Full-day Phillip Island Tour With Kangaroo, Koala And Penguin Parade

Steve was funny, knowledgeable and went out of his way to make our trip exceptionnal. The kangourous and the koalas at the wildlife sanctuary were really nice. The penguin parade was something that we will always remember. We highly recommend this excursion.

Great .....would highly recommend this tour !

This was a wonderful tour, conducted by great knowledgeable staff. We were very pleased with our tour and have recommended it to our friends. We intend on doing the same tour next year when I bring my parents with us to visit Melbourne.

Driver made sure that we were well taken care of and that all our needs were met. He was able to make sure that we have the best advantage when viewing the penguins!

Overall, it was a great trip, and we got to see lots of beautiful places! However, there were a couple of things that I think could have been organised better. The first was the pick-up route. We started at the Immigration Museum, then drove around to all the other pick-up points, only to return to where we had started. I assume this was to pick up someone who was running late, but I don’t think it was entirely fair to those of us who had arrived on time. It felt like unnecessary driving and wasted time. I also felt that the visit to the animal sanctuary was unnecessary. By the time we arrived, most of the animals were already asleep, so there wasn’t much to see. In my opinion, that time could have been spent visiting other places with beautiful views instead. Despite these points, the trip was enjoyable overall, and we got to see some really lovely places. With a few changes to the itinerary, it could be even better!

What a wonderful experience. Highly recommended and Steve our driver was the best. So funny and knowledgeable.

Ehhhh.......I was travelling on my own, but from the minute the tour started, Steve made sure I never once felt that way! I sat up the front, enjoyed all the great jokes, learned so much from his fantastic knowledge and had an all-round brilliant day. Moonlit Sanctuary was amazing, but seeing the little penguins was the icing on the cake! 🐧🥰 It was such a memorable experience from start to finish, and I honestly wish I could do the whole tour all over again! A huge thank you to Steve for making the day so enjoyable, for being so welcoming and for going that extra mile to make everyone feel comfortable. You're a credit to Sightseeing Tours Australia, Steve! If I could give more than five stars, I would. Highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Melbourne! 😁❤️

We had a great day today visiting Phillip Island, the moonlit sanctuary and especially seeing the little penguins waddle in from the sea at sunset. Steve was an outstanding guide - very funny, knowledgeable and looking after everyone. We fed the kangaroos and wallabies and saw koalas up close too. The penguins are just so cute. Don’t miss this trip.

They should carry warm clothes as it's really windy. They should also carry some snacks. It was breathtaking experience.

Our driver was good and knowledgeable. Enjoyed the trip despite the rain

Our driver and guide was fantastic ! I believe his name was David. The animals were a little sleepy, if I were to go again, I would go earlier so we.could do the encounters. The penguins were too cute!

Watching the groups of penguins scurrying up the beach, just like they've been doing for thousands of years, was truly awesome. But I was disappointed by our guide, his swagger, his knowledge of the subject, his restaurant recommendation in Cowes and his soliciting of tips greatly detracted from the overall experience.

Dave was an amazing tour guide and very patience when people are late coming back to the bus. Knowledgeable about Phillip island and Moonlit sanctuary. I highly recommended.

Information to meet up very clear, it was 28degree Celsius every time we get on the coach the air condition already cooled down the whole time, appreciated the hospitality, thanks.

Steve was a fantastic guide who made sure we had time to see all the stops and plenty of time at the penguin parade

Steve was terrific. He was friendly, interpersonable, interactive and kept us informed throughout the trip, especially about the Koalas 😂 Great host with great people on the tour also. Would totally recommend hm as a tour guide!

Amazing to watch the little penguins emerge from the sea and make their way back to land and then to their burrows.

The entirety of the tour was good. Would have loved to see more kangaroos in the Moonlit Santuary. But it was afternoon time and they were mostly asleep. Got to see many penguins walking. The best time I heard during Aussy summer.

I found this itinerary to be too busy to be enjoyable and more stressful than fun. We spent the first hour of the day driving in a square around the city to various pick up points, but actual hotel pick up was not offered. It is then a long drive during which very little information is provided as the driver is also the guide - which is concerning. On our particular trip, the microphone did not work well and we had difficulty understanding what bit of information we did get. The Moonlit sanctuary closes at 4:00 pm, and by the time you arrive there the animals (at least on our day) were not interested in interacting. People were returning unused food cups they’d purchased as the animals were not interested in eating at this point which seemed to be a function of the time of day. There is not enough time to enjoy any of the stops on the way to the penguins or to really learn about them, and I felt like I spent most of the tour asking questions/trying to figure out what to do/ what was happening next. We were extremely unprepared by the time we arrived to the Penguin parade and did not know that upgraded viewing options were available which were all sold out by the time we arrived. I may have missed this when I booked originally, but I do not recall seeing the upgrade options, which are definitely recommended as general viewing is very crowded and there is apparently an ideal system for viewing which we did not know about ahead of time. I ended up not having time to eat dinner and we missed the first group of penguins because my travel companion is elderly and no one advised us that it would be a very long walk from the main building to the viewing area. The drive home was difficult as everyone is exhausted, and it feels a bit unsafe being dropped off alone on the streets after midnight and left to your own devices to get back to your hotel. Our guide, Craig, was lovely, and I do not fault him for any of this - I think he did the best he could with the itinerary he was given. I just found that this is a very poorly designed tour and would not recommend it for those who are prioritizing maximizing the Penguin parade experience and understanding and learning about it. It also felt like the bus was not climate controlled as it was extremely cold on the way back.

We were very unfortunate that we were the last ones to get on the bus since the pick-up process was based on the location of your stay. We were 3 of us, 2 adults and a kid, so basically we had to go to the last row. But the last row was lover then than the rest of the seats level and on top of that our kid had to sit on a tiny emergency seat. I raised this issue to the driver politely, but you got the regular answer.... He could not do anything. Our driver's English was very much limited and was not easy to understand. He changed frequently the meeting times, causing misunderstandings among the passengers. Otherwise the highlights of the tour were great. It was a long tiring day in a small bus. The penguin parade was great! Exploring Phillip Island and Brighton Beach was nice and also the native wildlife at the Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park.

We had such an amazing time on this tour! Elliot was so funny and had us dying and cackling with laughter, definitely a major highlight on this tour!

Was such an awesome day even with some rain, and our tour guide was absolutely amazing! Would definitely recommend this to anyone!

It was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. Watching the penguins parade was amazing and beautiful. The guid ,Steve, is professional with a beautiful sense of humour. My husband and I have both enjoyed the trip,

Wow! What an incredible experience from start to finish! Travis was absolutely the best guide. His genuine love and passion for Australia’s nature really made the experience special. He was a safe and knowledgeable driver, incredibly informative, and also a fantastic photographer. He was always willing to take photos for us and captured so many wonderful memories along the way. The Moonlit Sanctuary was so enjoyable, and Phillip Island was absolutely beautiful. Of course, the Penguin Parade was the highlight—it was truly unforgettable! We couldn’t have asked for a better guide or a better experience. Thank you, Travis, for making our day so memorable!

The driver/ guide was so nice and kind

The Penguin Parade was jewel of this trip. John also explained the trip well. The low-light of the trip was for the driver to distribute menu of La Prochetta (Cowes) menu in the bus and taking orders in advance. While he did mention that there are other restaurants in the area, just the fact that on a trip through Trip Advisor, driver is encouraging guests to order from a 3.7 / 5 (with 1,270 Google reviews) is a bad judgement call. Trip Advisor is a trusted name (at least I do not think twice when booking with them), and it should be protected.

What an amazing day with John as our very knowledgeable funny driver/guide. Moonlit Sanctuary was an absolute highlight of my trip to Melbourne along with the Penguin Parade. Who knew something only 30cm high can run that fast!! John kept us amused and amazed the whole trip with the trivia he has in his head about Melbourne right through to Phillip Island. Linner (lunch/dinner) from John’s recommended restaurant of La Porchetta was very very good.

Martin was an excellent tour guide. Saw everything we were hoping for. Would highly recommend.

It was a full day of activities. Just remember to dress appropriately for the high winds and cold breezes when visiting the Nobbies and waiting for the Penguin Parade. At Moonlight Sanctuary you’ll get the best opportunity to see the koalas, kangaroos, dingos, and Tasmanian devils up close. There was even a rare albino kangaroo. The views are spectacular in the Nobbies area.

The tour to the sanctuary and Phillip island was great. The fairy penguins was a major disappointment. Only seen about 12 penguins. Was told they don’t like the light. Wasn’t aloud to take photos. The penguins were beaching away from the light

Great day! God guide! Great experience!

We had a great time seeing the penguins and the rest of Phillip Island. The guide, Elliot, was especially entertaining, enthusiastic, and very knowledgeable of the area. He did a great job at getting us around to places on time and ensuring everyone was included. Our time at Moonlit Sanctuary was much better than anticipated and we got to feed some of the animals! Definitely recommend this tour.

Handfeeding the kangaroos was one of the best experiences. Guide was experienced. Penguins are small, cute but not like as the name suggests parading. They came in small numbers. Overall good experience.

My daughter and I had the best time. Our experience was 10/10! Craig, our tour guide, went above and beyond to share all relevant details to each stop and fun facts of areas. Highly recommend!

First, the positives. The penguins are great and well worth a visit. Craig, our coach driver, spoke at just the right speed for my colleagues, all non-native speakers of English. He also did not play music when not giving commentary, and those silent periods were appreciated. Now the things they need to work on. The tour was advertised as a 10:30 pick up, and we were advised to be there by 10:15. When I texted with a questiton about lunch, the reply said pick up at 11. As we were there at 10, we were standing about for an hour (thankfully no rain). In reply to my text about lunch, they said it would be a late lunch, around 3, at Cowes. This never happened. We got to Visitors Centre next to the penguin parade beach, where we could have dinner. In short, their communication regarding meals, and toilets breaks, is insufficient and inaccurate. This is poor form for an 11-hour trip. I would visit the pengun parade again, but I would bot use Sunshine Tours Australia.

We had a great time with Steve our driver!! He made the long day not seem as long, plus he gave us great tips on where the best viewing of different animals were. I got to mark off feeding wallaby’s and seeing penguins in the wild off my bucket list. And he played one of my most favorite albums while driving so I got to sing along! We became fast friends!!

Had to wait 3/4 hour for pickup in the cold. Trip advisor said 10.30 and nothing from the operator. We had a phone missed call from a mobile phone the previous day with no message left. Not good enough

Elliot was very friendly and made sure we had an amazing trip and really experienced Melbourne. His insight on Melbourne was very interesting as well as with the wildlife and Philip island. The overall tour was very enjoyable for us and we were very happy with it. The stops were very good and we had a lovely experience.

Amazing full-day tour from Melbourne! We loved seeing the kangaroos and koalas, and the Penguin Parade was definitely the highlight. The whole day was well organised, with a friendly guide and plenty of time to enjoy each stop. Highly recommended for anyone visiting Melbourne and looking for a fun wildlife experience.

I booked this tour for my parents, and unfortunately they had a very disappointing experience. The guide/driver was extremely unfriendly and gave the impression that he simply did not enjoy his job. There was very little customer service or consideration towards the passengers throughout the day. When I booked the tour, there was an option indicating that the tour could be guided in Spanish. However, this was misleading. It was actually just an app, and nobody helped my parents set it up or made any effort to ensure they understood the information throughout the tour. They were essentially left to figure it out themselves. Another particularly unpleasant moment was when the driver told my parents to move somewhere else because they were wearing perfume. This could have been handled much more politely and respectfully. For a tour lasting more than 10 hours, the experience should be much more comfortable and welcoming. Unfortunately, my parents did not enjoy the day at all. My advice: if you are considering this tour just to save a few dollars, don't. It is not worth it. Spend a little more and look for a tour with better customer service and guides who actually care about the passengers' experience.

The guide (Jono) was fantastic! Friendly, funny and knowledgeable. The experience was good. Cons: short amount of time at the Moonlit Sanctuary so unable to do the “extras”, really rushed meal time in town (unable to order food, eat it, shop/look around and get back in time), penguin parade was not what I expected. Tour guide warned us of the off-season but even if it was hundreds of penguins, still not what I was picturing, so not worth my time (my opinion). Pro’s: great guide, felt safe, Moonlit Sanctuary was well worth it, nice change from city scene of Melbourne.

My wife and I went mid Sept on the tour. The weather was perfect for the trip, bring a jacket for the penguin parade. Moonlit Sanctuary was very nice, animals were out and about. I wouldn't waste your money on the food, saw many people ending with full containers, animals were full or not interested. Views were great at the 2 stops, a lot of great pictures. Not the best time of year for many penguins during the parade, we saw maybe 20. Best views on this night were on the right side facing the ocean. Once a couple groups crossed, we moved to the boardwalk to follow them along. No pictures, videos, standing, or noises allowed while they are on the beach. Once on the boardwalk, seemed to be anything goes. Tour guide Craig did well, but some of the other guests were not very considerate getting back to the bus on time at the stops. 10pm by the time we got back to Melbourne. Food at the Parade was not the best and very expensive.

Was such an amazing trip our tour guide was so awesome would highly recommend, we saw koalas in the wild had an amazing lunch at this beachside town

Jono was a good host. On time for pick up/drop off. Great weather, loved the penguins and Phillip Island. Very enjoyable day. Thank you

Great day out John was a super tour guide with lots of information and stories

I paid for the koala encounter and thought we would make the 1230…. They should let people know ahead of time that this trip will not be around for any encounter time available.

Once it got started, this was an awesome day of exploration of the nature and wildlife just outside of Melbourne. The Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park is the next best thing to observing unique Aussie species in the wild. Of course, the animals are at least somewhat confined and obviously used to humans feeding them, especially the kangaroos and wallabies, which visitors can feed throughout the day. The highlight, though, is the Penguin Parade, and it doesn't disappoint! Even though we didn't have the Penguin Premium seating, we found a good spot to the far left of the general admission bleachers (to the left when facing the beach), and we saw dozens of penguins emerge from the ocean to the left of the platform. Being in the middle of the beach is not where it's at--the increased lighting and concentration of seagulls seeking human food seem to mean fewer penguins surface there. But as our guide told us, "don't stress" if you don't get a good look of the penguins from the bleachers--on your walk back on the boardwalk, you'll get a close-up view of the penguins "parading" back to their burrows in the grassy dunes. No photos of penguins here because photography is prohibited/limited throughout the experience for safety of the wildlife. Our main issue with this tour was the pickup situation. Our guide was late, for which he did apologize, but then we ended up waiting on no-shows and circling back to the first stop even though it was an original no-show. It was very disorganized in the beginning and may have ended up making us have a little bit of a truncated Penguin Parade experience. We had 27 folks to corral at each stop. NOTE: This tour is not accessible or even really ambulant. There was a woman with a walker on our tour, and her family, the guide, and the whole group were patient and helpful. But it involves getting up and down bus stairs at several stops, and the Penguin Parade experience requires walking probably several hundred meters, almost a kilometer, to the bleachers on the beach, in which she didn't participate. And we only had an hour there. If you have trouble walking, you may want to check out a smaller or private tour with fewer stops and more time at the Penguin Parade itself.

We had an absolutely amazing day on this trip. Our guide Elliott was very friendly, knowledgeable and with a great sense of humour. The Moonlit sanctuary was great but the views from Philip island were breathtaking. Cowes offered a delicious fish and chips ( much better than Cowes on the Isle of Wight). The cherry on the top was the penguin parade though. Seeing the penguins up close is an extraordinary experience!

To start with the positives, the experiences at the Moonlit sanctuary and Penguin Parade are must dos and were very enjoyable. Unfortunately, I would not recommend completing them with this tour operator. Things started badly when the tour was 30 minutes late to the initial pick up, with no attempt of contact made to everyone waiting to let them know the delay. The bus was old and had seen better days. The stop at the sanctuary was fantastic and well worth a trip. However, from here things went down hill the coach broke down at the stop in Cowes and left the group stranded. A replacement mini bus shuttled the group to the penguin parade, but we missed visiting Nobbies, and our group had no guide so we had no information on the location penguin parade and we were left to work things out ourself on arrival, which thankfully was possible due to the helpful staff at the help desk. After the penguin parade, we returned to find no coach and a further 20 minute wait in the cold, with the tour guide unaware when the replacement coach would arrive. Our guide Jono fought on with a tough set of circumstances, but a more organised operator would be recommended.