From Melbourne: Phillip Island Penguin Parade, Moonlit Sanctuary & Seal Rocks Day Tour

If you’re a lover of amazing views and fabulous fauna, then this is definitely the tour for you! Departing Melbourne at around midday, we journey to the city’s most colourful attraction – the iconic Brighton Beach bathing boxes – for an opportunity to visit the beach and take some time to admire these historic landmarks.

We continue our Phillip Island tour journey through Melbourne’s bayside suburbs on the way to the award-winning Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park for a unique Australian wildlife experience. Here, we’ll enjoy a guided wildlife walk where we have the opportunity to meet and hand-feed many species of native Australian animals. Learn about iconic species such as kangaroos, koalas, emus & wallabies, as well as some of our lesser known favorites including quolls, owls, bandicoots & Tasmanian devils.

Included in our visit here is the spectacular “Conservation in Action” wildlife show, which showcases a number of lesser-known Australian species in a series of interactive and engaging ranger presentations.

Continuing on to Phillip Island itself, a visit to Point Grant and The Nobbies gives us an opportunity to enjoy views over Westernport Bay and Bass Strait, including Seal Rocks, home to Australia’s largest population of fur seals.

And then we’ll reach what will undoubtedly be the highlight of your Phillip Island tour – the main event – where just after dark the world’s smallest penguins parade ashore after spending the day fishing out at sea. You’ll be truly enchanted as the stars of the show emerge from the surf and pass right before your eyes on their journey back to their homes. Your tour guide will assist in ensuring you are able to get the best possible vantage point to enjoy the famous Penguin Parade.

Just on sunset, as some visitors begin to doubt that the birds will arrive, dark patches appear in shallow waters. The penguins’ familiar “huk huk” call is heard and they magically appear on the water’s edge. The penguins stand in the shallows, sometimes retreat in to the sea if they sense danger, regain confidence and again come to the beach. They usually regroup, sometimes numbering over 100 birds, and make their way up the beach to the dunes.

** Please note that photography of any kind is not permitted at the the Phillip Island Penguin Parade. Photography is permitted at all other locations.