Puffing Billy Steam Train And Penguins Wildlife Tour

Amazing day out. Our guide Nathan was the highlight - very knowledgeable, great tips on where to sit for the penguin parade, his talking Aussie to the wallabies was hilarious. The wind at the Nobbies and penguins was freezing, bring a warm hat!

Stuart was best guide we could have for tjis tour. We've seen a lot of amazing places,but Puffing Billy train and Penguins Parade won. There is enough time for each spot. I highly recommend this tour!

It was a great fun with the train, almost like in Harry Potter movie, you can sit with your legs out and watch the view, and seeing the penguins was an incredible experience, they were so close it was magical, and hear them communicating like in Happy Feet, locations were great, Stuart was also a good guide, we saw many wallabies and echidna it was fun

Must do in Melbourne! Puffing Billy is a highlight, feel like going back in time. Bring glasses as there is sometimes some dust.

Arrive to your train early because seats fill up. We were a group of 5 and had to sit in different sections of the cart. It’s a nice scenic view. As for the penguins, make sure you layer because it was cold in early September and the penguins don’t come out until 6:30-6:45pm. Don’t expect massive amounts of penguins at a time. It’s more like 3-5 at a time. It’s a great experience if you are there during the right time.

A fantastic day out. Well organised from start to finish and a great tour guide who was knowledgeable and friendly. A really great day out.

Great tour and experience would 100% recommend for anyone wanted to explore Victoria and our tour guide Stuart was amazing and definitely going to book again

We had an absolutely amazing time on our tour to PuffingBilly and to the penguins. Lachie was an incredible guide who filled the day with so many fun facts and humour. He had every member of the group engaged and enjoying every moment. I’m lucky enough to have experienced Lachie as a host twice now and if we could request a particular guide I would totally do another trip with him. Best value for money and the best experience.

I was on this trip in January but didn’t share my review earlier. Catching up now! It was the most amazing day I could’ve imagined! Gary- the tour guide- was so professional and friendly. I experienced the beauty of Australia during the steam train ride and had so much fun! 🤩 the whole itinerary was wonderful and I truly recommend the penguin premium option for a truly unforgettable experience! Thank you! Thanks to this experience I still continue using the app. So positively surprised I was!

A well-deserved shout-out to our tour guide/ driver anthony! Friendly, knowledgeable, and incredibly patient with the kids, making the whole experience enjoyable for everyone. Thank you for keeping the tour fun, engaging, and family-friendly. Highly recommended!⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Trip as good especially our guide Anthony ❤️

Puffing Billy was great……absolutely loved it……but not much to do before going to the penguins. A few stops, and some interesting local information. Unfortunately the weather gods were not on our side and it rained just as the penguins were coming ashore. Despite being told multiple times to not use umbrellas or take photos, everyone around us did which made it difficult to see anything. Pretty disappointing.

Got to spend the day with our tour guide, Stuart, who was absolutely phenomenal. He provided detailed and engaging commentary throughout the entire trip, explaining every area we traveled through and always giving clear directions whenever we had free time to explore on our own. Our group consisted of seven people, and every single one of us agreed that Stuart elevated an already incredible experience to another level. Highly recommend him! The Puffing Billy Steam Railway through the rainforest was the perfect length and truly unforgettable. The scenery was breathtaking, and the train itself was fantastic. Many passengers chose to sit on the ledge with their legs dangling outside the carriage — completely safely, of course, as that’s part of the authentic Puffing Billy experience. For those who prefer to stay seated inside, the seats were very comfortable and didn’t take away from the experience at all. The Penguin Wildlife Tour was a genuine bucket-list experience. Coming from Canada, seeing penguins in the wild is something we simply don’t get to experience back home. Most of our group, myself included, upgraded to the Penguins Plus package, and it was absolutely worth it. We were seated right on the beach and witnessed hundreds — possibly over a thousand — little penguins waddling right past us, only feet away. It was incredible. Even after about 30 minutes, we had already watched four separate waves of penguins come ashore. On the walk back to the main building, several hundred meters from the beach, we were still able to walk alongside these amazing little animals as they waddled up the hillside toward their burrows. Photos and videos are not allowed because penguins are extremely sensitive to light, and protecting their environment is important. Honestly, though, this experience is something that will stay with me forever regardless. I HIGHLY recommend Explore Australia and especially Stuart to anyone considering this tour. Thank you all for an unforgettable experience! Best regards, Mike from Canada

Our tour guide Michael was the best—such a cool guy! He even remembered everyone’s names. I’m a big fan of Michael.

The tour delivered above our expectations. Our tour guide Gina was enthusiastic, professional and very knowledgeable. We would highly recommend this tour. Book with Explore Australia

Very interesting and exciting experience, for puffing billy stream train, recommend to sit inside as the view will be better than sitting near to the door side. Feel very lucky to have good weather during the day. Saw quite a number of penguins during their way back to their nest, no photos nor videos allowed to protect the wildlife. Food inside the visitor centre slightly expensive and only can pay by cards.

This excursion checked off a few things on our bucket list while visiting Melbourne. There were no issues booking the tour or with communication. Pick up was on time and exactly where stated. Make sure to read your confirmation email as different times of the year have different pick up times. Pick up for us was at 10 am and we returned around 10pm. It is a long day, but broken up with stops along the way. Our tour guide Gary was very informative and chatty. Got us to all the places on time and back safely. The Puffing Billy train was a simple ride in an old fashion steam train. It’s nothing fancy or fantastic, but there are some nice views along the way. Our expectations were low, as we were prepared for the touristy train ride and because of that we had a pleasant time. For us it’s a one and done sort of thing but we got some great pictures and the ability to say we’ve been here. Next stop was the Nobbies. A beautiful landscape of nature to see here. Other than walking the boardwalk (with hundreds of others) there isn’t much to do but enjoy the scenery. The penguin parade was quite full. Hundreds of people all waiting to see the penguins emerge from the ocean and waddle up the banks to there burrows on land. Our night the penguins arrived around 6:40pm and not too may to see but none the less we saw some! We were then able to see them close up walking to their burrows as we walked the boardwalk out. All in all the excursion was good. I’d recommend it if these are things you want to see. I feel the price was a bit steep but again if you want to see certain things outside of the city without having to navigate them yourself then this is the way to go.

Other than the weather the trip was fan it was about an hour's drive to the puffing billy train had enough time to wander the area a little then aboard for the scenic railway gun journey then another drive about an hour to the penguin experience . First was the coat boardwalk no toilets so going at the railway is important but saw an Acidna very sweet and great coastline Then onto the penguin watching of note you have about an hour before the sun sets and could stop to eat but I'd suggest if needed but take away and get get down to your zone early otherwise you find your not sat together or your sat away from the best view of the penguins emerging from the sea I went straight there so had a great seat and left ved the experience Also they say don't take photos as it scares the penguins and some silly boy had his flash on and didn't know how to turn it off but kept going for a shot so annoying! Otherwise great day a long day so ensure you have snacks and water and also if in the autumn take a jacket or something a bit warmer to wear Our driver was fab friendly and informative. And felt safe as a driver .

Had the best time doing both these attractions. The experience on the train was amazingly fun and the atmosphere was great the penguin experience was great I thought we would have seen more penguins then we did but waking back up afterwards we seen a lot more

Everything was on time, what was promised was what was delivered. The coach driver was very informative with his commentary

Beautiful views. Train was fun. The penguins were awesome. The guide was knowledgeable and friendly. Great tour.

I joined this Puffing Billy and Penguin Parade tour as a solo traveler and had a great time. The guide was very friendly and made the whole experience enjoyable. The driving felt very safe, and I also appreciated how they pointed out wildlife along the way. The penguins were absolutely adorable. Highly recommend this tour!

Absolutely wonderful experience. Darren our driver was excellent timing things perfectly. We loved Puffing Billy and the Penguin Parade, but itwasa couple of other bits that made it extra special. We were a bit early for the train so Darren took us for a top in the rain forest. You could go to he cafe or Darren said there was a short walk in the rainforest. We did this a d saw a Lyre Bird, which absolutely thrilled me. Again when we reached the Penguin Parade Darren took us first to Bobby's point where we saw penguins in daylight, wallabies an echidna and lots of Cape Barren Geese. Wonderful! Excellent vehicle as well. Highly recommend

The train is complete waste if your arent a kid. Dont see much from one side except peoples houses, then the train is too full to move around. The rest was alright. Loved the nobbies, and rhe penfuins were cool.

Wonderful experience. Bring some hardy snacks cause it's a long day 12 hours. Our guide Alan was fantastic. Very friendly, knowledgeable, and courteous. The steam train was so much fun, and the penguins were amazing. What a sight to see, and they are tiny and blue black on their backs. We also saw some lovely views along the way. Well worth the trip I would advise anyone not to hesitate, jump on this tour.

We had an amazing day on Puffing Billy and Penguins wildlife tour. Gina, our tour guide was knowledgeable, friendly and helpful the whole day through. Puffing Billy is an amazing experience and watching hundreds of penguins come in from the ocean to their Burroughs was something else. Do yourself a favour and pay for upgrade to penguins plus. WELL worth the money for being so close to the penguins 🐧. You can take photos until it gets dark, then no photography or videos allowed. Just live in the moment and the experience. It's a long day but with a guide like Gina, it doesn't seem like it. An amazing day. Thank you.

Such a great tour! It is the perfect amount of activity/ travel. Our tour guide Mark was an absolute LEGEND! He gave a good amount of informative information and humour! As well as recommending places along the way when we stopped. Overall would recommend to others and use them in future. We had a high tide with the penguins- sadly didn't see as many come out of the water, but saw so many in the grass and burrows. Puffing Billy was also a great experience! Highly recommend a wind proof/warm jacket as the weather is unpredictable.

We had the most wonderful day on the Puffing Billy Train and Penguin Parade. Our tour guide was Michael who was absolutely fabulous. He guided us around the day, made us a video of the day and was just generally fab! We loved the Puffing Billy train - what an experience to ride with your legs hanging out of the train. For the best views sit on the right hand side of the train. The Penguin Parade was spectacular - we saw hundreds of penguins. Penguin Plus is 100% the extra money and make sure to take lots of layers - it was very cold. We would highly recommend this tour and would like to especially thank Michael for making the day even more special. Jamie and Rebecca

Wonderful day on the railway and watching the penguins coming in from the sea and waddling to their burrows

Fantastic day seeing the amazing penguins and lots of wallabys, bandicoots, possum. Loved every minute!

This guided tour was absolutely fantastic from start to finish. Everything was perfectly scheduled and ran smoothly, making the entire experience relaxing and enjoyable. Our tour guide, Gina, was exceptional! highly professional, knowledgeable, and genuinely caring. She did everything possible to make sure the tour was pleasant, well-paced, and stress-free for everyone. Traveling with two kids and two elderly family member, choosing a guided tour was definitely the best decision. We were so glad we didn’t attempt to drive on our own. Having all the logistics handled allowed us to truly enjoy the experience without any worries. The Puffing Billy ride and the Phillip Island portion of the tour were both unforgettable highlights. Everything flowed seamlessly, and Gina ensured everyone was comfortable, informed, and having a great time throughout the day. This tour exceeded our expectations in every way. If you’re considering Puffing Billy and Phillip Island ( especially with family) this guided tour is absolutely worth it. We couldn’t have asked for a better experience!

Superb guide and tour. Very professionally managed and planned I recommend to take this form this tour company only

Had the best time definitely get penguin plus tickets if you can so worth it! Michael our tour guide was amazing the entire trip!

Our guide Darren was incredibly attentive and thoughtful throughout the trip. He gave us enough time at each stop — even though the schedule was quite packed — and shared valuable knowledge, especially about wildlife. You can truly feel his passion. He also shared great tips so we were able to see Penguins at a very close distance. We highly recommend this tour to everyone!

Great experience with tour guide Stewart. Real hands on guidance throughout all the attractions despite the decently massive group per bus. Plenty of time given at all the stops and attractions. Really appreciate tour guide Stewart for going above and beyond with the service and the information provided

A lovely day overall, but just shy of 5 stars for two reasons: the first (and biggest reason) is that the tour itself had a different itinerary than the specific one listed here. We didn't go to the Nobbies and spent a totally useless 15 minutes at a picnic area and 30 minutes in Cowes instead... barely enough time to use the bathroom let alone get food, sightsee or anything. The second was that our guide, while very nice overall, did not give us any information about the area or what we were seeing. Compared to other reviews I thought we'd get to learn something more about the area but nothing beyond just driving us and letting us know when to be back. Not a huge deal, just unmet expectations. The two main stops -- Puffing Billy and OF COURSE the Penguin Parade, are incredible. The Penguin Parade is absolutely the highlight, and Penguins Plus was 100% worth it.

I really enjoyed the tour, and my guide Jose was very kind. Although the weather wasn’t great, he did his best to make it enjoyable for us. I would definitely recommend this tour.

We enjoyed the Puffing Billy ride for 1hour, it didn’t really feel like an hour! You can do a 30minute ride. You must ride on the side and hang your legs out to get full experience! Penguin’s waddling in at dusk and heading for their burrows, are super cute to watch! Was hard not to be able to take photos but you get you get to download free ones later.

Great day out. Jose was a good guide and driver and very calm and thoughtful. Puffing billy was fun and the penguins were gorgeous.

Awesome experience and Michael was a great guide. Would recommend to everyone who is wanting to experience the train ride and penguins

Fantastic full 12 hour day out! Relaxing and chilled with a great bus driver and guide. Loki's passion for wildlife and conservation was really inspiring and only added to the wonderful of the day out. Loki was a great, funny, chatty and approachable guide which made the day run really smoothly and pointed out look outs and recommendations to enhance the day. Highly recommend 👌 🚂🐧🌟

Jose is a very nice guy, helpful and kind. Taking us to go find some wildlife animal and get us some information about them. And clear instruction for us. The tour schedule was not so tight. Suitable for the older and young. However i think it would be better to remind us temperate of the day and the outfit one day before the tour.

Michael is a super nice tourguide! I would definitely recommend this tour. We saw loads of penguins on the beach after sunset :)

It was Amazing and a must do for all nature lovers. And must do with Explore Australia. Matthew our guide is one best person weve met in Australia. Wonderful human being and a great guide. 5 stars

Great tour to go on. Especially of you have kids. Penguins plus is a great choice. Unclosed to these amazing creatures. Puffing Billy great for kids to go on and hang legs over the side.

The day was well paced and included all promised activities. The train was fun, the conservancy had lots of wallabies, and the penguins didn't disappoint. Cat, our guide handled the day well in spite of the fact that the microphone didn't work. Would recommend!

We thoroughly enjoyed the puffing Billy train ride it was a surreal experience. We also enjoyed the penguin parade was wonderful watching them. Our host Lelly was excellent

The penguin parade was amazing. Highly recommend. Our tour guide was great too! If you have little ones then this tour is definitely for you. The train ride is more for children, I have to admit.

Wonderful and fun experience at the Puffing Billy Train. Penguin parade was quite adorable and a must see experience.