Cowes East Heritage Walk (Phillip Island)
A 3km walk (one-way) for history lovers. The Cowes East Heritage Walk is your chance to embrace and explore the history of Phillip Island. During the self-guided walk of Cowes, you will discover Phillip Island heritage sites including the parish hall, butcher shop, bakery, guesthouses, farms and old post office.
This walk complements the Cowes West Heritage Walk.
Pop into the Visitor Information Centres in Cowes or Newhaven to collect your own map, use the map and location key below or download the map here.
Location: Starting point is at the Cowes Visitor Information Centre - 97 Thompson Avenue, Cowes
Thompson Avenue
1. Information Centre
2. Parish Hall 1936.
3. St. Philip's Anglican Church, built in 1870; Rose family Memorial stained glass window given by Lucy Rose, sister of William and Hugh, who lived here 20yrs to 1910; was installed in 1912. Lucy returned to England giving the Anglican Church her property in Rose Avenue. It was named Clergy Rest and was used by clergy as for holidays.
Church Street Corner
4. Butcher's shop, 1925 - 2012.
5. Initially a skating rink, in 1920's a general store. Became the Phillip Island Co-op store (a Farmers Co-operative), in the early 1950's. Demolished in 1960's for Coles Supermarket.
6. Guilder's Store, 1906. De la Haye's brick garage 1950's
7. West's Bakery, early 1920's. Site still used by bakery.
Chapel Street
8. Girlie Smith's Real Estate, 1920's.
9. Duffy's bakery late 1920's to early 30's. May Stickle's Island Delicatessen (m.n. Spaven), from early 1950's.
10. Site of original Town Hall, burnt down 1932. Kindergarten 1950's-2012.
11. Bern and Eva Denham's house, west corner of Bass Ave and Chapel St. Co-founder of Phillip Island Bus Company 1920's.
Steele Street
12. Genesta House, Guest House built 1914 (home Cowan Brae)
13. Narrabeen, early 1920's. Former Guest House.
14. Holmwood Guesthouse home built for Ron Scott.
15. The Castle, early 1950's concrete brick home, built for W. D. Davie.
Lovers Walk
16. Rothesay, early 1920's, Guest House from 1939. Burnt down 1955. Land now subdivided.
17. Site of Charmandene, 1890's. Built for the Henty Wilson family. Moved to Osbourne Avenue. See Cowes West Walk.
18. Site of The Cottage at No. 17, now in Church Street, on the west corner of Monash Avenue. Built by Harold Ewen in 1920's as a holiday home.
19. Broadwater Guest House, 1890. Built for the Henty family. Demolished for Broadwater Court subdivision.
Dunsmore Road
20. Carisbrooke Guest House, built for Mr. and Mrs J. Thornborrow 1924. Now demolished.
21. Edward's tree - in memory of Mrs Oswin Roberts' koala.
22. Football Oval
23. Tide Gauge - 1860's narrow stock loading lefty not used after buidling Cowes Jetty 1870. Access to Tide Gauge is via concrete steps on the east side of Erewhon Point. It's believed a tide-measuring gauge was on the jetty and a fence flanked each side of the path leading to stock holding yards.
The Esplanade
24. Erehwon Point (Nowhere, backwards!)
25. Erehwon Guest House converted in 1923 from a private home. Now 'The Waves'. Nothing left of original.
26. The Continental Guest House, 1923. Nothing original left. 1959 Stanley Kramer shot the film "On the Beach" on the Island. Fred Astaire, Gregory Peck and Tony Perkins stayed here. (Ava Gardiner and her entourage stayed at The Sunseeker Motel (Hollywood Motel in Settlement Rd).
Bass Avenue
27. Yackatoon Guest House, 1920's. Completely rebuilt as part of Continental Hotel in 1980's.
The Esplanade - continued
28. Historic 19th Century trees including Moreton Bay Fig, c1870 on Isle of Wight site.
29. Isle of Wight Hotel site, original 1870 building burnt down 1925. Reopened in 1927 and burnt down again in 2011!!
30. Jetty Shed, 1873. Contracted to Robert Thornton, 22 August 1873. The jetty had already been built. Original pier built on this site 1871. Trading ketches, coastal steamers and ferries used the lefty and goods were stored in the shed.
31. Band Rotunda, built in 1935 by the Phillip Island Baud.
32. War Memorial built in 1923, after- WW1.
33. Hotel was The Koala Cafe. Built in 1926. The number-1896 on the Hotel is a mystery.
Thompson Avenue - continued
34. The Isola di Capri formerly the Cowes Post Office, 1910-1962
35. Site of West's Chicory Kiln 1878-1910, north of lane.
36. Site of West's General Store 1870. Gable still exists in lane on the south side.
37. The Phillip Island and District Historical Society
38. Rhylston Park built on Joseph Vaughan's farm in 1887. Vaughan owned an ironworks in Sth Melbourne. The home built of bricks brought by sea from Melbourne, had brick outbuildings and a bowling green on its north side. The main rooms have pressed metal ceilings and original marble fireplaces. In the 1950's the original laundry was used by Richie Betts as a slaughterhouse.
39. The Pickled Vicar was St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church, opened and blessed, by Archbishop Mannix, Jan 22nd 1933.
Acknowledgement: Phillip island & District Historical Society
Please respect that whilst all properties listed in this guide are of historical interest they are privately owned.
- Distance / Time: 3km one way / 1.5 hours one way
- Difficulty - Easy with made pathways
- Toilets located at Cowes Visitor Centre, in main Council building
- Designated Accessible toilets
- Parking at Cowes Visitor Centre sealed car park behind main Council building
- Designated Accessible Parking available
- Suitable for wheelchairs and prams
- Bicycles permitted
Access for Dogs:
Dogs permitted on lead.
Review:
A nice walk around the Cowes area with some interesting buildings but a significant proportion of the historical sites have been demolished and replaced by modern structures.
Photos:
Location
97 Thompson Avenue, Cowes 3922 Map
Web Links
→ Cowes East Heritage Walk Brochure (PDF)
