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Melbourne: Healesville Sanctuary & Phillip Island Penguin Parade

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Free cancellation

1/14

Duration11h

GroupUp to 24

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Watch Little Penguins Walk Out of the Ocean at Dusk

You spend the morning exploring native wildlife at Healesville Sanctuary with live shows and self-guided wandering; mid-afternoon you visit the Nobbies Centre for coastal views and the blowhole boardwalk; evening brings the Penguin Parade at dusk, where little penguins return from the ocean to their burrows. Hotel pickup, all entry fees, and air-conditioned transport are included; you arrange your own lunch and dinner at the venues.

11h

Step-by-step itinerary

Travel 1 hour to Healesville Sanctuary
Explore Healesville Sanctuary and watch shows
Purchase lunch at Healesville Sanctuary
Visit Nobbies Centre and walk boardwalk
Purchase dinner at venue
Watch Penguin Parade
Travel back to Melbourne CBD

The Experience

The bus leaves Melbourne CBD around 8am and heads east for an hour toward Healesville Sanctuary, where the day really starts. You'll have time to wander through the grounds at your own pace — koalas, kangaroos, platypus, birds of prey — and catch the live animal education shows if the timing works. Most people grab lunch at the sanctuary cafe before heading back to the bus. It's not rushed, which is the thing: you're not herded through in two hours.

After Healesville, the route takes you to Phillip Island and the Nobbies Centre, a lookout spot overlooking the blowhole and Seal Rock. The boardwalk has ocean views, and on a clear day you can see the swell rolling in. You'll spend maybe 45 minutes here before the bus takes you to the Penguin Parade venue. Dinner is on you — there's a cafe at the site — and then you wait for dusk. That's when the little penguins emerge from the water and walk across the sand to their burrows. It happens every night, and it's the reason most people book this tour.

The return to Melbourne CBD happens after the parade, so you're looking at a late evening arrival. Bring an umbrella if rain is forecast — the boardwalk and the parade grounds are exposed. The whole day is in an air-conditioned vehicle, which matters in summer, and entry to all three sites is included, so there's no stopping at ticket windows.

What’s included

Hotel pickup from selected Melbourne locations.
air-conditioned bus transport to and from the CBD.
entry fee to Healesville Sanctuary.
entry fee to Nobbies Centre.
entry fee to Penguin Parade at Phillip Island.
live animal education shows at Healesville Sanctuary.

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Wine Hop And Coastal Tours

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to see native Australian wildlife and the Penguin Parade in one day without arranging separate transport, entry fees, or timing — the fixed itinerary handles all three, and the early pickup means you don't have to drive yourself.