is possible to see seals here all year round.
The antics of the seals in the water and on the rocks are caught on camera and beamed to the new Seal Rocks Sea Life Centre (daily 10am–dusk; $15) where visitors can watch them live on a big screen. In addition, there are other displays; such as videos of seals, artificial rockpools, and information displays on the amazing long-distance migration of the short-tailed shearwater as well as other seabirds one can see on Phillip Island.
The other attractions are more of the theme park variety: a boat ride along eleven scenes where experiences of George Bass’s voyage from Sydney to Western port Bay in 1797 are told complete with special effects like a storm scene and a waterfall, and a hologram of a great white shark. The two cafés and the upmarket restaurant give panoramic views of the Nobbies and Seal Rocks. During the high season and school holidays there’s a free shuttle bus between the Seal Rocks Sea Life Centre and the Penguin Parade Visitors Centre. Cruises to Seal Rocks are available from Cowes.