Top Melbourne Day Trips

We had a great time on our tour! Our guide from Wine & Hop Tours (I’m drawing a blank on his name - Durk?) was friendly & very informative! He kept us up-to-date on our itinerary throughout the day, as well as shared his knowledge about the nature & wildlife. We started at Puffing Billy, an hour long train ride, which was fun & the scenery was gorgeous! We had time for food (if you wanted) & to explore the nature around Emerald Lake. After, we had a bit of a drive to Phillip Island where we stopped for DELICIOUS fish & chips. We recommend Nat’s!! Next we headed to the Nobbies - absolutely stunning scenery as the sun was getting ready to set on the horizon. On our drive to the Penguin Parade we saw many geese with their chicks, black swans, & wallabies! We got to witness quite a few penguins waddling up the beach, as well as penguins in the sand dunes making their way into their burrows after sunset at the Parade - what a privilege! Overall a long, but incredible day exploring some nature & wildlife in VIC. I definitely recommend!

What a fantastic day! Our guide Kevin helped us feel welcome from the first hello, gave excellent narrative, brought all of us 'bus people' together despite any language barriers. He truly loves Melbourne and wanted us to appreciate the city and environs through his eyes. The music playlist an entertaining touch... I enjoyed his playful yet passionate approach to his work, clearly his calling, and his expertise throughout the day as we anticipated the penguin experience. The crowds there were less daunting thanks to Kevin's skillful navigation and artistic white board visuals! This was a day and night to remember, made even more memorable thanks to Kevin’s first-rate guiding and of course innate GENIUS!!

We had a very enjoyable full-day Phillip Island tour with our guide and driver, Elliot, who was warm, friendly and professional throughout the day. He explained each place clearly, gave us useful highlights about what to expect, and managed the timing of the entire tour very well. His guidance helped make the overall experience relaxed and enjoyable. The Nobbies was one of the highlights for us -absolutely beautiful and very scenic, with amazing coastal views. We also enjoyed the wildlife sanctuary and seeing plenty of wallabies and other Australian wildlife. Phillip Island itself is stunning and gives you another completely different experience of Victoria. The Penguin Parade was interesting, although the experience can depend a lot on where you are seated and where the penguins decide to come ashore. There is quite a bit of waiting, and being in the right place at the right time makes a difference. We were fortunate to see a group of penguins marching together, although they appeared on a darker side where there was very little lighting. Some audience areas seemed to have only two or three penguins passing by, so there is definitely an element of luck involved. Overall, it was a very positive and memorable experience. The scenery, wildlife and beauty of Phillip Island make the trip worthwhile, and Elliot did an excellent job as both guide and driver. His friendliness, explanations and good time management contributed greatly to an enjoyable day. Definitely a tour worth experiencing when visiting Melbourne!

We had an amazing day out with Jools and Gumnut! Jools was super nice, knowledgeable about the area, the road and the best stopping places. This experience boasts the most incredible ocean views, there was a lot of time on the bus but it was very enjoyable!

Great day out with Gilbert and there certainly was not a dull moment. Everyone was made to feel very welcome and we visited a number of wine vineyards for tasting and also a chocolate experience! Very enjoyable day out of the city and informative about the Yarrow valley wines.

Absolutely wonderful experience. Kids-friendly, especially since there were several kids on the tour, and it takes them 1/2 a second to become friends and play together. Tour guide Steve was absolutely awesome and made this day one of the most memorable days of our vacation.

Definitely worth getting this tour. Having a driver is great, and there was enough time to enjoy a meal, go through the gift shop, and walk through the rainforest. We had Lachlan as our tour guide and he was so good. From the very beginning he was super friendly getting us all on the bus, and he had lots of cool stories and interesting facts to tell us. Also, he was super clear with instructions about where to go.

Our driver was so friendly and made our trip so great. The reverse route gets you to the oceanside areas before the big tour buses and crowds. The drive was beautiful, the ocean stops were breathtaking and then the drive through the mountains and rain forest was a whole other adventure - we saw Koalas in the trees and a huge mob of kangaroos feeding and hopping around a hillside pasture area, made stops in cute beachside towns and hung out with the wild cockatoos! Highly recommend this trip - a major highlight of our 3 week trip to Australia and NZ and would absolutely do this exact tour again!!!