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Penguins & Wildlife: Melbourne Nature Experience
4.8
133 Ratings
Pearcedale
Embark on a full-day adventure from Melbourne to experience Australia’s iconic wildlife. Get up close and personal with penguins, explore nature spots, and visit a wildlife conservation park.
Embark on a full-day adventure from Melbourne to experience Australia’s iconic wildlife. Get up close and personal with penguins, explore nature spots, and visit a wildlife conservation park.
Duration:
12 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park - At Moonlit Sanctuary, visitors can encounter iconic Australian wildlife such as kangaroos, wallabies, reptiles, Tasmanian Devils, and of course, Koalas! There may even be a chance to get up close to a Koala or wallaby. *A small fee applies.
- Cape Woolamai - Feel the sand between your toes with a…
- Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park - At Moonlit Sanctuary, visitors can encounter iconic Australian wildlife such as kangaroos, wallabies, reptiles, Tasmanian Devils, and of course, Koalas! There may even be a chance to get up close to a Koala or wallaby. *A small fee applies.
- Cape Woolamai - Feel the sand between your toes with a walk across Woolamai Beach, and watch surfers perform impressive tricks on the stunning waves at this world-famous surf beach. (Time permitting)
- The Esplanade - Immerse yourself in the Island’s seaside holiday atmosphere in the township of Cowes, and enjoy a stroll along the Pier and The Esplanade. The town is lively with restaurants, cafes, boutiques, and a microbrewery.
- The Nobbies Centre - At The Nobbies, explore the boardwalks and enjoy sweeping coastal views of Bass Strait. Walk along the clifftop boardwalks with views out to the Nobbies and Seal Rocks. Visitors can take in a variety of breathtaking sights as they explore the boardwalks, and if fortunate, they might even witness the blowhole in action!
- Phillip Island Nature Parks - Penguin Parade - Witness the incredible sight of little penguins waddling home from the ocean to their burrows at Phillip Island. Home to the largest little penguin colony in the world, visitors can watch these remarkable seabirds every night of the year from the general viewing platform and boardwalks.
What's Included
- All fees and taxes included
- Admission into Moonlit Sanctuary
- General admission to Penguin Parade
- Return transport to/from Melbourne
- All fees and taxes included
- Admission into Moonlit Sanctuary
- General admission to Penguin Parade
- Return transport to/from Melbourne
What's Not Included
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Snacks
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Snacks
Additional Information
Interested in experiencing Australia’s renowned wildlife firsthand? Don’t miss the Penguins & Wildlife Nature Experience!
Join our small group day tour that leaves from Melbourne. We’ll guide you to Australia’s hottest natural attractions, such as the Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park, The Nobbies boardwalk, and the internationally revered…
Interested in experiencing Australia’s renowned wildlife firsthand? Don’t miss the Penguins & Wildlife Nature Experience!
Join our small group day tour that leaves from Melbourne. We’ll guide you to Australia’s hottest natural attractions, such as the Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park, The Nobbies boardwalk, and the internationally revered Penguin Parade.
This tour presents an incomparable chance to intimately connect with the beauty of nature and wildlife!
Location
Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park
550 Tyabb-Tooradin Rd
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.8
(133 Ratings)
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Debbie_f
Oct 4, 2024
Out of the City and into nature. - I booked this trip to get out of the City and into nature for the day. I'm so pleased that I did and enjoyed every minute of it. Spending time with the animals and by the ocean. The penguin parade was beautiful and I loved not only seeing them but watching the sun go down by the ocean. Fantastic day!
Review provided by Viator
Relax809868
Sep 21, 2024
A little sorry but will participate again - The driver is very enthusiastic and happy to share the history of Australia and Melbourne, although the car is small and the seat is narrow, but the driving technique is good and does not stumble.
The guide is also efficient, so we can smoothly take photos with Koala, have plenty of time to interact with kangaroo on moonlit, although after going to the Phillips island in the storm, there is no reason to see the penguin return to the nest, but still withdrew the ticket fee, hoping to have a chance to return to Melbourne next time to participate in this tour.
Thank you for the guidance of our whole body, but also careful to let us be on the way back, let us get off the car in front of the hotel, really careful to give the guidance of the day of 9/2 🙂
Review provided by Tripadvisor
H1786bctoml
Sep 20, 2024
Amazing day out - The perfect tour for anyone wanting to see some native wildlife and get out of the city into some natural spaces. The tour was timed well, didn’t feel rushed at any point and we weren’t waiting around either. Nik our guide was fantastic, friendly and very informative.
You’ll see some great wildlife at Moonlit sanctuary with up close encounters with wallabies and kangaroos as well as the option to go spend some time with Koala’s. And the Penguin parade experience is truly special.
This tour is great because it also shows you some of the natural wonder around Forest Cave beach at Cape Woolamai and the Nobbies centre, as well as the charming town of Cowes. Thoroughly enjoyed our day and would urge anyone travelling to Melbourne to take a day to do this tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jerneja98
Sep 17, 2024
Great way to explore outside of Melbourne - I had an amazing time on this tour. Everything went as planned (we even saw more things). The tour guide- Locky, was great, he talked about everything we were seeing and was very helpful. Even tho there were two groups for two tours, everything went very smoothly.
The tour itself is planned amazingly. I loved getting to see the Aussie wild life and also seeing the being nature.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nicholas_l
Sep 7, 2024
Kids said, “Best holiday ever!” - We recently took the Full-Day Penguins and Wildlife Nature Experience from Melbourne, and it was an unforgettable adventure! Although the pickup from the Regent Hotel was slightly delayed, it didn’t affect our schedule, and we made it to the first destination on time. The tour offered excellent value for money, especially compared to another tour we took the previous day, which included Puffing Billy, Healesville Sanctuary, and the Chocolate Factory. That tour was $300 more and ended early at 3:30pm, partially due to storm damage on the tracks, though this was no fault of the organizers.
The highlight for the kids was the Moonlit Sanctuary. They loved getting up close to feed kangaroos, wallabies, and the many ducks (that would pick up the scraps). We spent most of our time feeding the animals, we bought 3 portions of kangaroo feed which was plenty. A local we met mentioned that the Moonlit Sanctuary is a hidden gem and offers a more intimate experience for kids compared to other places. I couldn’t agree more!
Afterward, we drove to the Nobbies, where we walked along the boardwalk, taking in the stunning views while trying to spot penguins in their burrows. The scenery was breathtaking.
The Penguin Parade was next, and sitting in the front rows made it even more special. The seating was divided into two sections, and some penguins wandered right between them. If you go, I recommend bringing a mat to sit on the sand and get as close as possible.
The best part of the tour had to be our driver and guide, whom my kids affectionately named Captain Bill. He was amazing with the kids, engaging, and shared plenty of information for the adults during the drive. Hearing my kids say, “This is the best holiday ever!” was a true testament to how well he entertained them on the way back from the Mornington Peninsula to Melbourne. My 8-year-old even declared him the “best captain in the history of captains,” and my 6-year-old wholeheartedly agreed.
Review provided by Viator
_m1113io
Jul 25, 2024
Great experience ! - Our guide Matt was absolutely great, humor, smile always ! On the whole trip Matt kept talking to us and share some AUS knowledge. Love him so much ! I’ll recommend this trip to my friends also.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Eastcoastmomny
Jul 3, 2024
Fabulous Day-Long Tour - It was a wonderful day-long tour. We had an amazing tour guide and driver named Gerry, who was a wealth of information and had a wonderful sense of humor. We spent a couple of hours at Moonlight Sanctuary, with ample time to feed the animals and explore at a leisurely pace. We made a stop in a town called Cowes and ended the day at the famous penguin parade. Gerry did a great job of getting us from place to place and keeping the day organized and on schedule. Highly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jo_n
Jun 28, 2024
Just a great day out - The penguins were just delightful. However seeing a wombat at Moonlit Sanctuary and an echidna while driving along was special. Ryan was informative, cares about the environment and showed us why Philip Island is special.
Review provided by Viator
J2331njkarlag
Sep 21, 2024
Moonlit sanctuary and Philip island - We had such an amazing time with explore Australia. Our tour guide lachie made the experience so much better by being so kind and funny! This trip gives you a bit of everything. I would definitely go again and recommend to everyone.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sabrina_c
Aug 20, 2024
Good but rushed - The trip was great overall but the schedule was way too rushed. There was a couple who need to go to the French island instead of the moonlit sanctuary, and so the tour guide need to use extra time to pick them up somewhere else. The rest of us were left in a place to wander around the souvenir shops with not much to do for 45 minutes. That made the schedule quite rushed and we didn’t really have enough time for the nobbies and the penguin parade tour.
Review provided by Viator
