Day-trippers and weekend wanderers travel to Phillip Island to get away from Melbourne for some beachside travel time. This naturally rich location on the southern coast of Victoria, easily accessible by car, offers travellers all the nature experiences one can hope for – back-beach seascapes, lush bushwalking spots and day-trips to view native koalas, little ‘fairy’ penguins and fur seals in their natural environment. Phillip Island is visited by travellers all year round, yet best experienced during the summer months from December to February. Another appeal of Phillip Island is that you can hop on and off the island by car to explore quaint townships in between. During a big day of exploring each corner of Phillip Island, you must keep your energy levels in check. Here are three beach food hangouts to fuel your day while exploring Phillip Island.
Island Wholefoods for Brunch
Cowes is the main community hub on Phillip Island. Before you head out to your big beach trips for the day, a brunch stop at Island Wholefoods is my tip. This is an organic, raw and superfoods café where you can fuel up on fruit-filled acai bowls, fresh green smoothies and turmeric lattes. As much as the bowls are filling and fulfilling, their scrambled tofu on gluten-free toast and sided by a wedge of lemon is a yum-in-the-tum brunch choice.
The tofu is seasoned with turmeric, and veggies like capsicum and spinach are folded through for added nutrition. As you wait for your meal, order a turmeric latte with a dusting of cinnamon and take in the calm beachside aesthetic within this café – from the raw floorboards to the local artwork adorning the walls.
Island Wholefoods 4/75 Chapel Street, Cowes Victoria 3922 Australia (no phone number)
Sweetly Sweets and Ice-cream for a Cool Summer Treat
What’s summer without an icy-cold gelato? A pretty boring one! Australia tops the list as the biggest consumers of ice-cream in the world. This means that Phillip Island has plenty on hand to meet the summer demand.
Sweetly Sweets and Ice-cream is a gourmet ice-cream café that stocks up to six dairy free and vegan sorbets and coconut ice-cream, all homemade by local provider Prom Coast Ice-cream and Sorbet. My favourite flavours to try are the banana coconut cream and mixed berry. Traditional lemon is pretty good, too! Sweetly is located in San Remo, the township before you cross the bridge to get to Cowes.
Sweetly Sweets and Ice-cream, 8/157-159 Marine Parade, San Remo Victoria 3925 Australia Phone: 0418 349 489
Island Burger Bar for Dinner
A massive day at the beach calls for a just as massive meal to restore energy levels. After surfing, ocean swimming, hiking or bushwalking, the body demands a nourishing meal to satisfy the hunger. This is where Island Burger Bar at Cape Woolamai steps in. This classic strip-shop takeaway melds classic Aussie chip shop with a laid-back surfer hangout feel, all stitched together with alternative music vibrating overhead. Tummies will zone in on the big burger menu here and vegans are welcomed into this fold.
One to get the teeth into is Island Burger Bar’s homemade lentil and sweet potato burger, all layered on a fresh bun with bright salad and a smooth layer of hummus. Gluten free buns are thankfully available here, though I narrowly missed out during my dine-in visit. That’s what happens when you dine here during peak season! Still, the chilled out staff take this all in their stride to deliver a bountiful plate version – the salad acts as a side to two burgers topped in hummus. When there’s a will, there’s a way, and Island Burger Bar is happy to accommodate.
My suggestion is to order a couple of potato cakes (or sweet potato if available!) to make this burger meal even more of the holiday hunger pleaser that it is. Just be sure to pull up at a table outside to eat this tasty burger meal as the sun sets over Cape Woolamai for the day.
Island Burger Bar, 9 Vista Place Cape Woolamai Victoria 3925 Australia. Phone: 03 5956 6552.
This post was inspired by the mouth-watering article on burgers titled ‘On a Roll’ found in February Issue 23 of Vegan Life Magazine.
You can check out their website for digital or print subscription details.
Disclaimer: I was supplied with a free digital copy of Issue 23 of Vegan Life Magazine. All opinions expressed in this post are mine.
