Melbourne

Phillip Island Penguins, Wine Tasting and Dinner from Melbourne

Badge of ExcellenceMelbourne, Australia

Phillip Island Food and Wine Tour with Penguin Parade from Melbourne

12 hours
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Make the most of your time on Phillip Island with this small-group tour, where you have hassle-free transport from Melbourne, a guide to show you the best spots, and dinner with a wine tasting provided for you. Cover a lot of ground—more than you would if you were on your own—and stop at Cowes to shop, spend time in the wildlife park (optional and at an additional cost), visit Phillip Island Winery, and much more while riding in a spacious, air-conditioned vehicle with a guaranteed window seat.

Check out the penguin parade at sunset-cameras ready
Visit spots only locals know about with your trusty guide
Pet baby animals and sip flat whites at Caldermeade Farm and Cafe
Spend some time on the smooth sands at Flynns Beach

What's Included

Lunch
Alcoholic Beverages
Penguin Parade Entry - GA
Scenic Wildlife Viewing
Optional Koala Sanctuary Visit
Private transportation
WiFi on board
Air-conditioned vehicle
Guaranteed Window Seat

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

100R St Kilda Rd, Southbank VIC 3006, Australia
We pick up from outside the Melbourne Arts Centre - look for the Giant Spire on top. Enjoy a walk across the picturesque Princess St Bridge and a Coffee whilst you wait. And the end of the night, we will drop back here or we can drop back at your accommodation within the CBD if you request this.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Caldermeade Farm and Cafe

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Cowes

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Koala Conservation Reserve

1 hour • Admission Ticket Not Included

Phillip Island Winery

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Flynns Beach

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

The Nobbies Centre

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Phillip Island Nature Parks - Penguin Parade

2 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Near public transportation

Infants must sit on laps
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Vani_S

Really glad I took a tour with this company. The great parts: Caitlyn, our guide was a delight. She is incredibly well informed, prepared, funny, helpful, thoughtful and professional. Loved her curated playlist, information on wildlife and insider tips. The tour started and ended on time and I personally found it sufficient time to spend at each spot. There is a nice variety of things to see and do and something for everyone. Loved the little touches - a postcard, a Gippsland guide to dining etc. Quite a bit of wine is served on the tour :) which is quite fun. The communication about pick up, drop, stops etc. were really clear. There was space to keep bags if any and that was helpful too. If anything, the only thing perhaps for me was that I'm a big bodied person and I wrestled with the seat belt quite a bit and was quite uncomfortably perched on it. Given its a legal requirement, I had to have it on and anyone built like me or bigger would struggle a bit with that. Made the return journey quite strenuous. I'm unsure if anything can be done about that, but it is something to keep in mind.

Reviews

5.0

86 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 86 reviews

We adored the penguins!

Ivana_I, May 2024

Katelynn was an exceptional guide! The whole experience at the winery was fabulous, topped off with an amazing lunch. The ultimate experience was seeing the penguins! Truly a lifetime memory - but please honour the rules and don’t take photos. Enjoy the experience as you see it.

Fantastic

Antoine_M, May 2024

Great tour, Rod was a fantastic guide and made the trip memorable. Very knowledgeable and funny guide! Thank you so much from Antoine Cheers

Response from Host, May 2024

Rod makes all of us laugh here...he's a perfect guide for our Phillip Island tours :)

Great find. It's absolutely worth it

Vani_S, Apr 2024

Response from Host, May 2024

Awww what a great review - thank you so much. Thrilled that you enjoyed all aspects of your day with us. It really why we love doing what we do!

Great day trip!

Mingkwan_P, Apr 2024

Great guide. She was really lovely. The group was small so we all stick together and that makes it more fun 😁

Response from Host, Apr 2024

So glad you loved the element of our authentic small group tour - it really is the people that make our tours so great (like you)...thrilled you enjoyed it all!

The wine tasting was the...

Nina_S, Apr 2024

The wine tasting was the best part of the tour. Longer time would have been better to explore Koala Sanctuary or Cowes.

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Awesome that you enjoyed the wine tasting element of this tour so much, Nina - we included so people could enjoy a delicious drop of wine whilst enjoying all that Phillip Island has to offer. I completely agree with you though, we could spend more time at all the places we visit. As a local of Phillip Island myself, I have literally spend hours upon hours at all these locations - unfortunately, on a day tour out of Melbourne that is already 10 hours in length, we have to balance the time at all the places we go to.

Great way to see a lot in a single day!

Daniel_B, Mar 2024

Great way to pack a lot into a single day... the penguin experience is very far from Melbourne, so it's a long day of travel on twisty/bumpy roads at high speed - I'd recommend taking a dramamine if you're so inclined. But you get to see & do a lot of fun things along the way, which makes it worth it. I really enjoyed the chance to see koalas up close in the sanctuary (since when you see them in the wild they're usually up pretty high). Also liked the wine tasting & lunch portion of the journey (though I would recommend for future tours, it was a bit awkward having the whole tour group trying to maneuver around the two charcuterie boards, and also awkward sharing the space with non-tour guests who you had to explain to that the food/wine was not free lol. If they could have set up a designated area with smaller plates on hi-top tables that would have made it much better). The penguin part was cute - I didn't love it the way I thought I would, but it was still a very interesting experience. I think the part I liked best was the ocean view stop at golden hour - really beautiful scenery and a nice long relaxing stay to soak it in, plus a glass of champagne was a nice bonus! Overall, I highly recommend!

Response from Host, Mar 2024

Hey Daniel, Thanks for your great words - such a thought out review, with some great constructive bits as well. Overall, Im so glad you enjoyed yourself, and your day with the Locals out to Phillip Island. Cheers Ray

Koalas, penguins and Wallaby's oh my!

Suzan_L, Mar 2024

We really enjoyed our day. Caitlin was an excellent driver and tour guide. We loved seeing all of the animals and the scenery was breathtaking. She was lovely and very knowledgeable. We really enjoyed this tour. I would have given a 5 star rating, but we had a bit of a rough start because Viator did not uodate the tour start time which resulted in us waiting around for over 2 hour (we thought we had been left behind). Adding insult to injury, a bad accident on rhe highway hindered Caitlin's journey to pick us up but she did text to let us know. Obviously that was not anyone's faullt. The tour company was genuinely apologetic for the issues and I think it was just a series of unfortunate events.

Response from Host, Mar 2024

Hey Suzan, Thanks for your review and your kind words on a day that was definitely not without its challenges. I really appreciate your understanding throughout this day, and Im so glad it worked out, and turned out to be such a great day. Cheers Ray

Great time.

Daniel_M, Mar 2024

The Penguin Parade was the best part and the wine tasting was a nice mix. Plenty of room on the ride there and back.

Response from Host, Mar 2024

SO glad your enjoyed your day with us - thanks for taking the time to write a review!! Cheers Ray

An unexpectedly fabulous experience, except for hotel drop off

Charlotte_M, Mar 2024

Tours start around noon. The penguin parade doesn't start until around 8:45pm. You'll also want time to hang around after the parade and watch them waddle from the beach to their nest and chick. You'll get back to Melbourne around midnight. I wasn't expecting much from this tour, as I figured the star attraction were the penguins. Kate was our tour guide. I figured the wine tasting would be packed with a 100 tourists and the Koala Sanctuary just another zoo. Well, I was shockingly surprised! The wine wasn't stellar but the grazing board and the wood-fired pizza were delicious. Our small group of 6 were the only ones at the winery. The Koala Sanctuary was more than that...wallabies, geese, cockatoos, galas, etc. in a natural habitat. We were able to get 12-15 feet from some of the wildlife. The total length of the trails was about a mile of easy walking. Kate gave us great advice as to where to sit at the penguin parade, which wound up being a critical viewing logistic. The pace of the tour was leisurely, which fit our particular group perfectly. The bad news: the meeting and pickup instructions said they would drop you off at your hotel in the CBD, if requested. Kate was unaware of this but, agreed to drop all of us off closer to our hotels. We'll never assume again that the operator is in communication with the tour guide. Confirm any request(s) made through the operator, with the guide, before you step into that vehicle!

Response from Host, Mar 2024

Thank you so much for the great review. So glad you enjoyed yourself on our tour and with our guide, Caitlin!! Always make us feel special when we know we've exceeded expectations, and showcased our beautiful local region to people. As for the drop off - I am sorry about this, this was my fault. I had neglected to tell Caitlin about this, which Im normally pretty good at - was just one of those weeks. But im glad things got sorted in the end :) -Ray

Great Experience

Connie_C, Mar 2024

Our guide Caitlin was really good. Loved the places I went. Pick up was a bit confusing. More detailed explanation of place required.

Response from Host, Mar 2024

Hey Connie, thanks so much for the kind words. Thrilled to hear you enjoyed the tour!! If you wanted to reach out to me directly at ray@localwaytours.com.au id love to ask you a very questions about how we can make the pickup details more clear. Always trying to improve on what we do. -Ray

Great combination of sightseeing and good wine

Xiaoying_R, Feb 2024

The whole day was just great! It started from 12.30 PM and ended around 11.30 PM. Unlike other Philipps island tour, which is only about sightseeing, this tour combines sightseeing, great food, animal observation, and good wine for some tipsy moments. Really loved the guide, and the companions. Definitely recommended!

Response from Host, Mar 2024

We love the tipsy moments! So glad you enjoyed everything about your day...was amazing to have you on board

Great day!

Will_H, Feb 2024

This was a great experience. Thank you to Joanne who was extremely welcoming and even offered to help with my work in Melbourne! Some of the stops were closed due to severe weather earlier in the week, but they found fantastic substitutes for everything so we had an amazing time. Cannot recommend this tour or Tour Local enough!

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Hey Will, so glad you enjoyed yourself with us - even with a slight change to the schedule! Thank you so much for the kind words

Great day out with a great tour guide

Pras_P, Feb 2024

My husband and I had a fun tour with Joanne from Tour Local and 17 other guests. Despite challenging situations of violent storms closing businesses and large crowds we had an experience that made us feel more than just a face in the crowd and that was 100% down to our tour guide/driver. The only change I would make would be the balance of food versus wine as there was A LOT of carbs in a short period of time without anything to soak up! But assuming that was due to the need to rearrange things last minute. I would definitely look at doing more Tour Local tours in future as Joanne's experience and tips made our trip, especially at Phillip Island. If you are going to tour Phillip Island I can recommend Tour Local. (Note: Penguin picture came from scanning QR code at Penguin parade which was another great Joanna tip!)

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Hey Pras, thank you so much for you kind words and your feedback. So glad you enjoyed yourself out with Joanne, and enjoyed everything about Phillip Island!

Phillip Island -Great fun filled day with lots to see

Adeline_S, Feb 2024

We had the best day with Rod, It was a great pace and we saw so many things and had so many laughs - highly recommended

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Glad you enjoyed yourself on our tour and with Rod - he really make experiencing Phillip Island even more special

Excellent day out

Kellie_J, Jan 2024

Excellent way to visit Phillip Island. Our tour operator Rod was fab and made the day even more fun. It was a long day but all agreed well worth it. The penguin parade is an amazing sight - so nervous watching them pop out of the surf with birds of prey circling above. Was a sheer delight to watch them waddle up the hills to their night-time homes. Winery visit was lovely. Some in the group found the evening meal a bit light on so maybe make sure to eat something earlier (four pizzas came out for our group of 10 people - I got three slices and some of the salad which was enough for me but some of our family only got two slices and said that the one salad for the table was gone before they got a chance to get to it). All in all a great day out and I think doing it via a small group tour rather than a large bus group was the way to do it.

Response from Host, Jan 2024

Hey Kellie, thanks so much for your kind words. So glad you got so much out of the day!! Will definitely take on board what you mentioned re. the lunch. Hope it was all delicious still though. Cheers Ray

Amazing Penguin Parade

Daniel_V, Jan 2024

Great tour with amazing guide (Sharon), you will not only see the penguins but also wallaby, grey goose and other birds.

Response from Host, Jan 2024

We love the wildlife here on the Island; glad you feel the same way! And yes, I agree, Shaz is amazing -Ray

10/10

Kathy_W, Dec 2023

We are so grateful to have Joanne as our tour guide. She was so caring, informative and attentive to everyone's need. Excellent time management so that all the stops could be completed on time. The wine and the food were fantastic. I would definitely recommend Tour Local to my friends if they are looking for similar tours.

Response from Host, Jan 2024

So glad you enjoyed your day out with the Locals :) - we agree, so much great stuff to do on Phillip Island. Glad you got to experience such a great part of it. Thanks again, Ray

Couldn’t have asked for more

John_K, Dec 2023

Joann was a fantastic tour guide. Her enthusiasm and energy made the day. She had the inside secrets to make the tour special. While the Penguins were the star of the show the rest of the tour was better.

Response from Host, Jan 2024

So glad you enjoyed your day out with Joanne. We agree with you...we love the Penguins, but also know that Phillip Island has so much more to offer than just these little guys. So much to discover here

The Un-rush Tour

Chuck_L, Dec 2023

The tour guide started with the phrase, "unrush tour." All aspects were unrushed except the highlight of the tour which is the penguins. Given the tour was 15Dec, the days are long, the tour was delayed 1 hour. However, we were dropped at the Penguin center at 8:45 pm, and told to be back at the bus at 9:40. Given the sun didn't set until after 9, the first penguins didn't arrive until after 9:15. This left almost no time to enjoy the highlight of the tour.

Response from Host, Dec 2023

Hey Chuck, Thank you for your review - I am definitely glad you were able to enjoy a large part of this tour. Its always our intention to create a relaxed atmosphere on our tours, and we do always aim to give at least one hour viewing the penguins after theyve come in. Unfortunately, being wild animals, the Penguins dont always keep to a schedule, and we can only ever estimate their arrival time. However, we do try and monitor this as best we can, and remain flexible if they do happen to come in a bit later than what was expected. Im sorry that you didn't get as much time as what you wanted - as you are right, the Penguins are definitely the main highlight of this tour. Please feel free to reach out to me directly at ray@tourlocal.com.au, and Ill see what I can do for you to help rectify for this if you are out with us again.

All the Rizz!

Stephanie_M, Dec 2023

Great tour guides really kept things interesting especially the drive to the island. Nice variety of activities while on island waiting for penguin time.

Response from Host, Jan 2024

Love the Rizz! Thanks for the kind words