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Phillip Island Tour: Wine, Wildlife, and Penguins
4.9
185 Ratings
Southbank
Experience the best of Phillip Island with a local guide. Enjoy wine tasting, lunch, and a visit to the iconic Penguin Parade. Book now for an unforgettable adventure!
Experience the best of Phillip Island with a local guide. Enjoy wine tasting, lunch, and a visit to the iconic Penguin Parade. Book now for an unforgettable adventure!
Duration:
12 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Arts Centre Melbourne - Start your Phillip Island journey with a complimentary Melbourne barista coffee at the Arts Centre. Board a luxury midi-coach and join fellow travelers for a personalized small-group tour through Victoria’s stunning coastal region to Phillip Island.
- San Remo - Welcome to San Remo, where the iconic Phillip Island Bridge…
- Arts Centre Melbourne - Start your Phillip Island journey with a complimentary Melbourne barista coffee at the Arts Centre. Board a luxury midi-coach and join fellow travelers for a personalized small-group tour through Victoria’s stunning coastal region to Phillip Island.
- San Remo - Welcome to San Remo, where the iconic Phillip Island Bridge greets you at Bass Coast. Take a stroll along the foreshore, observe the resident Australian pelicans, and capture your first coastal photos of this renowned Victorian fishing village.
- Phillip Island Winery - Visit the boutique Phillip Island Winery for a premium cellar-door wine tasting featuring award-winning Gippsland wines. Enjoy a guided tasting of six local wines, accompanied by generous grazing boards of Victorian meats, cheeses, and artisan breads, followed by a wood-fired pizza feast with sea-salt fries and gourmet salads.
Note: On select days, meals are served at our partner Phillip Island seaside restaurant with an identical high-quality menu.
- Cowes - Discover Phillip Island’s main township with its beaches, local shops, and relaxed coastal streetscape. Your guide will highlight local Cowes favorites before you have free time to explore.
- Koala Conservation Reserve - This is an optional extra (+$15 on the day) instead of your time at Cowes. Upgrade to walk elevated boardwalks for guaranteed koala spotting, and see wallabies and native Australian birds in their natural Phillip Island habitat.
- Flynns Beach - Visit this pristine Phillip Island beach for golden Bass Strait sands, crystal-clear waters, and fresh Victorian sea air.
- The Nobbies - Arrive at The Nobbies clifftop boardwalks during golden hour. Spot seabirds, wallabies, and Australian fur seals from spectacular Bass Strait views while enjoying a glass of celebratory sparkling wine as day turns to dusk over Phillip Island.
- Phillip Island Nature Parks - Penguin Parade - Experience the world-famous Phillip Island Penguin Parade with general viewing tickets. Explore the interactive Visitor Centre, enjoy dinner from the onsite cafe if you wish, then take your place to witness thousands of Little Penguins return from Bass Strait at sunset, with guided commentary as they waddle through. Australia’s most popular wildlife attraction. Penguin Plus viewing upgrades (+$55) available for an extra-special experience to see the penguins at eye level.
What's Included
- Gourmet wood-fired lunch with seasonal sides and premium Victorian ingredients
- Penguin Parade tickets - witness Australia’s Little Penguins return home at Summerland Beach sunset
- Sparkling wine at sunset - toast the day with bubbles and Bass Strait ocean views at The Nobbies
- Cowes township exploration - free time in Phillip Island’s charming main…
- Gourmet wood-fired lunch with seasonal sides and premium Victorian ingredients
- Penguin Parade tickets - witness Australia’s Little Penguins return home at Summerland Beach sunset
- Sparkling wine at sunset - toast the day with bubbles and Bass Strait ocean views at The Nobbies
- Cowes township exploration - free time in Phillip Island’s charming main town
- Koala Conservation Reserve upgrade available (+$15pp) - see koalas up close in their native habitat
- Melbourne barista coffee on departure - start your day with quality local coffee
- Premium luxury coach transport - comfortable midi-coach with WiFi and charging ports
- Phillip Island wine tasting with generous grazing platter at boutique local winery
- Locally guided, genuine small-group - maximum 15 people with guaranteed window seat for each booking
Additional Information
Discover Phillip Island alongside locals, embarking on a full-day adventure from Melbourne filled with boutique wines, coastal allure, and native wildlife, culminating in the renowned Penguin Parade at Summerland Beach.
The day begins with a warm welcome and complimentary barista coffee at the Melbourne Arts Centre. From there, the journey leads to the…
Discover Phillip Island alongside locals, embarking on a full-day adventure from Melbourne filled with boutique wines, coastal allure, and native wildlife, culminating in the renowned Penguin Parade at Summerland Beach.
The day begins with a warm welcome and complimentary barista coffee at the Melbourne Arts Centre. From there, the journey leads to the coastal town of San Remo, the entrance to Phillip Island. The first treat is a wine tasting and grazing platter at the acclaimed Phillip Island Winery, followed by a gourmet lunch.
Guests then explore the delightful town of Cowes, known for its immaculate beaches and local shops—or they can opt for an upgrade to enjoy an intimate koala viewing at the Koala Conservation Reserve.
The adventure continues to The Nobbies Phillip Island, where the golden hour offers breathtaking ocean views and wildlife sightings. A glass of sparkling wine adds a celebratory touch to the evening.
The day concludes at the world-famous Penguin Parade at Summerland Beach, where a general viewing ticket allows for a fully immersive experience in this exceptional wildlife event.
Location
Arts Centre Melbourne
Saint Kilda Road
- Meet outside Protagonist Café at Arts Centre Melbourne (100R St Kilda Rd) - look for the giant spire.
- Easy access via trams in Free Tram Zone.
- Just 5 mins from Flinders St Station or 5–10 mins walk from most city centre hotels.
- Post-tour we can dropoff to city-center hotels upon request.
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
4.9
(185 Ratings)
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Chrisnjean
Jun 4, 2025
A full day of sights - Top notch tour with excellent guide. The tour delivered everything described in the package and more.
Great lunch followed by visit to a picturesque winery with tasting .
Penguin encounter was exactly as described and a very unique experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Itsmeray1
May 26, 2025
Wine, food, and penguins for a great day out. - I took because I'm a penguin lover and wanted to get to see them come in at dusk on Phillips Island. But the tour isn't just to the penguins, it's a whole experience. First stop is small town to stretch your legs/get coffee; a choice to see koalas in a natural habitat (I picked this one - extra cost above the tour), or a town for shopping, or a chocolate factory; then a pretty winery where wine tasting and a lunch take place (included in the tour price). Finally, you are off to a lookout point before getting to see the penguins come in from the water.
For the penguins, the tour ticket is for regular seating, I would absolutely recommend paying a little extra to get premium penguins experience. You will see WAY more penguins coming in together on that side.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Haley
May 18, 2025
PENGUIN PARADE!!! - We had such a blast throughout the day on this tour! We absolutely loved seeing the penguins and getting outside of the city this trip! We got to see such wonderful sights and so much wildlife. Jordan was a great tour guide!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
27kth
Apr 29, 2025
Perfect mix of fun and nature - Such an incredible trip. Shout out to our amazing tour guide Michael! We saw a lot of wildlife including koalas and the penguin parade is so cute and fun. Winery was beautiful and tasted a lot of unique flavored wines
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Michelle
Apr 26, 2025
Great guide Mike and fantastic day trip - Where do I start? We had a great guide, Mike who was very friendly, knowledgable and approachable. No request was too difficult for him. The time in San Remo and Cowes was just enough. Lunch was wonderful at the winery, lots of delicious food following a wine sampling session. The penguin parade was the
highlight, we saw so many of them waddling up towards us - how cute and spectacular!
The real hero was Mike - give this guy a raise/promotion already will you! He's the backbone of the tour. Thank you Mike and Local Way Tours, I'll definitely be using your services again.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
388craigr
Apr 24, 2025
One of the best days we’ve experienced in Australia - The Local Way Tour to Phillip Island was a true 10 out of 10 experience. Every aspect of the experience was first class. Our tour guide, Mike, was incredible. He was very personable, knowledgeable and very easygoing. He even dropped us off right at our hotel.
Throughout the tour there was ample time to enjoy each stop without a time pressure. The wine experience far exceeded my expectations, and seeing the penguins was absolutely incredible.
I’d highly recommend Local Way Tours to anyone looking for an intimate experience that you’ll never forget.
Thanks again Mike for making this a great day for Lisa and me.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Shirley_a
Apr 1, 2025
Good tour to see the penguins - This is a good full day experience from Melbourne. Lots of information, nice places visited and a comfortable ride there and back. Nice visit to the winery, topped off by the penguins!
Review provided by Viator
Dkar09
Mar 31, 2025
Experience to remember. - Great host, comfortable coach. The penguin parade is a must for every person who visits Melbourne. Can't fault the tour
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Meander49712774715
Mar 24, 2025
Amazing experience - Our tour was fun, informative, comedic, lots of amazing views with great sites and lots of amazing wildlife. The wine and food were amazing and so flavorful 100% gourmet and made from scratch. Would definitely go back again.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Steven_f
Apr 2, 2025
The wine tatsting was... - The wine tatsting was pleasant, but the wine was just mediocre.
The person who schedules the penguin parade should be aware of the molting period when only a few brave penguins venture out and return. While noting the dates in the description of the tour might cause fewer customers to sign up, it seems "truth in advertising" would be the more ethical choice. Seeing so few penquins was very disappointing.
The koala conservation reserve was well worth the admission price!
Our tour guide (Josh? sorry, not good on names) was a ray of sunshine and quite knowledgable. However, even he was surprised at the posted sign regarding the 17 day period of molting, leading to the disappointing show of the penguin parade. Scheduling a somewhat earlier arrival at the Phillip Island parade site would have been better - an extra 15-30 minutes would have made a difference. Due to the crowds, we barely had time to grab food and then get to the viewing area.
One more note: we read the "fine print" regarding drop off at hotels in the Melbourne CBD at the end of the tour due to the late hour and happily took adavantage of that option. Most of the guests did not notice that was offered and had to then go from the original pick up at the Art Center to their hotels at 11:00 pm, some carrying sleeping children through an unfamiliar city late at night. Perhaps a more noticeable placement of that option would be appreciated.
Review provided by Viator
