Phillip Island Penguins & Wildlife Day Tour from Melbourne

A nice day seeing the sights at Brighton Beach, the Moonlit Sanctuary, and Phillip Island. The sanctuary was my favorite, getting to see the animals close up. Not too many penguins, so that was a little disappointing, but you can’t control Mother Nature. Our guide was terrific!

Tremendous experience, a complete tour with a lot of connection to the animals, nature, and the beauty of Australia.

It was a wonderful experience from start to finish. I had the opportunity to see Australia’s unique wildlife and visit some truly breathtaking scenic locations. The Penguin Parade was an unforgettable highlight, and the entire experience was made even more enjoyable thanks to our tour guide, Tim. His insightful commentary and interesting information about the places we visited added great value to the tour and made it both engaging and memorable.

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 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, 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.

The bus ride takes you on a scenic tour of Melbourne’s southern suburbs and deposits you on boardwalks for grand walk-abouts of Phillip Island. The Brighton Beach Bathing Boxes are a cool sight to behold. It’s nice knowing they’re being preserved as part of Australia’s cultural heritage. Viewing the small penguin parade is for sure a major highlight of one’s visit to Phillip Island. Our Go West driver/guide Tom is well-versed on the more distant and contemporary history of Melbourne / Phillip Island. Tom is a knowledgeable, friendly chap who made for a wonderful tour host. Try to pick a warmer, sunnier day, if you can. Overcast skies and southerly winds can make for a cold, uncomfortable evening on the island if you’re unprepared for such weather conditions. All in all, well-worth the time and money!

Look, the tour guide Riquell was amazing, friendly, passionate and engaging no problems at all with her. However, this tour is marketed as a Phillip island tour and we barely spent much time at all there. Just a quick look at the Nobbies then watched the penguins from so far away you can barely see them. Except on the penguin highway or whatever. But you don’t even have much time there to look at them. Plus, earlier in the day we wasted probably 3 hours looking at the beach huts, and a disappointing Australian animal zoo. Why did these places have to be included, if you’re interested you can just go there on your own. Overall, pretty disappointing tour for the price, so I would just recommend this company to prioritise Phillip Island over other things if the tour is marketed as a Phillip island tour.

Our guide/driver David N is great. The trip is also well planned

It brings to your knowledge some of natures wonderful moments.witnessing the merging of the tiny Penguins out of the wave ,and their funny marching up the hill.

A fantastic and highly informative day. Mark was excellent as our guide giving s comprehensive and detailed over of the history of Australia plus was equally informative about the wildlife viewed along the way.

This tour turned out to be an absolutely incredible and memorable experience from beginning to end. Our guide, Bob, was professional, friendly, and attentive throughout the journey, making us feel comfortable at every step. His English explanations were clear, gentle, and well-paced—not too fast—which made it especially suitable for Chinese tourists with average English skills. The trip to Phillip Island & Moonlight Sanctuary was beautifully organized, allowing us to fully enjoy the scenic views and unique wildlife experiences without any stress. The transportation was excellent, with spacious and comfortable vehicles that made the entire journey relaxing and enjoyable. Every detail of the tour was carefully planned, ensuring a smooth and hassle-free experience. From pickup to drop-off, everything was handled perfectly. This was truly a satisfying and premium travel experience, and I would highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Melbourne!