Phillip Island Day Trip from Melbourne with Penguin Plus Viewing Platform

Posted By : Tracey_H
Seeing hundreds of penguins suddenly appear out of the water was so exciting. Watching them waddle off to their homes in the cliff, quite a distance away for some of them, was wonderful. I’m glad we opted for the VIP viewing platform. Looking at The general seating platform it seemed quite a distance from the water. Before that we had seen koalas when we walked around a wild reserve. Would have liked longer there as it was a large reserve to explore.. A long day, but very worthwhile. New coach too Which added to the satisfaction of the dsy
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-04-28 02:25:41

Posted By : Audrey_G
Our bus driver Fiona was fabulous! We were particularly excited because 5 (five!) koalas were awake at the Conservatory. The penguins were cute and I was super glad I paid for Penguine Plus. Great tour. Fabulous driver/guide.
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-04-16 18:15:29

Posted By : robert_f
The best part was the penguin parade. That made the trip!!! The koala preserve was ok. Pay extra for premium seating
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-04-06 03:00:19

Posted By : Danielle_N
The experience was amazing. Our tour guide/ driver was very kind, knowledgeable , helpfulz. I highly recommend this tour for those who come visit Melbourne and want to experience the beautiful nature and wildlife.
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-04-02 18:07:59

Posted By : Gil_S
The penguins! The stars were pretty nice to see too. That is all. Don’t ask for more compliments. It’s not nice.
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-03-20 05:00:28

Posted By : Patrick_S
This was easily one of the most memorable days we had during our extended trip in Australia. We have been actively discussing when to come back so we could experience this again!

For our tour, our pickup was around mid-afternoon (around 2 PM), so we actually had time in the morning to enjoy ourselves in Melbourne and stock up before heading out on the tour. Our tour guide, Fiona, was simply a delight! She knew quite a lot about our tour locations, made great effort at ensuring everyone on the tour had a great time, and also dispensed some great pearls of wisdom in terms of how best to view the penguins and experience the koala sanctuary.

To start, we went from Melbourne to a koala sanctuary on Philip Island. The sanctuary had a number of koalas up among the trees, including some really adventurous ones who were fully awake and walking around the bush! We were so very lucky that we got to see as many as we did, especially the ones who were eating and were up and about. There were also a number of phenomenal birds throughout the sanctuary that made for some excellent photos and that also provided a cacophonous backdrop for the experience.

After dinner in a nearby town, it was off to see the penguins! We first stopped at a lookout near the Penguin Parade, where we got some phenomenal vistas along with a few penguins poking their heads out of their burrows (including a few hiding under the boardwalk!). Afterwards, it was on to the main event: the Penguin Parade! We had the Penguin Plus tickets, which gave us access to a viewing platform near the Super Happy Penguin Highway (you'll understand when you see it), and the experience was equal parts crazy, silly, happy, and kooky. So many penguins! And they're so cute!!! I really don't want to go into too great of detail about it to save everyone the surprise, but it was just such an unusual and delightful experience. We even saw a few penguins try to follow people home!

To anyone traveling through Melbourne, I cannot recommend this experience highly enough. The tour was a fantastic experience, Fiona was such a gracious and lovely guide, and the Penguin Parade was just so wild and incredible. I am so happy we booked this tour and we cannot wait to do it again some day!
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-03-14 01:57:56

Posted By : Jennifer_A
If you’re looking for an experience to explore wild life this is the perfect tour! From Koalas to Wallabies to Penguins and many more, the fun doesn’t end. While they give information on the bus on your journey, the experience is more diy.The bus was very comfy and the journey there goes by fast. I recommend to pay extra for the penguin platform to get a closer up view! I also recommend to shop at the souvenirs before the main event as after the lines are massive.

Rating :
Posted On : 2024-03-11 19:12:16

Posted By : Gary_K
Fiona, our guide, was terrific. She was very informative and had several great tips for better viewing, a five star guide. The koala conservatory was very good. You really saw the koalas up close. The penguin parade was the highlight. We choose to upgrade to the Penguin Plus seating and we were just feet away. There was an underground viewing area which the penguins would walk up to and look in their curious nature.
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-03-06 17:41:40

Posted By : Ashley O
We enjoyed everything about our day as was provided by the tour company and our driver, Ilkay! As others have mentioned, the only thing that detracted from the special, extraordinary experience, was other people not following rules, standing in front of others, pushing for seating, and taking photos of the penguins when repeatedly scolded. Sad that we are there to help the endangered wildlife and some people are more concerned with their instagram. Otherwise- certainly worth the extra $$ for the penguin Plus seats; others in our tour said they couldn’t see nearly as much in general seating. Highly recommend this tour from Melbourne!
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-02-27 13:03:49

Posted By : janerD4794HA
A wonderful chance to get out of the city and see some of the wildlife. The tour is well run and went to schedule. Good job, Vicky, Great opportunity to see koalas in a natural environment at the koala conservation centre. Good choice of places to dine in Cowes followed by an amazing time on the beach watching the penguins come in for the night, would thoroughly recommend.
Rating :
Posted On : 2024-02-05 01:53:02