Puffing Billy And Phillip Island Penguin Parade Bus Tour

Badge of Excellence

Melbourne, Australia

High interest

Booked 10+ times today.

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

Why travelers loved this

4.4

· Ruth_A ·

Jul 2026

Be prepared for the massive amount of tourists at the penguins. Take noise cancelling headphones. My coach driver was the nicest fellow and very pleasant. Loved how the puffing Billy was mostly run by volunteers who were all so happy and helpful. Beautiful scenery and our tour guide went out of his way to help make it memorable.

· Zoe_L ·

Jul 2026

This was a brilliant experience, great value for money and would recommend to everyone. Especially since the activities are a fair ways out of Melbourne, it was really convenient to have them combined into a tour with transport provided. Our guide, Marty, was amazing and brought good energy for the whole day!

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Overview

Many Melbourne highlights, such as Puffing Billy and the penguins of Phillip Island, are far from the city and tricky to visit on your own. But this seamless full-day tour makes it easy for you to go. Relax as the bus takes you out to the Dandenong Ranges and down to the coast while your guide arranges your steam train tickets and the timing to see the adorable penguin parade.

See a range of different outer attractions that many people miss
Travel around with a guide who can assist you throughout the day
All entrance fees are included for your convenience
Escape the city to see other sides of Victoria beyond Melbourne

What's Included

Entry to Emerald Lake
Entry to ride Puffing Billy (Belgrave to Emerald Lake)
Air-conditioned vehicle
Entry to Phillip Island Penguin Parade
Entry to The Nobbies
Guide

Bottled water

All food and beverage is excluded but there will be opportunities to purchase these items while on tour.

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup point

The Windsor
111 Spring Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3000 Australia

Pickup details

Pick up from: Hotel Windsor, 111 Spring St, Melbourne.

Itinerary

Puffing Billy Railway Lakeside Visitor Centre

4 hours • Admission Ticket Included

The Nobbies

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

The Nobbies

2 hours • Admission Ticket Free

Penguin Parade

4 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Near public transportation
Stroller accessible
Not wheelchair accessible

Most travelers can participate
Please note: ALL babies/toddlers/children up to age 15 must purchase a CHILD ticket.
During peak periods larger vehicles may be used
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

Woodrow_A

This tour is highly recommended. The tour guide went out of his way to make sure everyone had the best experience possible. His commentry was very informative.

Reviews

4.4

based on 394 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

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Sort by: Most insightful

Memorable tour

Sailee_M, Jul 2026

Experiance was amazong well planned . Only driver didnt saw each and every seat ,if passanger has arrived or not hence 4 peaple left back. But our driver then went to take them back hence they didnt missed the penguin parad.

For a must see experience...

Rachel_H, Jul 2026

For a must see experience this activity did not live up to expectations. There was limited communication from the tour guide about the sites we were seeing and what to bring. The tour guide bus was clearly one of the older models- little leg room, no padding in the seats leading to different joint pains, and windows seal breaking staining clothes. While sitting on the trains ledge was cool and the views beautiful there was little context about what you were seeing and your view could be blocked by someone taking a rail seat- none was communicated prior. The pegiun parade was the highlight but lack of organization at the site made it a mad dash to get to general seats and many tourists could not follow simple rules of not talking and no phones out which took away from the experience and more importantly disrupted the natural behaviors of the penguins. Also tourists have the common decency to leave wildlife alone! Then there were no meals provided (it said food will not be provided in the descriptions) so the expectation was that you would stop at a well stocked gas station, a take away restaurant or something. There was no opportunity. The food was slow to be delivered at the train station and the gas station was underwhelming with just snacks. So leaving at 10:30 am-9:00 pm with out a full meal or chance something more filling was rough. Thank goodness I always bring multiple snacks to help tied me over but I know other were not as lucky. Overall, the penguins were the redeeming factor for this activity and there needs to be some structural changes to help improve the overall experience.

Awesome

Santi_S, Jul 2026

It was a very great experience. I truly enjoyed the ride. The only thing is I couldn't sit on the bridge side

Best Tour Guide in Australia – Professional, Friendly & Respectful

atuldas66, Jul 2026

I wanted to take a moment to say a big thank to our guide Mr.Martin (Marty). He was have been one of the best tour guides we’ve ever had — extremely professional and genuinely friendly throughout the day. The trip to Puffing Billy and then on to Philip Island for the Penguin Parade was wonderful, and he made it even better. Unlike other guides who keep talking non-stop just to stay “engaged,” he struck the perfect balance. He gave us our own space and time to quietly enjoy the scenic drive and the beautiful views, while still sharing all the important information and interesting trivia at the right moments. It made the whole experience so much more relaxing and memorable. Martin, Thank you for your excellent guiding style — we really appreciated it! Wishing you all the best, Atul

Puffing Billy and Penguins

Ruth_A, Jul 2026

Simon the bus driver and...

Arvind_P, Jul 2026

Simon the bus driver and guide was amazing. It's was a cold day but we did see some penguins at the end. Simon did take us on small detour to see kangaroos in the wild which was amazing surprise addition to tour.

This was a brilliant...

Zoe_L, Jul 2026

The guide was friendly,...

David_H, Jun 2026

The guide was friendly, informative, and well organized throughout the tour. The itinerary was enjoyable, with enough time at each stop to explore and take photos. Everything ran smoothly, and it was definitely time well spent. I would happily recommend this tour to others visiting Melbourne.

Long drive...

Kripa_A, Jun 2026

Long drive Small group Bit rushed, did not get time to see around the areas like the station. But fitted in 2 iconic spots in Melbourne in a day. That was nice

Great experience. Highly recommended

friendsofcarcourt, Jun 2026

We had a great day on this tour. Everything was very well organised, and Matt was an excellent guide and driver. He was friendly, informative, and engaging throughout the trip. There were enough breaks and toilet stops, which were clearly communicated in advance. Matt also went above and beyond to help guests spot wildlife and get good photos of the animals and penguins at Phillip Island. Although it was a long day, the tour was relaxed, comfortable, and well paced from start to finish. We would definitely recommend this tour!

Great job Charlie

Sueshe_T, Jun 2026

Our tour leader is Charlie. He did a great job with planning, timing, explaining and everything. I would recommend everyone to try. It is worth it.

Amazing experience

Varun_A, May 2026

Well planned and executed. Very good guides. Overall great experience. For Penguin parade pls go with additional layer of warm clothes in winters.

Wonderful Day + Guide + Group

Anala_P, May 2026

Matt had great insights and suggestions, he was the best guide we could ask for, kept us prepared for everything.. A highly recommended day tour... Just follow what the guide says and you will have a good time... We had enough time for everything and spotted all the animals we set off to spot... watching the penguins in their natural habitat going about their business was a great feeling.. A must do! Lucky for us, the weather was good too, it was a perfect day trip :)

We had an amazing...

Niloofar_P, May 2026

We had an amazing experience on the Puffing Billy & Phillip Island tour with Lorraine. She was incredibly friendly, knowledgeable, and organized throughout the whole day. Lorraine made the tour so enjoyable and made sure everyone was comfortable and having a great time. She explained everything clearly, shared interesting facts about each place, and gave us plenty of time to enjoy the beautiful locations. From the Puffing Billy train ride to the Penguin Parade, everything was perfectly managed. Highly recommend this tour, especially with Lorraine as the guide — she truly made the experience memorable!

Great day trip from Melbourne!

Kathy_R, May 2026

Lorraine is amazing and a thoughtful and informative tour guide! So friendly and helpful. Puffing Billy, the Nobbies and Phillips Island Penguin Parade are fabulous, and should not be missed when in Melbourne! Great day trip!

Even though it’s a long...

justin_D, Apr 2026

Even though it’s a long day but everything went so smooth as planned. The tour guide was so helpful and friendly. Awesome experience and highly recommended!

Highly recommended tour

Catherine_M, Apr 2026

The experience went from puffing billy to bobbins rocks to the penguin parade. Simon was an awesome guide and kept the tour on time and fun.

This tour is highly...

Woodrow_A, Apr 2026

This tour is highly recommended. The tour guide went out of his way to make sure everyone had the best experience possible. His commentry was very informative.

The train and sightseeing...

Mary_S, Apr 2026

The train and sightseeing were great. Our driver/guide Simon, was terrific. He kept us happy on the long drive to and from Phillip Island. Unfortunately only a few penguins participated that night. Our only complaint was that the van used was uncomfortable. Our knees were against the seat in front and there was no place under the seat to stretch out our legs. We are not particularly tall.

Comfortable and worth it

DilliPriya_B, Mar 2026

Lorraine did a great job as a guide had a great day...felt comfortable though its a new city and being a solo traveller

Love the penguin 🐧🐧

Tammy_L, Mar 2026

Penguin parade is super cool, they are so cute and little. Can't do this anywhere else. Train is just touristy ride thru people's backyards but fun. Saw wombats, penguins, achidnas, so cute. Guide was fun and informative

Great Experience

Anastasia_C, Mar 2026

Excellent tour! Very organized and on time. It’s a long day, basically noon to midnight, but really fun. Simon, our bus driver was terrific. Take a warm jacket/coat for penguin parade, it’s cold and windy at night in March. Would definitely recommend.

Wildlife

Joy_V, Mar 2026

The time was changed for the tour to a later time not sure why. Felt rushed got to puffing billy rushed through on to train would have been nice to have time to look around and eat. Tour guide good and everything else was great saw lots of wildlife including penguins

Train ride was good....

Sandeep_S, Mar 2026

Train ride was good. There were no penguins to see coming out from ocean. Guide was very good. Showed us penguins in borough.

Best Tour Guide-Lorraine :)

Lynn_L, Feb 2026

Lorraine was the best tour guide I could have asked for! We saw wild kangaroos, a koala, little penguins & burrows with their babies waiting for parents return with food. We had the best viewing spot thanks to her sharing her knowledge & experiences!!

Consider your OPTIONS

BrendaJ_C, Feb 2026

DO NOT BOOK WITH THIS COMPANY. Ticket says 10.30am pick up. Text message says 12.30pm. So, your there 10.30am just incase.....wasting half a day. Emails not answered, phone not answered. Driver was great and did the best he could with what he had. No stop in any town for dinner......you get a choice of 3 filthy eating places at the visitor center. Tables are disgusting. Food literally uneatable. Given your not back in melbourne until midnight, a 12 hour day, a decent meal would be appreciated. Penguins are great to see, but keep in mind you can see exactly these at st kilda pier and save yourself a 12 hour day with no clean toilets, no eatable food, and the cost of this tour.