Full-Day Phillip Island Tour with Kangaroo, Koala and Penguin Parade
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Melbourne, Australia
- 10 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
See the best of Phillip Island on this group tour from Melbourne, where all the details are taken care of so you just need to relax and take in the sites. Keep your eyes peeled for kangaroos, koalas, and the adorable tiny penguins who populate the island. Make sure your cameras are charged for photos at beautiful viewpoints, like at Cowes, and more.
- Stroll through Moonlit Sanctuary to see wombats, Tasmanian devils, and more
- Spend some time relaxing at Woolamai Beach
- Look at volcanic rock formations at Nobbies and see fur seals
- Make a few new friends on this group tour to Phillip Island
What's Included
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Wildlife Viewing
- Melbourne CBD Pick up and Drop off
- General admission to the Penguin Parade
- Entrance to the Moonlit Sanctuary
- Free Audio Guide App
- Lunch
- DinnerYou can purchase dinner at the town of Cowes
- Bottled waterPlease bring you own water bottles, we discourage the use of single use plastic bottles
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup
Itinerary
1
Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
2
Woolamai Beach
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
Cowes
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
4
The Nobbies Centre
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
5
Phillip Island Nature Parks Penguin Parade
2 hours • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- Unfortunately we cannot take infants under the age of 3 years old
- Please note: Evenings on Phillip Island can be cold and windy during the Penguin Parade. We recommend wearing warm clothing, such as a good jacket, to stay comfortable.
- Most travellers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 39 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.4
based on 733 reviews
Annette_S, Apr 2026
Great trip overall and very well organized. Elliott was a terrific guide - very funny, informative and engaging.
Kenneth_B, Apr 2026
John is an excellent guide with a lot of information about Melbourne and the wildlife in the area. Get to the viewing stands early so you get a good seat on the right side or middle of the stands. Walk along the left side of the boardwalk when leaving as you will see more penguins in their natural habitat.
Shubhangi_G, Apr 2026
It was a good itinerary.
Although the Nobbie lookout was meant to be 45mins we were given 30 despite being on time.
Arup_G, Apr 2026
Our drive and guide was great. He has a great sense of humor. He really works hard to give us a great experience judging by the amount of time he allowed on each site. He took the time and effort to spot wallaby on the road , provided history of the place we were passing through, suggesting food and restaurants to go for snack/dinner stop. We thank him for his energy, enthusiasm, and spirit.
One thing I would like to mention that our pick up time at Savoy hotel was 10:30am. It was the same time for another tourist. The bus didn’t show up until 10:53am which left us wondering if we were forgotten. Yet, the driver upon artisans he is on time (10:50am pick up). There was a lack of communication, which is uncomfortable.
Jennifer_S, Apr 2026
The tour was mostly just a semi-narrated bus ride. There was no “guide” as the driver while attentive didn’t guide us anywhere but dropped us off at various locations with times to be back on the bus. The sanctuary was nice but not necessary as part of the Phillips Island tour since it’s not on Phillips Island. Then we would have had more time at the Nobbies which was crowded and rushed. The penguin parade was just ok. They made a big deal about being quiet so as to not scare the penguins and then staff ran around yelling a people to put their cameras away. The best part of our day was dinner at Pino’s Trattoria in Cowes. The carbonara is better than the Cheesecake Factory!
Geraldine_M, Apr 2026
From the emails, to pick up & meeting Steve the driver , the journey & commentary out of the city to moonlit sanctuary, trip to Philips Island,surfers beach ,lunch at Cowes , the walk at Nobbies & onto the main attraction, the cutest blue penguins who came onto the beach in great numbers at sunset …
The entire day was so organised & safe & entertaining with Steve the driver, I would love to do it all again
Blossom_H, Apr 2026
Fun trip with animal experiences. Was able to see Wallabies, Quokkas, and some Australian native animals. The tour guide Craig was friendly and caring.
Thomas_M, Mar 2026
We had a great tour of the Moonlit sanctuary and headed to the Penguin Parade. We were disappointed that we didn’t find out until 15 minutes before arriving at the Penguin Parade that photos of the penguins were not allowed. The description of the tour should mention this. Even some of the tourist photos show the penguins and those should be removed.
Rachel_K, Mar 2026
Great experience especially the visit to the Moonlit Sanctuary where we got to handfeed wallabies. The penguin parade was a bit dissapointing - only saw 7 penguins (too many people) and the weather was dismal. I think March may not be the best time to visit. Luke the tour guide was great though
Dian_M, Mar 2026
John was entertaining and very informative. He told us a lot about the places and animals we were stopping to see and pointed out things along the way. The only thing that would have made this perfect was being picked up from the ship
Michael_W, Mar 2026
Long day, but lots of fun. Missed the koala experience (was sold out when we got there) but was able to feed and pet wallabies and baby kangaroo. Penguin march was a bit anticlimactic (not an army, just a dozen or so at a time), but still fun. Definitely worth the trip and our guide/driver, Craig, was wonderful.
Jane_P, Mar 2026
Fantastic tour. Our guide Elliot was first rate. We all throughly enjoyed our day. Our only quip was that the pick up time was a little unclear but we were just early but the tour itself more than made up for that
Susan_B, Mar 2026
Our driver/guide John was excellent-- one of the best we've ever had. He gave us a wealth of information, plus little stories and fun facts about the animals and places. He was super friendly and funny, and an excellent driver as well. I liked the itinerary and being able to walk about on our own at each stop, rather than in a guided hoard. He maybe gave us a bit too much time at the Penguin Parade stop and we were the last bus to leave (of over 50 busses) to return back to Melbourne.
Ashmita_L, Mar 2026
Amazing experience and Elliott is a great tour guide, super helpful and engaging! only thing if you’re on the bigger side the bus is tiny and very uncomfortable to get around. otherwise can’t complain
Irene_M, Mar 2026
All was good. Guide showed up 45 minutes late…but he was knowledgeable and good. All fun to do we waited and waited and waited for the penguins…….
Really didn’t see any…but maybe it was a bad day.
Joe_S, Mar 2026
The experience was amazing as we got to see the penguins in their natural environment and had an opportunity to see how they interacted with each other. Our driver John was very knowledgeable and provided a very entertaining tour and answered all our questions. Truly a worthwhile experience.
Regal_K, Mar 2026
The tour was informative and educational. Bus operator was knowledgeable and helpful with no rush. I would have given 4 stars except for one issue. The tour was scheduled to start at 12:30 pm but did not get underway until 1:20 pm. We spent close to 1 hour standing around and tired with no information or communication from the tour operator. Took one star off and almost cancelled. Do better next time guys and keep your clients updated through all available media.
Thomas_A, Mar 2026
This was a great tour with a tour guide that provided a lot of local information and tips to get a good view of the parade and the sights at the other stops.
Robbie_M, Mar 2026
Our driver, Craig, was A+++. Best guide ever. The penguin parade experience, and the entire tour really, was a once in a lifetime experience.
Shaun_C, Feb 2026
Good experience if you have a day free. Steve was a great tour guide would highly recommend the tour well worth the money
Fiona_M, Feb 2026
Fabulous visit to Moonlit Sanctuary and seeing so many native species., Then time in Cowes exploring and enjoying coast/Nobbies before seeing a few penguins moving up the beach.
Roger_C, Feb 2026
The 8 or 10 penguins we saw were very cute, but everything else on this tour was a waste of time or worse.
JamesR_Z, Feb 2026
Great driver named Craig! Miscommunication about pick up time. Long day. Could’ve used more time at the Animal Sanctuary, Moonlit because we loved it there! Be sure to have warm clothes with you for the evening. Return is LATE! Make sure you can get home if taking train or bus. Surprised the trains stopped at midnight. Also surprised we couldn’t take pictures of the Penguins. Nice to let someone else do the plans and driving so we could sit back and enjoy!
John_F, Feb 2026
Good day out however you do arrive back late in Melbourne and it feels like a long day out. Great seeing the penguins come out of the sea heading for their borrows.
W_H, Feb 2026
The tour was amazing. Burt was great in giving explanation along the way. He got us to decide together on making pit stops at Pyramid Rock which was good. There were many pitsops for photography which was great for us. Moonlit sanctuary was also exciting for the kids. We were so excited to see penguins but the weather was good but we only saw like 10 penguins which was a bumper. Otherwise, everything was fantastic 😊 Sitting on the right side of the bus is important to have great views
Madhav_K, Feb 2026
A must do visit. If you have the flexibility to choose the operator and driver-guide, please pick Sightseeing Tours Australia as your operator and John as your driver-guide!
The stars of the show are the cute 30 centimeter, 1 kilo blue penguins!! The parade is such a treat.
The other activities including feeding of kangaroos at the the conservation center, the beach visit, boardwalk etc are lovely activities
John bring us a lot of knowledge, history about Australia, its native animals and has a great humorous story telling style.
Delighted that my wife and I did the tour
Leo_S, Feb 2026
Philip island is a long way from Melbourne and the weather was very different on the day we went. It was almost 100 in Melbourne and in the low 60s on the island. Be aware that a lot of time is spent on the bus. The penguins did not like the cold weather any more than I did, they mostly stayed in their burrows where it was too dark to see them. one group of about a dozen made a parade across the beach. We spent a lot of time waiting for some to come up from the ocean and eventually about 5 more huddled together for another parade. They say there are 40000 of them, so this was very disappointing.
sivabalan_r, Feb 2026
The whole journey very well planned for the tourists. The Guide Mr. Bert gave us good explanation thru out our trip. Thank you for giving us wonderful and most memorable day.
Daniel_D, Feb 2026
We had a great tour to the Moonlit Sanctuary, The Nobbies and Cape Woolamai, but of course the highlight was the Penguin Parade! It was well organised and we had a good view of the penguins as they came out of the water and made their way up the beach in their small groups! Craig, our guide, was very friendly, accommodating and knowledgable and kept us up to date with the schedule for the day, points of interest and interesting facts along the way.
Nimo_H, Feb 2026
The tour was wonderful, we got to meet native Australian plants and animals at Moonlight Sanctuary, such as the kangaroo, kookaburra and dingos...as well as ducks 😀
The penguin walk was amazing, they were so cute and waddled about.
You may also be able to spot a possum or small marsupial 😄
The combination of sand, sea and stars was breathtaking ✨️
I highly recommend this tour, even if you're a local Melbournian/Victorian such as myself 😄
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