Penguin Parade, & Wildlife Encounters Eco Tour from Melbourne

I highly recommend the tour and out guide Alisha was great!

A wonderful tour and great experience. Seeing hundreds of penguins waddle back to their burrows after sunset was magical. We also spotted kangaroos and some other local wildlife. A memorable day!

Cloe was an awesome tour guide, providing interesting information about areas we were visiting or passing through and useful pointers at the Penguin Parade, Moonlight Sanctuary and the Brighton boxes. I appreciated her sense of humor, her patience with those who lagged behind at various stops, and her excellent taste in 90s/00s music. We selected Go West more than a decade ago when we were a young couple (and we largely picked them because of the Pet Shop Boys reference). I'm glad we opted for them again as a family of four and that their tours remain high quality! I gladly recommend them to anyone interested in seeing around the Melbourne area!

Woody, our tour operator, was a dynamo: a skilled driver, knowledgeable guide, and clear communicator for a group representing visitors from Asia, Europe, and North America. He clearly loves Melbourne, Phillip Island, Victoria, and Australia, and has a real passion for conservation, especially the native animals and the penguins of Phillip Island. The wildlife sanctuary was such a hands-on treat. You walk freely among a few dozen kangaroos and wallabies (some areas are off limits so they can rest and get away from us pesky humans), and you can buy food to feed them straight from your palm, which was an amazing experience. I expected to view wildlife from a distance, not interact with it this closely. We upgraded (an extra USD$25) to the on-site koala experience (it was off-season, so they had room), and got to take pictures with and pet the back of “Cyclops,” a female koala. The seven-minute session moved fast: the staff are pros at snapping a ton of photos in both portrait and landscape, and even managed to sneak in a short video. Note: Victoria state law doesn’t allow picking up or holding a koala, so if that’s on your list, you’ll need to do it in another Australian state. It’s hard to put into words what it’s like watching the penguins come ashore. As we settled into our seats, they were already arriving in waves, and it’s startling how close you are to them. The board at the entrance reported 860 penguins the previous night, and there were at least that many the night we visited. They keep coming in waves, and just when you think it’s over, another group arrives. We upgraded to the Penguins Plus tour (an extra USD$29), which gave us a smaller platform with fewer seats on the right-hand side of the bay, closer to where the penguins come ashore. The platform was lower to the ground, and there wasn’t a bad seat in the house; we had a clear view of the water and the shoreline. The boardwalk ramp up to the Penguins Plus seating area is barely three feet off the ground and well lit. After the waves of penguins came in, we watched them cuddle together and waddle into their little burrows.

Thank you, Sophia, for a fantastic Phillip Island tour! The Penguin Parade with the Plus Pass gave us an amazing close-up experience with the adorable little penguins. Moonlit Sanctuary was also a highlight, especially feeding the wallabies and kangaroos. Sophia was friendly, knowledgeable, and made the day enjoyable from start to finish. An unforgettable experience that we highly recommend!

We had a GREAT day with Alisha as our guide. She was very friendly and informative throughout the tour. We ended the day with the Penguin Parade with Alisha putting us ar the best place to see the Penguins as they exited the ocean and made their way to their burrows.

We had a great day going to the various sites with Alisha. She was an awesome guide. She hooked us up with a great spot along the penguin parade. Our kids liked the moonlight sanctuary too.

Friendly driver Tim. Great sightseeing, timing was good.

Fantastic experience. Sharif was a fun and enthusiastic guide. A+++ The trour picked me up at my hotel and off we started at the beach then went to the Moonlite Sanctuary. It was great to have the opportunity to be so up close with the animals. (You can sign up for special animal encounters for an additional cost.) There’s also a small cafe where you can eat lunch, which is recommended since there aren’t many other options. We continued on making a stop at Nobbies. I really underestimated how beautiful the views would be! If you’re lucky, and the timing is right, you might find a penguin there. No worries though bc Phillip Island had plenty! Our guide gave some tips on how to get the best viewing. As we boarded to head back home Sharif played the Didgeridoo for us which was a fantastic treat! Wonderful day. I recommend dressing for the weather and the cool of night.

Alisha was great! Really enjoyed the tour! She put in so much effort to make the trip special for everyone! It is too bad that people at the penguin parade took pictures and videos. It damages the penguins' eyes and frightens them. That had nothing to do with the tour, just the people at the event.