Phillip Island Penguin Parade Express Tour from Melbourne
Overview
Available languages
Mobile ticket
In just one extraordinary day, experience two of Victoria’s top wildlife attractions: the Nobbies and Seal Rocks, with one of Australia's largest colony of fur seals; and the nightly Penguin Parade, where little penguins pop out of the water and waddle across the beach to their burrows.
At the Nobbies and Seal Rocks, the clifftop boardwalk opens up breathtaking views of Phillip Island’s wild south coast, and there are further lookout points among natural sea bird gardens which have spectacular flowering displays in spring.
Then witness Victoria’s largest colony of little penguins in the nightly Penguin Parade. As dusk falls, hundreds of little penguins splash out of the water onto the beach, making their way to their burrows. They feed at sea and return to their burrows to mate, care for their young and to moult.
Additional Info
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Specialized infant seats are available
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Photography and video are NOT PERMITTED at the Penguin Parade
Large bags, strollers, prams, baby capsules, luggage & walkers cannot be brought on board
This tour returns to Melbourne at approximately 9pm-12am depending on the season
What To Expect
The Nobbies
Views of Phillip Island's rugged south coast and home to Australia's largest fur seal colony.
Phillip Island Nature Parks Penguin Parade
World famous Penguin Parade. Enjoy the brand new visitors centre and learn about the daily lives of the Little Penguins. Take a stroll along the paths and boardwalks trying to spot a Penguin who may have stayed behind from the days fishing and is snuggled up in their burrow. As dusk falls, watch as bands of Penguins come ashore and waddle up Summerland Beach.
Options
General Viewing
What‘s Included
General viewing entry fees at the Penguin Parade
Park Entry Fees
WiFi on board
Friendly & informative tour guide
Air-conditioned vehicle
Food and drinks
Gratuities
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Reviews
194 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
fantastic and very well organized
estherdT5603TC,May 23, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Bob was the best tour guide we could have wished for! He shared so much interesting information about Melbourne and the surrounding area, all while keeping us entertained with a few great jokes along the way. Of course, he also knew a lot about the penguins and made the whole experience even more enjoyable. The tour itself was fantastic and very well organized. Seeing the adorable little penguins on Phillip Island was truly unforgettable. We would highly recommend this tour to anyone who wants to see the cutest penguins ever!
Amazing
Trail16283176031,May 23, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Nice trip, Bob is a great guide.
Awesome experience and...
Andre U,May 10, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Awesome experience and tour guide Alisha was awesome, pointed out all the wildlife! Penguins were amazing and so many wallabies!
Less penguins than expected.Think maybe premium viewing area might have been worthwhile! Mini bus seats rather cramped!
Juliet I,May 5, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
3.00Interesting experience and guide was knowledgeable!
Phillip Island Penguin Parade Express Tour
tanyac136,Apr 23, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We had a fantastic trip to Penguin Island, stopped off at Sunderland Beach and The Nobbies before travelling through the nature reserve for the Penguin Parade. David.N was our guide and was fabulous, very attentive, and couldn’t do enough for us, he was extremely knowledgable about the animals we saw and the surrounding countryside, we also saw Wallabies, geese, possums, echidna, as well as the penguins, plenty of photo opportunities, and restroom breaks if you wanted them. The trip was amazing and I would love to do it all again, and would highly recommend, you also get to stay and watch the penguins to 19.15 most bus trips left at 18.30, so you had longer to take it all in and didn’t feel rushed.
Michael the Magnificent
Meghan A,Apr 10, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Our tour guide, Michael, was the star of the show! Such a fun experience- would recommend to anyone!
No guarantee of how many penguins you will see.
Sophie C,Apr 7, 2026
- Review from Viator
4.00Really enjoyed walking along the boardwalk and watching the ocean waves crash along the rocks. There was a full moon when we were there so the penguin sightings were minimal. Recommend you check the moon phase before booking this trip. Our guide was very enthusiastic. If you sat on the left side of the bus, you could see a lot of wallabies.
She was an angel
paulgJ2752JF,Mar 11, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00I loved it! You were great and so was your singing.
Very very few penguins in late feb.
Amit K,Mar 2, 2026
- Review from Viator
3.00Cloe was a great tour guide. And the tour itself is fun but during my visit i.e. late February there were hardly any penguins. I was traveling with friends who were locals and they said typically its a minimum of 400 penguins and as high as 32000 in one night. People over at the Milawul island knew about it when I asked the staff over there. I felt cheated that they knew about it and yet sold tickets. They could've just told people not to come or refunded their money.
Not the tour for the Penguin Parade
Justin R,Feb 26, 2026
- Review from Viator
2.00The experience was 9 hours, 2:45pm - 11:45pm. We spent a total of 1 hour and 20 minutes at the penguin parade. We spent 30 minutes at a beach to watch surfers, 45 minutes at a nice boardwalk and then we scouted the Penguin Parade and were told where to the best seats were for when we enter. And then… we went to a town for dinner! Not the Penguin Parade, but a 1 hour trip so people could enjoy a nice dinner. We brought our dinner as to not miss any time with the penguins. The Penguin Parade facility has restaurants… they could have let those that wanted to spend time with the penguins, visit the center, go to the gift shop, enjoy the actual tour location. Instead we arrived as one of the last tour buses and had to hustle to the viewing area and all the good seats were taken. We were so late… it was so unacceptable. We just didn’t have enough time with the entire reason for the trip! A nice dinner out was more important than the penguins. The only reason the tour gets two stars is the guide was energetic, kind and did a great job outside of the itinerary.
Related Experiences
Operated by Bunyip Tours