Penguin Parade, & Wildlife Encounters Eco Tour from Melbourne

Recommended by 98% of travelers

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Melbourne, Australia

Popular pick

Booked 20+ times last week!

12 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Why travelers loved this

4.9

· Shubham_R ·

Apr 2026

It was great trip with tour guide Lucy. Very well planned and executed tour. Day started with Brighton beach, following wildlife sanctuary . Ended day at Philip island. Tour was made great with Lucy. She is friendly and knowledgeable. Highly recommended if wanna see penguins in the wild along with feeding a Kangaroo ( thats wildlife sanctuary btw). Thanks Go West Tours & Lucy. Cheers

· Sherry_W ·

Mar 2026

This was fantastic deal. You get so many different things packed into one day, plus you don’t need to worry about transportation since they drive you around. Raquel is amazing — she knows so much about the area and is super friendly. She also has an eagle eye and can spot wild animals as she’s driving. Even with rainy weather, it was still so much fun!

· Han_V ·

Mar 2026

Amazing! We enjoyed not only the main activity (watching the penguin parade) but also the other parts of the tour. We were very impressed by Cloe, our tour guide. Her storytelling and presentation were clear and engaging. Although English is not our first language, we had almost no difficulty following her explanations and guidance. We were truly captivated by her agility, confidence, and energy.

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Overview

Discover the natural delights of Phillip Island with an eco-tour from Melbourne. See the iconic Brighton Beach bathing boxes, visit the beach and take some time to admire these historic landmarks. Head to the Moonlit Sanctuary Conservation Park for an up-close encounter with kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, and other native Australian wildlife. Finish the day at a local beach where you can watch hundreds of some of the world's tiniest penguins waddle out of the ocean and across the sand to their burrows.

See small fairy penguins waddle past you from the ocean to their burrows
Observe other Australian wildlife like koalas and wallabies
Spend time at Brighton Beach and see the the iconic Brighton Bathing Boxes
Free Wi-Fi keeps you connected with friends and family

What's Included

Pickup from Selected Hotels
Friendly & Informative Tour Guide
Entry fees for Moonlit Sanctuary and Phillip Island Penguin Parade
WiFi on board
All Fees and Taxes
Air-conditioned vehicle
Book 2 Tours + City Tour option includes a Great Ocean Road, a Phillip Island and a FREE City tour
100% Satisfaction Guarantee

Gratuities
Food & Drink
Kangaroo & Wallaby Food

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

Pickup is only available from the list of hotels provided upon checkout. Your pickup will be between 10am-11am (non-daylight savings, AEST) or 11am-12pm (daylight savings, AEDT), depending on which hotel you selected. Your exact meeting time will be provided after a booking is placed. This tour returns to Melbourne between 9pm-12am midnight depending on the season.

Itinerary

Your Phillip Island adventure begins with late morning pickup at selected Melbourne hotels in an air-conditioned minivan equipped with onboard Wi-Fi. Your first stop on the Phillip Island day trip is Brighton. See the historic Brighton Beach bathing boxes and spend time soaking up the views.

Continue to Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park, where you'll learn about an array of Australian animals, including cuddly koalas, and lend a hand during feeding time. Included in your visit here is the spectacular “Conservation in Action” wildlife show, which showcases a number of lesser-known Australian species in a series of interactive and engaging ranger presentations.

Afterward, head to the island’s southwestern coast for dramatic views of the Nobbies and Seal Rocks, home to Australia’s largest fur seal colony.

For an enchanting finale to the day, make your way to a local beach for the famous Penguin Parade. As dusk falls, watch from a viewing platform as hundreds of adorable little penguins—the smallest species in the world—emerge from the ocean and waddle across the sand and shrub to their nearby burrows.

Once the penguins are safely tucked into their homes for the night, relax on the approximately 1.5-hour return drive to Melbourne, where you’ll be dropped off back at your departure point.

Brighton Bathing Boxes Association Inc.

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Phillip Island (Pass By)

Cape Woolamai

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
Not wheelchair accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Infant seats available
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
2 Tours + FREE City Tour option: This package includes 3 seperate tours, Great Ocean Road Day Tour, Philip Island Penguin Parade Tour & Melbourne City Discovery Half-day Tou
2 Tours + FREE City Tour option: Please note that you will be booked as follows: Great Ocean Road Day Tour, on the date selected. Phillip Island Day Tour, on the following date. You may choose any date for your Melbourne City Tour by contacting us directly
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

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Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

mykola_k

This tour was an incredible way to experience Australia’s unique wildlife in one day. Feeding wallabies at Moonlit Sanctuary was a special highlight, and the coastal stops at Cape Woolamai and The Nobbies offered stunning ocean views. The evening Penguin Parade was truly magical, watching hundreds of little penguins waddle ashore is something I’ll never forget. The guide was knowledgeable, the schedule was well paced, and the entire day ran smoothly. Highly recommended for nature lovers and anyone wanting an authentic Australian wildlife experience.

Reviews

4.9

based on 4,016 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

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Don't miss this!

JaNaeJeffs, May 2026

This is a must do! everyone need to go the wildlife preserve and feed the kangaroos and wallaby's. We enjoyed Phillip's Island and the penguin parade was just perfect. The little penguins were so cute and fun to watch leave the ocean and walk to their burrows. We had general admission and enjoy it. Bring your binoculars to see them up close, getting out of the water. Our guide - Jacqui pointed out wild wallaby along our route and was a great guide. She was very punctual and fun.

Response from Host, May 2026

Thanks so much for your lovely review! We’re so happy to hear you had such a wonderful time on our Phillip Island Penguin Parade tour. Feeding the kangaroos and wallabies is always such a fun experience, and we’re glad you enjoyed getting up close with Australia’s wildlife before heading out to Phillip Island. It’s great to hear you loved the penguin parade as well. Watching the little penguins emerge from the ocean and waddle back to their burrows really is a magical experience. We’ll also be sure to pass your kind words on to Jacqui. She’ll be delighted to hear you enjoyed her fun guiding style and the extra wildlife spotting along the journey. Thanks again for taking the time to share your experience with us. We hope to see you again on another Go West adventure someday!

Great time to see Aussie...

Thanh_N, May 2026

Great time to see Aussie Animals and Penguin Parade. Mark - our tour guide has great knowledge of the tour. All is good as expected with Viator service

Fun, Fun, Fun

Juan_J, May 2026

Everything was as advertised. The day’s highlight were the individual stops to the rain forest, Moonlit Sanctuary, and then the penguin parade. The penguin parade can be a little bit of a let down as a finale. However, if you are in the right place at the right time it is very stimulating watching these little fellows on their march!

This is a once in a...

TanChing_C, May 2026

This is a once in a lifetime kind of experience. Love the way wildlife is being respected, protected and conserved in their natural habitat. Love nature, as we're part of it!

Excellent Wildlife and Philip Island tour

SiewYoong_K, Apr 2026

Excellent and Well paced and well planned tour. Made better by excellent tour guide Jono from GoWest tours. Punctual, friendly, patient, informative and always helpful with very good suggestions. Thank you Jono and GoWest tours

Good tour of multiple highlights outside of Melbourne

Ryan_M, Apr 2026

Jacqui was a fantastic guide/driver. We booked this tour as it was one of the only ones that incorporated the Moonlight Sanctuary with the Penguin Parade + a couple additional stops in between. The vehicle was comfortable and had WiFi throughout the ride. I wish the tour company would have highlighted the very LIMITED food options to pack ahead accordingly. Outside of the slim options - especially if you have an allergy - at the zoo and penguin visitor center, there were no other way to eat on the long trip. Not a fault of the tour; but could have been communicated ahead of time.

Response from Host, Apr 2026

Thanks so much for your great review! We’re delighted to hear you had such a good time on our Phillip Island Penguin Parade tour. It’s fantastic to know that Jacqui made your day so enjoyable — her friendly and professional approach really does make a difference. We’re also pleased you found the tour comfortable and enjoyed the combination of stops along the way. We really appreciate your feedback regarding the food options — that’s a helpful note, and we’ll be sure to take it on board when reviewing our pre-tour information. Having experienced Phillip Island with us, we hope you might join us again one day to explore more of what Victoria has to offer. Thanks again for your kind words & very best wishes for your onward adventures.

Close up and also in-situ wildlife viewing

Maria_B, Apr 2026

My tour's guide and driver, Michael, gave us all an excellent ecotourism experience! He was informative, friendly, and easy to listen to. I didn't expect to get the information about the skyscrapers and the historic buildings, so that was an unexpected bonus. And of course lots of information about the penguins, the wallabies, and the protected bird species. I think the amount of time at each stop on the tour was just right, although I could also have been happier with more time. Michael told us exactly when to arrive and where to sit to get the best view of the penguins. The experts predicted low numbers, but I was delighted to find that over 100 penguins came up onto the beach that evening! This tour gave me some great local information, some future spots to check out, and some spots to return to with friends.

Response from Host, Apr 2026

Thanks so much for your wonderful review! We’re so pleased to hear that you had such an enjoyable Phillip Island Penguin Parade experience with us. It’s fantastic to know that Michael made such a positive impact on your day — being informative, friendly, and engaging is exactly what we aim for, and we’re glad you appreciated the extra insights along the way, from Melbourne’s cityscape to the island’s incredible wildlife. It sounds like you had a truly well-rounded experience! We’re especially happy to hear that you were able to witness over 100 penguins making their way up the beach — what an amazing surprise, especially when lower numbers were expected! Moments like that really do make the experience extra special. Thank you as well for your feedback on the timing at each stop — we always try to strike the right balance, and it’s great to hear it worked well overall. Having experienced the Phillip Island tour with us, we hope you might join us again one day to explore more of what Victoria has to offer, perhaps on our Great Ocean Road or Yarra Valley tours. We’d love to welcome you back! Thanks again for your kind words & very best wishes for your onward adventures.

our tour guide is very...

Boying_L, Apr 2026

our tour guide is very enthusiasm for view introduction，the disco light make our bus very easy to be found at night！The nobbies center is soooo beautiful and i love the wildlife in moonlit park，kangaroos and koalas are cute.The only pity is that koala event was sold out because we were in easter festival. Overall，it is a wonderful trip.

Worth the Money

Shubham_R, Apr 2026

Response from Host, Apr 2026

Thank you for your wonderful review! We’re so glad to hear you had a great day on the Phillip Island tour and enjoyed the variety of stops — from the Brighton Beach Boxes to the wildlife sanctuary and finishing with the magical Penguin Parade. It’s fantastic to know Lucy helped make the experience even better with her friendly and knowledgeable approach. We’ll be sure to pass along your kind words to her! Thank you for your review, and for travelling with Go West Tours. We hope to welcome you on another adventure in the future! 🐧😊

Excellent tour for watching penguin parade

Han_V, Mar 2026

Response from Host, Mar 2026

Thank you for your wonderful review! We’re so glad to hear you enjoyed not just the Penguin Parade, but all the experiences throughout the day — it really is a well-rounded tour. It’s especially lovely to hear your feedback about Cloe. Being clear, engaging, and easy to understand for guests from all backgrounds is so important, and we’re thrilled she made the experience comfortable and enjoyable for you. Her energy and confidence truly do make a difference! Thank you again for your kind words and for travelling with Go West Tours. We hope to welcome you on another adventure in the future! 🐧😊

penguins and more

Perry_M, Mar 2026

lots of time on the bus, with nice stops at the “brighton beach houses”(?), wildlife park, penguin beach / cliffs, and the fantastic Penguin Walk. long ride back to melbourne, but a great day. Tour was great because Lucy is a fantastic guide.

Great experience — even in rainy weather!

Sherry_W, Mar 2026

A long day, but so worth it!!

Jackie_C, Mar 2026

Three days with Go West Tours and our guide Mike was amazing!! The Great Ocean road is not to be missed. So fun to drive and very scenic. The Penguin Parade is beyond cuteness. The Penguin Highway is a must see after dark!! Only suggestion is that the city tour should be moved to the first of the three days so you can figure out what you need to add to your agenda as a visitor to this great City of Melbourne. Certainly a lot to offer here and we ran out of time!!

5 ⭐️ tour with 5⭐️guide, Aleks❣️

Diane_E, Mar 2026

Great tour with the bEsT guide‼️ Aleks was informative, engaging, friendly and approachable❣️. She was a wealth of info and her delivery of that info was 💯👍🏼🥳 Highlights were the colorful boxes, Mary the wombat, the wallabys and of course, the penguins‼️ We saw hundreds as they emerged from the water and waddled right in front of us. TIP|: upgrade your seats, stay for a bit to watch them come out of the water, then march right alongside them on the boardwalk while heading back. 🦘🐨🐧🎉🇦🇺🥰

Response from Host, Mar 2026

Thank you for your fantastic review! 🎉 We’re so glad to hear you had such a great time on the Phillip Island tour and got to enjoy all the highlights — from the colourful Brighton Beach Boxes and wildlife encounters (including Mary the wombat!) to the unforgettable Penguin Parade. Seeing hundreds of penguins waddling ashore really is a magical experience, and we love your helpful tip about upgrading seats and enjoying the boardwalk on the way back! A big thank you as well for your kind words about Aleks. It’s wonderful to hear that her knowledge and engaging style made the day even more enjoyable — we’ll be sure to pass along your feedback to her. Thanks again for travelling with Go West Tours, and we hope to see you on another adventure soon! 🐧✨

Great day for animal lovers

CHRISTOPHER_D, Mar 2026

We loved our experience on this tour. We got to see so many animals and end the night with so many penguins! Being able to feed wallabies and Kangaroos was quite amazing. Even though you can’t photograph the penguins it is still an amazing experience. So long as everyone is respectful of the times, this experience will be a good one. If you are lucky enough to get Rick as your guide, you will laugh and learn a lot.

Response from Host, Mar 2026

Thank you for your lovely review! We’re so glad to hear you had such a great time on the Phillip Island tour and enjoyed all the amazing wildlife experiences along the way. Feeding wallabies and kangaroos is always a special highlight, and ending the day with the Penguin Parade makes it even more memorable. We also appreciate you highlighting the importance of respecting the guidelines at the penguin viewing — it really helps protect these wonderful animals and ensures everyone has a better experience. It’s fantastic to hear that Rick made the day even more enjoyable with his humour and knowledge. We’ll be sure to pass along your kind words to him. Thank you for travelling with Go West Tours, and we hope to welcome you on another adventure in the future! 🐧

Wonderful tour! Go West...

Yasmin_A, Mar 2026

Wonderful tour! Go West tours did a great job of organizing a variety of excursions into one experience, getting to visit Brighton Beach, Moonlit Sanctuary, and view the Phillip Island penguins was an absolute treat. Our guide, Benjamin, did a great job providing information every step of the way and made a point to give us advice on how best to see the penguins (with extra time to spend more time seeing more penguins)! Can’t recommend this tour group more!

Response from Host, Mar 2026

Thank you for your wonderful review! We’re so glad to hear you enjoyed the variety of experiences on the Phillip Island tour — from Brighton Beach and Moonlit Sanctuary to the unforgettable Penguin Parade. It really is a great way to see some of Victoria’s highlights in one day. It’s fantastic to hear that Benjamin helped make the journey even better with his commentary and helpful tips for getting the most out of the penguin viewing. We’ll be sure to pass along your kind words to him. Thank you for recommending Go West Tours, and we hope to welcome you on another adventure in the future! 🐧

Amazing Day

Benjamin_C, Mar 2026

This was such an awesome experience! Our driver and tour guide, Red, was the best. He kept the day light and fun with lots of silly moments!

A day to remember!

William_R, Mar 2026

Jon was a fantastic guide for our day! It was structured so well and very nicely organized. We enjoyed our day so much and saw so much beauty and nature all in one fully utilized day.

We love Sofia aka "Angel"

Araceli_A, Mar 2026

The guide / driver makes all the difference. We were fortunate to have Angel aka Sofia as our guide. She kept us safe, informed and went the extra mile to make everyone enjoy this day trip. The stops: Brighton Beach, the wildlife park and several stops around Phillips Island were stunning too

The bus is too small and...

pearline33, Feb 2026

The bus is too small and very discomfort for adults. It seems more suitable for School kids instead. Overall experience is not bad, except the SMALL TINY bus and dont have any window shade (Curtain). CHANGE A BIGGER BUS, we believe all the tourists will give FIVE STARS!!!

Great Day with beautiful scenery and animals

Gail_M, Feb 2026

Book any add-ons to the sanctuary ahead of time because they sell out. Then learn all about and view the animals of Australia! The penguins are so adorable and watching so many in their natural habitat is a treat. Our guide and driver, Chris, was the absolute best!! He was really fun and full of interesting facts as well as being a super kind person!

Unforgettable wildlife experience

mykola_k, Feb 2026

Perfect Trip to Philip Island & Its Surrounding Area

Mark_E, Feb 2026

The tour leader was very personable, attentive and knowledgeable about Philip Island & its surrounding area. The whole tour was seamless as we went from one interesting site to the next.

Never again!

Rachel_P, Feb 2026

Worst tour experience in our lengthy history of using Viator! I could truly write an essay about all the things wrong with this tour, but it’s not worth the energy. The main issue was the lack of communication about the wildlife sanctuary. We saw all the photos of people with koalas and were extremely excited for a koala encounter—in fact, it is what we were most excited for. However, they failed to mention that they get you to the sanctuary so late in the day that the koala encounter (and all other wildlife encounters for that matter) are sold out for the day. This wouldn’t have even been a big deal if they would have told us about this issue BEFOREHAND and that we could have avoided it by pre-booking a koala encounter through the sanctuary’s website (something we only found out after the fact through our own research). Basically, their poor communication ruined the experience we were most looking forward to. The other main issue was that they did not follow the itinerary. It explicitly said that the tour stops in Cowes for dinner during the summer, where there are “many dining options.” That didn’t happen. Instead, they forced us to eat in the penguin parade cafeteria, where the food was so vile that it made me gag (and, to top it off, it was extremely overpriced). There was never an explanation for this deviation in the itinerary. All in all, this tour was run so poorly that, when we realized we had the same tour company for a tour the next day, we decided it was better to lose our $200 than to go on another tour with them. Good luck!

Response from Host, Feb 2026

While we're sorry that the reviewer was not able to purchase the Koala Encounter at Moonlit Sanctuary, we can't really accept any responsibility for this. This experience frequently sells out weeks in advance, and we have found that telling our guests that they can purchase it most often only leads to disappointment (which then somehow seems to reflect on us!) For this reason, we ourselves have posted zero photos of this upgraded experience on our tours listings, so we're not sure where the reviewer "saw all the photos of people with koalas". Regarding the fact that the reviewer's tour did not visit Cowes, we regret that Bass Coast Shire has made the unfortunate decision to close Cowes' main street for upgrades during what is a very busy time of the year. Navigating Cowes during these works has been pretty much impossible for our touring vehicles while these works are underway. We regret that the only other option for meals at this time is at the Penguin Parade where choices are fewer. We regret if this was not conveyed clearly to the reviewer during the course of their tour, but we really don't have any other options until the roadworks are completed.

Penguin Parade

Penny_S, Jan 2026

We went with Go West to Phillip Island to see the Little penguins. We stopped at Brighton Beach, Moonlit Sanctuary and also had a good look around the sanctuary at the penguin parade. Everything was well planned and we had plenty of time to explore. James A kept us well informed and entertained!

Response from Host, Jan 2026

Thank you for the review! We’re so happy to hear you enjoyed your Phillip Island day with us. It’s great to know the stops at Brighton Beach, Moonlit Sanctuary, and the Penguin Parade felt well paced and gave you plenty of time to explore. James A will be delighted to hear that his commentary and entertainment helped make the journey even more enjoyable. Thanks again for sharing your experience — we hope to welcome you back on another Go West adventure soon!

So Cute!

Alicia_S, Jan 2026

Cloe did a great job on this 12 hour excursion! She knew so much & was very enthusiastic about all the wildlife we saw! A great experience with do many Australian animals!

Fantastic Tour

Marie_C, Jan 2026

We had such a great day, full of fun and our tour guide Jools was super informative and went out of her way to make us all feel welcome. She made sure that we saw as much wildlife as possible. She was super friendly. Phillip Island penguin parade was fantastic, we got so close to the little guys.

An experience full of memories to treasure

Roberta_G, Jan 2026

This is the way to see a unique natural event in a day full of lovely views, animals and, of course, especially the penguins, who are its stars. Our guide, Sherif, was full of humour, joy and genuine love of all he showed us. 10/10.

Penguins

Stacey_G, Jan 2026

Tom was a very informative tour guide and took good care of us. The bus is pretty small and it’s a long day but the penguin parade was definitely worth the late night!

Wonderful experience!

bhayanirakhee, Jan 2026

We had a great time on the tour! Our tour guide Cloe was fun, informative, and really sweet. The day was well-planned. There was plenty of time to see the Brighton Beach boxes. Moonlit sanctuary was definitely a highlight. The kangaroos and wallabies roam free in the area. We saw several up close and even fed them. The views Cape Woolamai and Nobbies Visitor center were magnificent. The dinner stop at Cowes was good. Lots of options and nice to walk to the beach and pier. We saw a lot of wildlife during the drive before arriving at the Penguin Parade location. It gets a little chilly as the sun goes down so I’d recommend checking weather! We were prepared with layers of clothes. I’d recommend bringing binoculars. Even if you don’t, you see the penguins up close as they’re walking along the boardwalk. It was a long day but each stop was wonderful.

Response from Host, Jan 2026

Thank you so much for sharing such a lovely review — we really appreciate you taking the time to write it! We’re so happy to hear you had such a great day on the Phillip Island tour and that Cloe helped make it such a positive experience. She’ll be thrilled to know you found her fun, informative and sweet — that’s exactly the kind of vibe we love our guides to bring 😊 It sounds like you really made the most of the day too — from feeding kangaroos and wallabies at Moonlit Sanctuary to soaking in those amazing views at Cape Woolamai and The Nobbies. And great tip about bringing layers and binoculars — evenings at the Penguin Parade can definitely surprise people with how chilly it gets! Thanks again for your kind words. If you’re ever back in Melbourne, we’d love to welcome you on another adventure — maybe along the Great Ocean Road, out to the Yarra Valley, or even up to the Grampians next time. Wishing you many more wonderful travels ahead!