Private Tour: Phillip Island, Penguin Parade and Moonlit Sanctuary Conservation Park from Melbourne

A beloved day-trip destination for Melbournians, Phillip Island offers a combination of rolling farmland, windswept cliffs and unique animal encounters. After pickup at your Melbourne hotel in the afternoon, enjoy a scenic drive through the city’s leafy suburbs as we head south-east of Melbourne to visit the Moonlit Sanctuary Conservation Park at the top of Mornington Peninsula. You will meet endangered Australian native wildlife such as koalas, wallabies, kookaburras and dingoes. Look out for a variety of bright colored birds and reptiles. 

Cross a bridge to access Phillip Island, where the Australian Motor Grand Prix and home of our famous Little Penguins. Upon arrival on the island depending on the time of year and your interest, we will visit Woolamai Beach to admire surfers gliding along the waves. We will then head to the southern tip of the island to view the rugged windswept cliffs of the Nobbies and Seal Rocks, home to a large fur seal colony.

In the warmer months between October to March we will spend time on the island town of Cowes where you might dine (own expense) in one of the delicious restaurant options and browse local shops. In the cooler months between April to September, you will return to Melbourne after the Penguin Parade visit to indulge in one of Melbourne City's decadent restaurants. 

As dusk approaches, make your way to a local beach and settle in to a shoreline viewing platform for the world-famous Penguin Parade. Every night, hundreds of petite fairy penguins — the smallest in the world — emerge from the water here after fishing all day. Watch the awe-inspiring spectacle as the adorable penguins waddle across the sand and through the bush to tuck into their burrows for the night. Your tour includes an upgraded Penguins Plus experience for a VIP boardwalk view of the parade.

Once all penguins have gone home for the night, relax on the approximately 2-hour return drive to Melbourne.