Cowes and Inverloch Victoria’s ‘most hospitable’ they say

LAUNCHED back in 1994, WorldAtlas is one of the largest online publishing resources for geography and travel in the world with more than 165 million readers worldwide.

This week it featured ‘The 6 Most Hospitable Towns in Victoria’ and two Bass Coast towns, Cowes and Inverloch, were named among the six.

Beechworth and Mount Beauty from the state’s mountainous north-east, and Maldon and Trentham just north-west of Melbourne were the other two.

The list is now featured on the WorldAtlas website where you’ll typically find other lists including:

• 7 Most Beautiful Gothic Churches in the United States
• 10 Cutest Small Towns in Indiana for 2025
• 7 Small Towns in New South Wales with Big Charm
• 7 Overlooked Towns in New Zealand Worth Visiting

And also, a broad range of historical articles.

So, why did Inverloch and Cowes get selected? Because they’re great places to visit but there’s also a distinct advertising flavour about some of the commentary… but any publicity is good publicity, right?

Here in part is what WorldAtlas had to say:

• Cowes: “Situated about two hours south of Victoria's capital of Melbourne, you'll find the quaint town of Cowes. Located on Phillip Island, this charming community is home to 6593 people who enjoy all the town has to offer. While you're in Cowes, you can get your photo taken with the town's most famous resident: the Big Koala statue! If you are looking to get up close and personal with some real-life Australian wildlife, you can visit the Phillip Island Wildlife Park,” it says, but no mention of the World Famous Penguin Parade. Local favourite Pino's Trattoria gets a mention as too does the North Pier Hotel and there’s mention of the Phillip Island and District Historical Society which maintains a display in the Berninneit Cultural Centre.

• Inverloch: “Just 143 kilometres southeast of Melbourne, you'll find the charming town of Inverloch. Just a hair over 6500 people call this beautiful town home, and after strolling down one of its streets, you may get the urge to do so as well. While you're in Inverloch, you can go snorkelling and diving at the Bunurong Marine National Park, and you may even see some of the area's incredible wildlife while you're there!” The beautiful RACV Inverloch Resort gets a mention as too does the South Gippsland Conservation Society which operates an information centre and enviro-activities in town. The town’s incredible dinosaur discoveries are also rated highly.

You might also check out ‘The Most Walkable Towns in Victoria’ where Bright, Dalyesford, Port Fairy and locally, Warragul are named on a list of six.

Click HERE to read about ‘The 6 Most Hospitable Towns in Victoria’.