Wildlife – Mornington Peninsula

Head to the Mornington Peninsula for a close encounter with Australian wildlife. Port Phillip Bay’s southern reaches are home to hundreds of bottlenose dolphins. Watch them from the shore or swim with them as part of a cruise run by a number of specially licensed operators based in Sorrento.

For those more interested in mammals of the furry variety, French Island, just off the Peninsula is home to a large colony of koalas. Moonlit Sanctuary offers a unique introduction to Australian fauna. Encounter a variety of Australian animals usually not seen in zoos and wildlife parks such as the Eastern Quoll, the Red-bellied Pademelon and the Eastern Bettong.

The shores of Port Phillip Bay and Westernport Bay are also alive with birds. Visit one of the parks and wetlands inhabited by dozens of bird species to see them wade, forage for food and breed in the bay shallows, many after migrating thousands of kilometres.