Cowes, Victoria
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Cowes is the main township on
Phillip Island Phillip Island (Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung: ''Corriong'', ''Worne'' or ''Millowl'') is an Australian island about south-southeast of Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria. The island is named after Arthur Phillip, Governor Arthur P ...
in the
Gippsland Gippsland () is a rural region in the southeastern part of Victoria, Australia, mostly comprising the coastal plains south of the Victorian Alps (the southernmost section of the Great Dividing Range). It covers an elongated area of east of th ...
region of
Victoria, Australia Victoria, commonly abbreviated as Vic, is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state (after Tasmania), with a land area of ; the second-most-populated state (after New South Wales), with a population of over 7 million; ...
. It is about two hours' drive from
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
and can also be reached by coach, or passenger ferry from Stony Point on the
Mornington Peninsula The Mornington Peninsula is a peninsula located in the south of Greater Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. It is surrounded by Port Phillip to the west, Western Port to the east and Bass Strait to the south, and is connected to ...
. Cowes is located on the northern side of Phillip Island and faces towards French Island and the
Mornington Peninsula The Mornington Peninsula is a peninsula located in the south of Greater Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. It is surrounded by Port Phillip to the west, Western Port to the east and Bass Strait to the south, and is connected to ...
. At the 2021 census, Cowes had a population of 6,593. Cowes beach has been named the 10th best beach in Australia for 2025.


History

The area was originally known as Mussel Rocks. In 1865, a government surveyor Henry Cox returned from a holiday retreat in
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
and named the town he surveyed after the seaport town of
Cowes Cowes () is an England, English port, seaport town and civil parish on the Isle of Wight. Cowes is located on the west bank of the estuary of the River Medina, facing the smaller town of East Cowes on the east bank. The two towns are linked b ...
on the
Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight (Help:IPA/English, /waɪt/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''WYTE'') is an island off the south coast of England which, together with its surrounding uninhabited islets and Skerry, skerries, is also a ceremonial county. T ...
,
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. A jetty was built and ferry established in 1870, connecting the island to Stony Point. The area was frequented by visitors for the beach, fishing and game hunting. The Isle of Wight and Wood's Family Hotels were built during the 1870s. The main Street of Cowes is Thompson Avenue, named after William Eastwood Thompson (-1955).  Thompson first visited Phillip Island as a child in 1889 and then moved to the island with his own family many years later.  He is primarily responsible for the “mile long” planting of Golden Cypress trees along the street, which began in 1912 and concluded around 1935, assisted by residents and school children.   The Post Office opened on 1 August 1869. In the 1920s, Cowes had many guesthouses, catering to visitors. The Wood's Family Hotel burnt down in 1920, and was replaced by the Phillip Island Hotel, which burned down again in the 1960s. The Isle of Wight Hotel caught fire in 1925, but was rebuilt. However, it too burned down again in 2010. With the rise of cars in the 1950s, and a bridge being built to mainland Victoria in 1940, many motels and caravan parks were constructed. The Cowes Magistrates' Court closed on 1 January 1990.


Climate

Cowes possesses an
oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen climate classification, Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of co ...
( Köppen: Cfb), with tepid, relatively dry summers and mild, wetter winters. Average maxima vary from in February to in July, while average minima fluctuate between in February and in July. Mean
precipitation In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls from clouds due to gravitational pull. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, rain and snow mixed ("sleet" in Commonwe ...
is moderately low (averaging per annum), but rainfall is frequent, as Cowes receives 151.8 precipitation days annually (with a maximum frequency of rain in
winter Winter is the coldest and darkest season of the year in temperate and polar climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Dif ...
).


The town today

In recent years Cowes has seen a rapid expansion in its size. Many estates and apartments have been built in and around the town on what was previously rural farmland. An estimated 70% of houses are owned by absentee owners, most of whom live in and around Melbourne. The main road of the island (Phillip Island Road) leads into Cowes and becomes the town's main road, Thompson Avenue. A distinctive feature of the road is the 1 km lining of Golden Cypress trees which were planted in the early 20th century. Further into town, the road begins a gradual descent before it terminates with a T-intersection at the waterfront. As the road approaches the waterfront, density of restaurants and general retail outlets increases. Retailers in Cowes include Coles, Woolworths,
Aldi Aldi (German pronunciation: ), stylised as ALDI, is the common company brand name of two German multinational family-owned discount supermarket chains operating over 12,000 stores in 18 countries. The chain was founded by brothers Karl and ...
,
IGA IGA or IgA may refer to: Businesses and organizations * IGA (supermarkets) (initially Independent Grocers Alliance), a name used by many independent supermarkets throughout the world ** IGA (Australian supermarket group), the local Australian v ...
and Dimmeys. Cowes Jetty was built at the end of Thompson Avenue in 1870 and remains a focal point of the town. It is flanked by sheltered beaches which are a popular attraction for families. An annual
fireworks Fireworks are Explosive, low explosive Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large numbe ...
event was held at 9pm on
New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve refers to the evening, or commonly the entire day, of the last day of the year, 31 December, also known as Old Year's Day. In many countries, New Year's Eve is celebrated with dancing, eating, drinkin ...
until in 2010 when they were cancelled and then reinstated in 2017. Occasionally a
container ship A container ship (also called boxship or spelled containership) is a cargo ship that carries all of its load in truck-size intermodal containers, in a technique called containerization. Container ships are a common means of commercial intermodal ...
can be seen from the waterfront heading to or from the port at
Hastings Hastings ( ) is a seaside town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to th ...
which is located to the north. Traffic tends to be heavy and accommodation may be scarce during holiday periods and large events at the
Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit The Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit is a motor racing circuit located near Ventnor, Victoria, Ventnor, on Phillip Island, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The current circuit was first used in 1952. Along with The Bend Motorsport P ...
. Since the 1960s, Cowes has been home to Christian Youth Camps in Church St and have run holiday camps for children, youth and young adults. CYC has since redeveloped another much larger campsite just outside Cowes - the Phillip Island Adventure Resort. After this CYC then also bought campsites at Adanac and Forest Edge. The town has an
Australian Rules Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...
football team, Phillip Island, competing in the
Alberton Football League The Alberton Football Netball League was an Australian rules football league covering the South Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. History 1946: Reformation of Alberton Football Association (League) The Alberton Football Association wa ...
. Golfers play at the course of Phillip Island Golf on Settlement Road.
Phillip Island Nature Park Phillip Island Nature Park (PINP) is a conservation park located on Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia. Created in 1996, the park is owned by the Victorian State Government; however, it is a self-funding commercial attraction for the purpose of ...
(PINP) is one of the largest conservation parks in Australia. PINP is located on Philip Island, Victoria, Australia. This park was created in 1996 and it is totally owned by the Victorian
State Government A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonom ...
. PINP is located 1.5 hours’ drive at the south of Melbourne. This park mainly covers over 1805 hectares. Main attractions in the park are Pyramid Rock, Rhyll Inlet, Seal Rocks, and Cape Woolamai. The park also includes specific viewing and attraction areas such as Nobbies Centre which is mainly for seals, dolphins and shark viewing, the Penguin Parade where one can see penguins coming ashore, Koala Conservation Centre and the Churchill Island Heritage Farm. Image:Cowes Vic Jetty.jpg, The Cowes Jetty Image:Cowes Vic Isle of Wight Hotel.jpg, Isle of Wight Hotel, destroyed by fire in July 2010


References


External links


Phillip Island Cemetery deceased records and online map
at Chronicle Cemetery Map

{{authority control Phillip Island Western Port Towns in Victoria (state) Coastal towns in Victoria (state) Bass Coast Shire