PHILLIP ISLAND

island astride the entrance to Western Port (bay) on the south coast of Victoria, Australia, southeast of Melbourne. About 14 mi (23 km) long and 6 mi at its widest, the island occupies 40 sq mi (100 sq km) and rises to 360 ft (110 m). Visited in 1798 by the English explorer George Bass, it was originally called Snapper Island and then Grant Island, after Lieut. James Grant, who landed there in 1801, and renamed in honour of Capt. Arthur Phillip, first governor of New South Wales. Sealers and whalers were in residence by 1802. It was proclaimed a shire in 1928. The island, the main town of which is Cowes, supports stock grazing and chicory cultivation and is a growing resort and retirement centre. It is the site of a koala bear sanctuary, seal, muttonbird, and fairy penguin rookeries, and a geological formation known as the Giant's Pipe Organ. The island is bridged to San Remo, on the east (mainland) shore of Western Port. Pop. (1981) 2,832.