Phillip Island: Penguins, Koalas and Kangaroos Day Tour from Melbourne

Melbourne, Australia

Get up close to Australia's famous wildlife on a day trip to Phillip Island. You'll see the little penguins, koalas, wallabies, kangaroos and seals on this full day tour from Melbourne. Your Phillip Island excursion includes a visit to Warrook Cattle Farm, the Koala Conservation Center and the famous Penguin Parade. You also have the option of enhancing your Penguin Parade experience with a choice of three viewing vantage points.
The little penguins provide a wonderful spectacle as they break free of the surf and waddle home across the sand at dusk at Phillip Island. Phillip Island is home to an astounding array of wildlife, including koalas, Australia's largest fur seal colony and, of course, the little penguins.

Travel to Melbourne's bayside suburbs of St. Kilda and Brighton, visit Warrook, a working cattle farm in the prosperous Gippsland region. Enjoy the opportunity to pat and feed kangaroos, wallabies and a host of farm animals.

You'll encounter koalas in their natural habitat at the Koala Conservation Center. View spectacular coastal scenery at Nobbies, two rocky outcrops abundant in marine life. From the walkway, see Australia's largest population of fur seals living along the rugged southern coastline. Browse through the educational Phillip Island Visitors Information Center and visit the popular seaside town of Cowes - the main town on Phillip Island and a holiday retreat for fishermen and beach lovers.

Please note:
During the summer months between October to March, the tour will stop in Cowes for dinner (at your own expense), followed by a drive to Nobbies and Seal Rock before heading to Penguin Parade.

Choose one of the following three upgrades to enhance your Penguin Parade experience:

• Choose the Penguin Plus View Platform upgrade to have a unique up-close and interactive penguin viewing with commentary provided by an eco-qualified ranger. There's excellent penguin viewing from the wooden seating and boardwalks.
• The Private Penguin Parade option is limited to a maximum of 10 people per group, making your interactive penguin viewing and personal ranger commentary more private and personal. You'll be supplied with a mat so you can sit comfortably on an exclusive viewing area of the beach, plus a headset for live commentary and a guided tour of the Penguin Parade visitors center.
• The Penguin Skybox gives you the option of viewing the Phillip Island Penguin Parade from an exclusive elevated viewing tower, accompanied by a personal ranger.

USD $128.56

Traveler Reviews

Review by: Tobias C	March 2012
Excellent trip! Very well organised with an enteraining but also very informative bus driver. I learnt a lot about the region and had a lot of fun this day.

Review by: sarahc	March 2012
enjoy watching the penguins walking pass right in front of ur eyes, quite amazing.except no photos

Review by: Frances M	March 2012
Thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. Pity that we weren't told about the no photography rule until we were on the Island.

Review by: Vicki	March 2012
We traveled in March 2012, with our 2 boys (ages 7 and 9). Phillip Island was excellent, the penguin parade is a must. The bus journey was monotonous, it took over an hour to get around all of the hotels before we made the final pickup at Federation Square (just a couple of blocks from our hotel!!), the driver talked for the entire journey (2+ hours) without drawing breath. Whilst he had some great information, after about 10 mins it was difficult to zone back in to listen for the good bits. The farm was disappointing, the wombats were very cute but they were in quite small pens and I don't think their quality of life was very high, the kangaroos, etc were a little more free roaming so not so bad. The farmers/workers were a little abrupt and gave the impression that they would prefer not to have to resort to tourist $s. The koala sanctuary was well worth a visit. We would have liked to have spent more time at the koala sanctuary and the penguin parade and would happily have given the farm a miss. Next time I think we would rent a car and take things at our own pace.

Review by: Lisa-Marie P	February 2012
This tour was excellent.

Review by: Rhiannon	February 2012
Excellent day out. The weather was perfect and our driver was great. At the cattle ranch you can feed both kangaroos and wombats which was fun. We also had some spare time so our driver stopped by the chocolate factory on-route to the koala sanctuary. Penguin parade was by far the best moment of the tour. I upgraded to the penguin plus which is worth the extra money. Its away from the main area and it seems like you see much more as the penguins walk right beside you. Since it was just before the moulting season the penguins had been stocking up on extra food so they were very fat little penguins. Some were so big they couldn't walk properly and had to rest on their bellies every couple of steps. Made the whole experience much more cuter. Overall excellent day trip from melbourne I highly reccommend.

Review by: Catherine E	January 2012
Well organised and verey enjoyable trip

Review by: Emilyyoung45	January 2012
Fantastic day trip from start to finish. We had the most knowledgeable and entertaining bus driver (Sean), who added to the magic of the day. Best part has to be the penguin parade. We upgraded to the private viewing and it was definitely worth the money. A magic experience watching the penguins in the moonlight. Would highly recommend to friends and family.

Review by: Christopher L	January 2012
Couldn't have been better, unless we had just a bit more time on the beach. On the other hand, it was a 2 hr drive back to the city, so I completely understand why we needed to leave when we did. I strongly recommend this trip. Will do again if I ever come back.

Review by: liliana.pereira	January 2012
The day was really well spent. We get to see and do everything on schedule and we enjoyed very much.

Review by: Sawang P	January 2012
Excellent trip!

Review by: Frieda	December 2011
The Phillip Island day tour with stops at the Koala Conservation Center and Warrook Cattle Farm to see Kangaroos and Wombats was awesome but the Penguin Parade on Phillip Island was worth every dollar paid for the excursion.

Review by: Chau Quynh P	December 2011
Great experience!

Review by: Jodie S	December 2011
This trip was a long day, you didn't need to get there until 830pm but we left at 1pm and had a lots of stops on the way, I would of much preferred to head straight there._br/_ You cannot take pictures of the penguins which I didn't know until we had nearly arrived.

Review by: Jianzhong W	November 2011
It was an wonderful trip; the driver/tour guide was great!

Review by: Anne K	November 2011
Fabulous experience seeing the penguins come up the beach there's a lot of them!_br/_ Koalas and kangaroos good as well.

Review by: Ruth Ann C	November 2011
I took the private showing...well worth it. You could actually touch them you were so close.Our guide gave us access to restricted areas for further viewing. Well worth the money ...Loved it!!

Review by: Camilo M	November 2011
The penguins experience was great. The tour is very nice, the Koalas center is very nice. The kangaroos were really disaponting. do not expect much on that,_br/_ But the rest of the tour is great, phillp island is a fantastic place, do not forget to take a jacket it is really windy at night. The viator deal was great, 50% off. first time using viator, it was great

Review by: Ellie S	November 2011
The driver was excellent, funny and informative. my only issue was the warrook ranch we visited. the wombat there was clearly mentally neglected. he had worn a path in his cage from pacing and I ended up reporting them to 'wildlife Victoria' for a welfare check. Thats' not the trips fault but I don't appreciate supporting such an establishment. The penguins and the koalas were fantastic.well worth doing on the whole.

Review by: Gurmeet S	October 2011
Excellent Trip enjoy to the hilt...especially children were so excited after seeing so many small penguins walking in line. Once in a lifetime experience. Will definitely advocate to everyone visiting Melbourne must try to visit. No doubt 5 out of 5.

Review by: Damian3279	September 2011
A good evening experience, We didn't feel there was a huge benefit in selecting the private and privileged tours. Go it alone and get in amongst the action.

Review by: SAY CHEANG L	September 2011
Great value for money especially if you are short on time. This is one tour you should not missed if you are visiting Melbourne. The tour bus pick us up and drop-off at our hotel in St. Kilda which was way off from the city center where most other hotels pickups were._br/_ Our bus driver was knowledgeable and punctual with his schedule. Although there were a couple of times when some passengers were late returning to bus, the driver remained patient if it had been up to us, we would have voted to leave w/o them. So, one feedback to the tour operator would be as there are often language barriers or misinterpretation, it maybe a good idea for the driver to post up a dummy clock showing the drop-off time and the return time.

Review by: Amy C	August 2011
Excellent tour and guide. All activities were wonderful for animal lovers. Only complaints: much too little time at Koala Sanctuary, felt very rushed. Could have done without the kangaroo documentary on bus ride home, which included graphic info on kangaroos being used as meat. Kind of a downer after petting them that afternoon ;)Everything else was fantastic!

Review by: Sue O	July 2011
The trip was great but the tour guide was the worst I have ever experienced - he was negative and made the trip terrible - I would not recommend this tour group. I would like to know who to contact about a refund..

Review by: Byron F	April 2011
This trip was great value for money! a lot more than we thought we were going to get and the tour driver was fantastic! thanks Adrian! you really made this trip fantastic!

Review by: WAYNE G	April 2011
The excursion was great! The only negative was the lack of details. We called the company twice about time, meeting place and food arrangements. The departure time given was 1 hour early and there was no info about a stop in a town for dinner, so we took a lunch but had to wait around for the others. It would help visitors to have a complete schedule for the trip

Review by: Jeff R	April 2011
Fantastic tour. The guide was great. Had a lot of good facts and history about the area. The Koalas and Kangaroos were great. But the Penguin Parade was the best. Worth every penny. I highly suggest this for anyone that wants to see wildlife unique to Australia.

Review by: Eileen R	April 2011
The penguins were adorable and a must for die-hard penguin lovers. We were also able to see koalas at a conservation center and had a great, knowledgeable tour bus driver.

Review by: Harry G	April 2011
I would give this trip a B rating. It was amusing and interesting. The problems were 1) the animals we saw (kolalas, kangaroos )were on a "farm " or reserve, not in the wild as one may think. 2) There is no photography of the penguins (the point of taking the trip). The reason for this is understandable, but it should be included with the on line advertisement for the trip, so that one can make a more informed decision about going.

Review by: Kim W	April 2011
Was a great trip, but I wouldn't pay extra for a private viewing again as we didn't see anything more than anyone else and it wasn't worth the extra money

Review by: Alison P	March 2011
Trip was good but the Penguin parade facility is very crowded and poorly run. MP4 players (for commentary) did not work (no refund provided) and the time taken to issue was far too long due to requirement for a deposit and cuts into viewing time. Recommend English speakers do not bother getting the MP4 as the rangers give commentary anyway.

Review by: Raymond T	March 2011
We are Australians and as such have seen kangaroo's and Koala's many times,but if you are from other countries it is a highly recommended trip.My wife had not seen the penguins before and this for us was the highlight. It was great; a full day,we were picked up from our hotel at 1pm and returned at midnight.Very happy with our decision to take this particular tour.

Review by: Joanna T	February 2011
Amazing day out! Loved feeding the kangaroos and the penguins were too cute!

Review by: Mr. Joseph N	February 2011
The driver was knowlegable, his comments and manners were exemplary, very professional. I left, thinking about what right have we got to watch those frightened little birds on their way home after a hard day's work in order to survive. The whole experience must be terrifying for them. The whole idea of creating a business out of this is wrong.

Review by: Thomas N	February 2011
Bus. Comfortable. Driver was punctual, professional, knowledgeable. The "warroo" was interesting and pleasant. Koala were visible and easy to get pix. Penguins were so cute. Long day but interesting, enlightening, comfortable and enjoyable experience

Review by: Diane S	January 2011
This was one of the highlights of our trip. Bring a jacket and scarf as it gets pretty chilly out there at night waiting for these cute little creatures to come in after 9:00 pm. So worth the journey. Our driver was very knowledgeable and helpful

Review by: Jacquelyn K M	January 2011
This day is absolutely worth the trip! I couldn't believe what these penguins did naturally.I've never seen such a thing.Also, the time with the kangaroos and koalas was precious--great pictures, too.

Review by: Jan	December 2010
The penguins were cute as buttons and I am glad we spent the extra $ to watch from the ranger's station. The ranger's comments were very educational and helpful. My mother is partially disabled it it helped she was able to sit and watch from inside the penguins. I would recommend going on this tour for anyone going to Melbourne.

Review by: cache	November 2010
The Penguin Parade is a must see event. The penguins were so cute. Unfortunately, we could not take any pictures or videos. Suggest to upgrade to the Viewing Plus Platform as it is closer to penguins' burrows and probably would see a lot more penguins coming out of the ocean, which was amazing! Although you can still see penguins along the path back to the Gift Center. The Koalas Conservatory is a great way to see koalas. But you can't hold them or get a close up. At the Cattle Farm, it was fun feeding the kangaroos and wombats. Overall, the tour was great. However, I wish we could stay longer at the Koalas Conservatory and Penguin Parade locations and skip other scenic locations. The tour guide (same as bus driver) was great and very informative. Don't eat at the Italian restaurant for dinner recommended by the tour guide. They brought the wrong drink and pizza to us. The lasagna was soggy and did not taste good. The pizza was bad as well.

Review by: Jana K	November 2010
trip was really great...frank was a really nice busdriver...just a bit sad, that it rained the whole day...but we can't change that

Review by: Caye S	November 2010
LOVED it! Penguin parade is definitely something to see. They are very cute and watching them come up the beach is only part of it. You can watch them as they walk to their burrows. Worth paying extra for the close up private viewing - gets you front row seats and access to closer viewing platforms. Bring a warm jacket, it can be windy and cooler at the beach than inland. If it's high tide you might need a waterproof jacket as you might get some sea-spray. If you do not pay for private viewing (which includes use of a mat to sit on and binoculars), then bring your own towel or mat, and binoculars. Also, stop at a farm to pet and feed kangaroos and wombats was fun. You get to be up close and personal. Koalas are cute but this is not a place where you get to hold or touch one, just platforms through the trees to see them in natural habitat. If they are high up, tough to see, but if you get lucky one might be on a lower branch. In the summer months, tour stops at Cowes for dinner, which you have to pay for. Lots of cheap places for a quick bite.

Review by: LUDIVINE L	November 2010
I had a great day! i loved feeding the kangaroos and the wombat at the farm and of course the little penguins! i booked the private penguin viewing and it was great ; at first i was in the front row, which was perfect to see them come out of the sea and then we moved to the tower to see them climbing back to their burrows! awesome!

Review by: Eira B	October 2010
Our trip to Phillip Island with our driver Phil was a fun day and Phil made it such a good day. His sense of humour and knowledge made it even better. I had been to Phillip Island only a couple of months previously with another company and had a Canadian friend with me this time, we went up along the cliffs and saw swamp wallabies, an echidna and Cape Baron geese, all of which were thanks to Phil.

Review by: James O, United States of America	July 2010
Outstanding evening tour. We were a few feet away from more than 100 tiny penguins as they left the ocean waves and made their way to their homes in the hillside. The extra money for the private viewing was worth it. Our tour guide was great.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	July 2010
Payed for the private ranger guide and loved the upclose seats to the penguins. We lucked out and were the only ones with the ranger so were able to move around to different observation points to see more of the penguins. loved it!

Review by: Maria Suzette C, Philippines	June 2010
We super love the experience despite the cold temperature. Bring something to keep you warm. Recommended for kids and for "kids-at-heart".

Review by: Justine W, New Zealand	May 2010
We had an awesome day. The penguins were amazing. Would definately recommend doing the private penguin parade experience.

Review by: Keith B, Canada	March 2010
It was everything I had hoped for. The bus driver was very informative and had a great sense of humor.

Review by: Nicki S, United Kingdom	March 2010
This was the best trip I had whilst in Australia. The spectacle of the penguins was amazing. Not only was the sight of the penguins on the beach amazing, but 'the after show' boardwalk back to the vistors centre meant that you saw penguins within a couple of feet of the walkway - and this wasn't just one or two, there were groups of 10 or 20 at a time. I would recommend that anyone going on this trip wrap up warmly, even consider taking a blanket as sitting on the grandstand waiting for the penguins to appear out of the water was extremely 'bracing'.

Review by: Donna L, United States of America	March 2010
The private parade was fantastic. We were given the first row of seating and it was well worth it considering the crowds.