Festival goers "give back" to the island

A surprise hit at this year's Whale Festival was a tree planting event at Ventnor.

The planting day was already scheduled on the Landcare calendar, but was a new event for the festival and was designed for visitors who love Phillip Island to give back.

Nearly 30 festival goers got their hands dirty, alongside 20 Landcarers, with Melbourne mum Laura bringing her two kids to the planting.

"We went to the festival last year and this is the first thing we're doing this year because we hadn't seen it offered before," Laura said.

"Hopefully when the kids are older we can come back and see how the tree has grown."

Landcare's David Rooks said they were encouraging visitors who value Phillip Island as a special place to give back during their stay.