Phillip Island & Penguin Parade Afternoon Eco Tour from Melbourne

Recommended by 99% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

Melbourne, Australia

Popular pick

Booked 5+ times last week!

8 to 10 hours (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Travelers short on time can still experience one of Melbourne’s best day trips with this afternoon tour to Phillip Island. After a free morning, travel in the early afternoon to Phillip Island, with time for some sightseeing before watching the famous penguin parade at sunset. For people not sure what to do in the morning, you can choose to include a morning trip to ride the Puffing Billy steam train.

Make the most of your time in Melbourne with a streamlined half-day tour
Learn about Philip Island and its penguins from your guide
Entry fees are included to save you time and hassle
Enjoy the ride to/from Philip Island with onboard Wi-Fi

Why Travelers Choose This Tour

Enhance your sightseeing experience with a uniquely curated "Journey through Time". This curated collection of old-time images will transport you back in time, witnessing the evolution and tales of each location visited on tour, across decades and even centuries.

What's Included

Entry fees for Phillip Island Penguin Parade
Professional, Friendly & Informative Tour Guide
Air-conditioned vehicle
All Fees and Taxes
WiFi on board
Combo: Puffing Billy + Penguin option is 2 half-day tours joined together & taken on the same day
English Speaking Tour Guide
100% Satisfaction Guarantee

Gratuities
Food & Drink

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Flinders Street & Market Street
Flinders St & Market St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
Please wait at the corner of Flinders & Market Streets, next to the Immigration Museum. **Please do not wait at the front entry of the Museum** - Pickup is at 1:45pm if travelling during non-daylight savings months, AEST - Pickup is at 2:45pm if travelling during daylight savings months, AEDT

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

Phillip Island

3 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Cape Woolamai Beach

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Cowes

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

The Nobbies

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Penguin Parade

2 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Infant seats available
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Not wheelchair accessible
Most travelers can participate

Photography of any kind is not permitted at the Phillip Island Penguin Parade
Large bags, strollers, prams, baby capsules, luggage & walkers cannot be brought on board
Combo: Puffing Billy + Penguin option: This package includes our Puffing Billy Half-day tour & our Phillip Island Penguin Parade Afternoon tour
Combo: Puffing Billy + Penguin option: Please note that when booking this package you will participate in both tours on the same day, Puffing Billy in the morning & Penguin Parade in the afternoon. You will have a lunch break in Melbourne between the tours
Combo: Puffing Billy + Penguin option: If joining this option your return time to Melbourne will be between 9pm-midnight depending on the season
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 24 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

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Robert_G

Tour Guide Lisa is an amazingly friendly person. She makes the excursion a joy. Do the city tour first, then add penguins. It is irresistible. Watching nature unfold before your eyes is amazing. “Go West” is definitely the tour company to choose in Melbourne.

Reviews

4.9

based on 524 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

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This was a great tour,...

Marina_T, Jun 2026

This was a great tour, mostly thanks to our guide Michael! The group was small and the bus was very comfortable, which is perfect if you travel solo like me. The atmosphere was friendly and it was easy to feel part of the group. Michael is a funny and interesting person. He talked with us a lot, gave us many tips about places to visit in Melbourne, and told us a lot about the route and the local animals. I really enjoyed the day and highly recommend it!

Response from Host, Jun 2026

Thanks for the lovely review! We're so pleased to hear that you enjoyed your day on Phillip Island with Michael. It sounds like the combination of a smaller group, a comfortable coach and a friendly atmosphere made for a really enjoyable experience. Michael is known for his great sense of humour and ability to connect with guests, so it's wonderful to hear that his stories, local recommendations and wildlife knowledge added so much to your day. We'll make sure your feedback is passed on to him. Thanks again for travelling with us, and we're thrilled that your Phillip Island adventure was such a positive one.

Wonderful Experience!!

Giovanna_M, May 2026

Amazing experience with Go West on the Penguin Parade tour! Everything was well organised and the places we visited were beautiful. A special thanks to Jono, who was incredibly friendly, funny, and knowledgeable throughout the whole day. He made the tour even more enjoyable and memorable. Highly recommended!

James was a great tour...

Sheila_G, May 2026

James was a great tour guide. Very knowledgeable and conscious to ensure we all had a great experience. It was awesome to see the penguins come ashore and move up the hill to find their nesting place. Absolutely adorable!

Incredible day filled with wildlife

Meghan_B, Mar 2026

We had an amazing day led by Benjamin and absolutely loved our experience seeing the penguins and lots of other wildlife that our guide pointed out along the way. The stops throughout the afternoon were well worth the time and everything ran smoothly, including a drop off close to our hotel which was appreciated given the late end time. This was a once in a lifetime experience that I'd highly recommend to anyone!

Response from Host, Mar 2026

Thank you for your wonderful review! We’re so glad to hear you had such an amazing day on the Phillip Island tour and enjoyed seeing the penguins along with all the other wildlife along the way. It’s great to know the stops were worthwhile and that everything ran smoothly throughout the day. We’re especially pleased that Benjamin helped make the experience even more enjoyable with his guidance and care, right through to the convenient drop-off at the end of the night. Thank you for your review — we’re thrilled this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for you! We hope to welcome you on another Go West adventure in the future. 🐧😊

Jacqui was amazing

Alexandra_S, Feb 2026

Probably one of the best experiences of my life. I was solo and our guide Jacqui was basically my private tour guide as I could ask her so many questions sitting next to her. Highly recommend. The weather was not great and it was raining a lot, but it didn’t matter because we saw so much wildlife that came out :)

Response from Host, Feb 2026

Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We’re absolutely thrilled to hear that your Phillip Island tour was one of the best experiences of your life — that truly means a lot to us. It’s especially lovely to know that Jacqui helped make your solo trip feel so welcoming and engaging. She’ll be so happy to hear that you enjoyed chatting with her and learning along the way. Even with the rainy weather, we’re glad the wildlife still made a great appearance and helped create such a memorable day. Thank you again for travelling with us and for your kind recommendation — we hope to see you on another adventure in the future!

Great Tour Guide / Great Tour Company

Robert_G, Oct 2025

Fantastic visit

Wang_G, Jul 2025

Our tour guide Chloe was very warm and helpful. She gave us great service and even told us the best spot to see the penguins. We saw so many adorable little penguins—it was such a joyful experience!

Great Experience

Regina_J, Sep 2024

Easy, last-minute booking with good communication about meeting location. Our tour guide, Shane, was knowledgeable, had a good sense of humor, and went out of his way to drop us off close by to our hotels after a long day. The Little Penguins were the highlight, but we also saw a lot of Wallabies and Cape Barren Geese with their chicks.

Little penguins tour

Alice_K, May 2024

Watching little penguins parade was so cute & amazing. Definitely is worth the time & tour to go in Melbourne.

Great trip

Jane_w, Mar 2024

A great day. Although some parts a bit rushed. Loved the penguin parade. Coach a bit cramped, seating wise.

The information said to...

Kelly_R, Mar 2024

The information said to meet outside the immigration building at 2.45pm we arrived at 2.30pm so plenty of time but the coach was around the corner on a different street. Luckily we looked around the corner at 2.40pm! Was a little disappointed as we might have missed the bus!

Response from Host, Mar 2024

There's little chance you would have missed the bus, Kelly! Our guides are very well trained to have a look around for any missing guests, so we would have located you for sure. Add to this the fact that we had a contact number for you & the chances of you being left behind were effectively zero :)