Phillip Island Wildlife and Penguin Tour with Cruise Option
Description
The perfect Phillip Island day trip for nature lovers and ocean seekers, combining a scenic wildlife cruise, and the world-famous Penguin Parade—all in one relaxed, small-group adventure. Departing from Melbourne with your friendly local guide leading the way, our first stop is in San Remo where sweeping coastal views and pelican sightings await. Then board a 2-hour seal cruise around Phillip Island—where you’re guaranteed to spot hundreds of playful fur seals in their natural habitat - OR - choose to remain in Cowes and visit the Wildlife Park. Spend time in Cowes exploring boutique shops, beachside bars, or opt for a visit to the Koala Conservation Reserve—where koalas roam freely in the trees. As golden hour falls, discover Phillip Island’s wild southern edge - where rugged boardwalks and secluded beaches come alive with native wildlife and sweeping sea views. Cap off your evening at the iconic Penguin Parade, watching thousands of Little Penguins waddle ashore at sunset.
Tour Options
Itinerary
It will take us 2 hours each way to get to and from Phillip Island from Melbourne. At Local Way Tours, our Premium Ticket inclusions are designed to elevate your travel experience to the highest level. Enjoy the comfort of guaranteed window seats and travel in style aboard our modern, well-appointed vehicles. Our authentic small group tours ensure personalised attention from our engaging local guides, making every journey memorable. Stay connected with onboard WiFi and take advantage of convenient charging ports, all while relaxing in a setting that prioritizes your comfort and enjoyment. With our Premium Ticket, you receive more than just a tour; you gain a superior travel experience tailored to exceed your expectations.
Take some time to explore the idyllic village of San Remo - from its golden beaches, to the larger-than-life Pelicans that frequent here, and of course the famed Phillip Island bridge
This is an optional extra in place of your time at Cowes. Our guide will drop you off here, and you'll be able to wander among the beautiful native Australian bushland, where you are guaranteed to spot Koalas in their natural habitat, as well as plenty more native Australian Wildlife. Please be aware, it is now illegal to touch or hold a Koala. We include entry here for those who aren't doing the Cruise Option
This is where you board your Wildlife Cruise for 2 Hours! Enjoy seeing thousands of seals, dolphins, birdlife, and plenty of other beautiful sights! Or for those not doing the cruise, you will have some time to enjoy Cowes. Cowes is Phillip Island's main commercial hub, and is a bustling location of restaurants, cafes, breweries, and boutique shops. Here you will have time to explore in your own time. Our guide will point out the notable spots, and then allow you some freedom to wander. Visit the ever popular brewery, take a seat at the pub overlooking the waterfront, take part in some retail therapy, take a stroll along the jetty, or even go for a dip in the sparkling blue waters. The time is yours!
One of the most beautiful beaches on Phillip Island, and iconic of golden sands and glistening waters found in these areas. You will have a chance to walk in the soft sand, admire the beautiful horizon, and soak in the sea-air of this local beach - one that Chris Hemsworth himself has enjoyed since a young boy.
This is already one of Phillip Island's main attractions, simply for the sheer beauty it possess - however, we visit this stunning spot right on Golden Hour, allowing us a perfect sight over the glistening waters and rocky cliffs. Enjoy this moment with a Glass of Sparking Wine as you enjoy the views and take a walk along the boardwalk, taking in spectacular sights, and glimpses of native wildlife. We depart from here along the back roads, providing us unparalleled views over Westernport Bay and Bass Strait, with even more wildlife to spot.
A "must do" whilst in Melbourne/Victoria, the Penguin Parade has long been the star attraction of Phillip Island. We arrive here early enough so as you can take some time in this world-class visitor centre, and grab a bite to eat from the cafe should you wish. You will then make your way out to the Penguin Viewing Platform, awaiting the arrival of the stars of the shows - the Little Penguins. As the sun begins to set, your ranger-guide will provide you information on these cute little creatures, and then you will see literally thousands of them make their way onto the beach and up the hill side. Walk along the boardwalk as you get within inches of these native Australian Penguins, admiring their uniqueness and cuteness alike. Once we have had our cuteness overload, we board back on the bus - making our way back to Melbourne...with plenty of good memories to accompany us for the journey back
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(40)
Long ride out and back! Sue, our driver and guide was great. I definitely recommend her. Things I loved: The cruise and the dusk drive through the Nobbies. We saw thousands of seals, a pod of dolphins, tons of wallabies and geese. Just gorgeous. Things I did not love: San Remo stop was too short. We were told to grab lunch if we were getting on the cruise and we did which left us with no time to watch the pelicans. We were there around 40 minutes. Cowes was just yucky. Construction everywhere, lots of places were closed, and the weather was super cold. Pick a day that’s not in the winter if you really want to have a nice day. Things that were just okay: The penguin parade is crowded and I felt bad for the little guys. Not many people follow the rules and it’s hard to enjoy yourself. However, they are as cute as can be and I’m glad I got to see them. All in all, I would do this again but on a longer, sunny, spring or fall day. Sue really did make the best of it for us and I absolutely appreciated her.
The experience with Sue was absolutely amazing. Who doesn’t like a tour guide who introduces you to the attractions you're passing and shares useful tips about spotting different animals and wildlife along the way? Sue was knowledgeable, engaging, and very considerate of everyone’s lunchtime, making sure the schedule was well planned and comfortable for the group. She provided interesting insights throughout the tour and kept the atmosphere fun and enjoyable with her great sense of humor. Her enthusiasm and professionalism made the entire experience memorable. Highly recommended!
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We love hearing about your amazing experience with guide Sue! She’ll be thrilled to know her sense of humour and thoughtful planning helped make your day so enjoyable and that you appreciated her knowledge, local insights, and passion for sharing information about the wildlife and attractions along the way. Thank you for your kind recommendation and for taking the time to share your experience. We hope to welcome you back for another memorable adventure with us in the future!
Excellent with Michael!!’n thank you. Was inolvidable… we en joy very much …. The whole tour very well organized….
We were happy to have you on tour and we love hearing that you had an excellent time with us to Phillip Island! Thanks for your review :)
Michael our guide was fantastic. He was informative and our visits to various locations wonderful. Loved seeing Koalas in the wild, the tiny penguin experience was outstanding. Loved the day.
We were happy to have you on tour and we are glad you had a fantastic experience with Michael. We love hearing about you seeing the wonderful Koalas and Penguins!
Well coordinated long half day trip picked up at 11:00AM, got back to Melbourne at 12:30AM the next day. Boat ride was cancelled by the third party involved but my credit was instantly given. Driver was our tour guide, Yuri. He did a great job. Penguins were scarce, we saw two groups come in, about 20 penguins. It was fun to watch though and listening to the baby calls from the nesting holes was impressive.
Thanks so much for your feedback. Really glad you still had an enjoyable day overall and got to see the penguins up close, even if numbers were a bit low that night. Great to hear Yuri took good care of you throughout the long day.
Everything was on time . Ned our driver and guide was very helpful and informative . The seals cruise was phenomenal. His tip to take the lateral seats and upgrade to the penguin plus tickets was very helpful. Kids enjoyed the day trip. Would recommend for any one wanting to go to Phillip island.
Thanks so much for the lovely feedback. Really glad everything ran on time and that Ned looked after you well throughout the day. Great to hear the seals cruise and penguin viewing tips made a difference too. Thank you again for joining our tour.
Absolutely beautiful experience. Our driver Yuli was very welcoming and had a great personality. This tour is a great way to experience Philip Island. You get to see wildlife in it's natural habitat. It's a must! The shopping, cafes, restaurants are great. People are very friendly and beautiful coastal views. The penguin parade is a must see! It's a beautiful day out and beautiful memories that will stay with me forever
Thanks so much for your lovely feedback! We’re really pleased you had such a memorable day with Yuri and enjoyed everything Philip Island has to offer. We’ll be sure to pass your kind words on to him.
Had a fantastic full day trip to watch the seals by cruise, and bus tour to watch the penguins and other wildlife on the Island.
G’day! We are so happy to hear you had fun. Thanks for being on our tour :)
I would probably rate this 4.5 only because we had a couple snafus but the day was so great I hate to nitpick. Bc of the AO there was tons of traffic leaving Melbourne. This shortened our time in San Remo. We would have grabbed lunch but were only there 15 min. From there we headed to a winery which was unexpected and not on my itinerary. We had booked the seal cruise and luckily the driver was able to get us there just before the boat left. (Again leaving us no time to eat). The seal cruise was the most amazing thing I have ever seen. Absolutely breathtaking. The crew did a magnificent job keeping us close to the seals. We went directly to the koala conservation. Wow! So cool! Worth the admission. The Nobbies park had my favorite views in Australia. We saw penguins and other wildlife. From there we went to the penguin parade, (we finally got to eat!) a bit disappointing bc the temp dropped and it rained. We got soaked but got to see the little guys. A bit too much hype but cute. All in all an amazing day and tour.
Hi Beth, We are so glad all in all you had an amazing time! The weather here in Victoria can be a bit unpredictable, we do apologise for the confusion with the winery, we did have Winery guests on board and needed to drop them off first. We really appreciate your feedback and will look into this as we use feedback to make our tours even better! Thank you for taking the time to review us.
This was an incredible experience. Ned did a fabulous job of explaining details of our trip and pointing out wildlife. We chose to stay in Cowes rather than take the cruise and it is a cute town to explore. The Koalas and penguin parade were the highlights. Can’t say enough about this tour. Fantastic!
Thank you so much for taking the time to review us! We were so happy to hear about the fantastic time you had on Phillip Island :)
