Phillip Island Tour: Penguins and Wildlife Cruise

Discover Phillip Island’s wildlife and penguins on a luxury small group tour from Melbourne. Enjoy a scenic cruise and explore nature’s wonders.

Duration: 13 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Melbourne - The journey to and from Phillip Island from Melbourne takes approximately 2 hours each way.
    At Local Way Tours, the Premium Ticket offers an exceptional travel experience.
    Enjoy guaranteed window seats and travel in style with our modern, well-equipped vehicles.
    Our small group tours provide personalized attention from our friendly…
What's Included
  • Authentic Small Group travel with an engaging Local Guide
  • Nobbies Golden Hour Experience & Scenic Wildlife Boardwalk
  • Koala Reserve Entry (non-cruise option)
  • Entry to the famed Phillip Island Penguin Parade at Sunset
  • Time in San Remo to explore and watch for wildlife
  • 2 Hour Wildlife Coast Cruise (cruise option)
What's Not Included
  • Food and Drink other than what is stated
  • Cruise Ticket unless Cruise Option Selected
Additional Information

Experience the ultimate Phillip Island day trip, perfect for nature enthusiasts and ocean lovers, featuring a picturesque wildlife cruise and the renowned Penguin Parade—all in a relaxed, small-group setting.
Starting from Melbourne, a friendly local guide will lead the way to the first stop in San Remo, where breathtaking coastal views and pelican…

Location
Arts Centre Melbourne
Saint Kilda Road
Meet us at the Melbourne Arts Centre (outside the Protagonist Cafe) and relax - easy to access by tram or train or foot, with free museums, public toilets, and a coffee on us at Protagonist Café (show your ticket). End-of-tour drop-offs to select Melbourne city hotels are available too!
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.8
(39 Ratings)
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Tinacp4114tl
May 31, 2026
Fantastic experience! - 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!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jesus_m
Mar 18, 2026
Excellent with... - Excellent with Michael!!’n thank you. Was inolvidable… we en joy very much …. The whole tour very well organized….
Review provided by Viator
Dalene_p
Mar 12, 2026
Penguin parade - 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.
Review provided by Viator
Tourist773822
Mar 7, 2026
Great trip to Phillips Island - 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.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nikhilesh_b
Mar 5, 2026
Phillip island memorable day trip - 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.
Review provided by Viator
Kathy_d
Feb 13, 2026
Philip Island - 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
Review provided by Viator
568pyk
Feb 5, 2026
Fantastic trip on wildlife on Philip. Had a very good tour guide cum driver, Ned(Nat). Very helpful with 5 star service. - 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.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Beth
Feb 3, 2026
A Few Snafus but Awesome 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.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Robert_m
Jan 30, 2026
Wonderful experience - 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!
Review provided by Viator
Seansasaint
Jan 17, 2026
A long day but a wonderful experience - Absolutely loved the tour to Philip. Island and it was worth the approx. 2 hour each way minibus journey. When booking the tour, I had selected the option of a a 2 hour cruise but this became unavailable due to high winds (notified the day or so before). I was quite glad actually as the sea was very choppy on the day. I then opted for the wine tasting instead. However this became unavailable for some reason that I’m not quite sure of. So, in the end, the only option was the meal at a restaurant in Cowes. Clearly, it wasn’t my first preference but it was ok and this time provided an opportunity to get to know some of my fellow travellers on the tour as we shared our backgrounds and experiences. The main reason for choosing the tour was to go to the Koala Sanctuary and the Penguin Parade. Neither of those experiences disappointed. We had an hour to go around the Koala Reserve at our own leisure which was just about the right amount of time needed. We saw several Koalas as well as some other wildlife and learned about them as a species and the threats they face. We then travelled a short way to The Nobbies where we alighted the minibus and spent another hour walking the boardwalks at the top of the cliffs overlooking the rugged coastline where penguins come ashore. With a strong wind blowing, it was an exhilarating experience. After that, a short ride to the Penguin Parade. We had time to explore the visitor centre and have something to eat before walking down and taking a seat and wait for the penguins to come ashore, which they did over a period of about an hour or so (8:45 to 9:45). This attraction is very popular and therefore very busy. However, the crowds are well managed and didn’t detract from the experience. I don’t think I was alone in falling asleep for part of our two hour journey back to Melbourne. Our driver / guide, Yuri, was very good, keeping us well informed of everything along the way on the day and drove safely all the way. A very worthwhile tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $124
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).