Top 12 Birding Day Trips in Australia

1.Phillip Island Penguins & Wildlife Day Tour from Melbourne

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 867 reviews · from $111Our pick

Review of the Phillip Island penguin tour from Melbourne, with Moonlit Sanctuary, coastal stops, pricing, timing, tips, and honest drawbacks.

“Watching the penguins was a truly beautiful experience and having David our tour guide pace out the day with a focus on spending quality time at the key sites made it more relaxing and enjoyable even though this is a long tour day. David made this interactions with the group fun and shared a lot of tidbits about the area, the animals. birds and their behavior. We spotted several wallaby in the wild as well. Knowing that David had your back on this tour made it a very enjoyable and memorable experience. Thank you David and team!”

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2.Full-Day Phillip Island Tour with Kangaroo, Koala and Penguin Parade

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 658 reviews · from $104

Review of Melbourne’s Phillip Island tour with Moonlit Sanctuary, Woolamai Beach, Nobbies and the famous penguin parade.

“It was overall a good experience. I knew there would be bus rides but we were on the bus for many hours. Also the description mentioned a sanctuary but it is essentially a zoo. I am not a big fan of zoo so I wished I would've known that. Read more”

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3.Penguins and Wildlife Full-Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 642 reviews · 10 hours · from $109

Review of Phillip Island’s 10-hour wildlife tour from Melbourne, with koalas, coastal views, Woolamai Beach, and the famous Penguin Parade.

“Our guide Ben was very friendly, funny and informative, making the journey very enjoyable. The koala sanctuary was a great stop, and the Nobbies were stunning - we even saw a few wild penguins there! The penguin parade was a very cool experience; was really special seeing the penguins reunite with each other under the boardwalk. Super pleased with our trip!”

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4.Phillip Island Day Trip from Melbourne with Penguin Plus Viewing Platform

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 383 reviews · from $172

Review of the Phillip Island day trip from Melbourne, with koalas, Nobbies Rocks, Cowes, and Penguin Plus viewing for the famous parade.

“The Penguin viewing is excellent but the visit at Cowes is super boring and nothing to do. It is suggested to include places in the tour which is more interesting and memorable. The tour guide John is very helpful and friendly. He introduced a lots about the places during the tour. Overall, the trip was good.”

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5.Penguins and Wildlife Nature Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 380 reviews · 12 hours · from $105

See koalas, Tasmanian devils, coastal cliffs, and Phillip Island’s penguins on a full-day wildlife trip from Melbourne.

“We had Gary as our driver/guide and he was awesome! Tonnes of fun facts and info, we didn’t know what to expect but whatever expectations we had were blown away 🫡Thanks for a great day Gary!”

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6.Full-day Melbourne City Sightseeing with Penguin Parade

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 259 reviews · from $157

See Melbourne highlights, Fitzroy Gardens, the Nobbies, and Phillip Island’s penguins on a long but rewarding full-day tour.

“Make sure you dress very warm. It’s very cold there. We had a great experience Definitely recommended!!!”

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7.Phillip Island Penguin Parade Day Trip with Koalas from Melbourne

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 253 reviews · from $111

Review of the Phillip Island Penguin Parade day trip from Melbourne, including koalas, coastal stops, transport, timing, price, and practical tips.

“This was a great experience. Peter, our driver/guide was extremely knowledgeable and even better very personable and helpful to all on the trip. He went above and beyond to help us get a taxi back to our hotel as we were not traveling back to Melbourne with the rest of the group..”

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8.Puffing Billy Railway & Penguin Parade Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 195 reviews · 12 hours · from $145

Ride Puffing Billy, visit The Nobbies, and watch Phillip Island penguins return at sunset on this full-day Melbourne tour.

“amazing, loved all the information the tour guide gave, made the experience all the more special”

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9.Full-Day Penguins and Wildlife Nature Experience from Melbourne

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 150 reviews · from $114

Review of Melbourne’s full-day wildlife tour, with Moonlit Sanctuary, Phillip Island penguins, coastal stops, price, tips, and drawbacks.

“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.”

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10.Phillip Island and Penguin Parade Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 114 reviews · 11 hours · from $102Best value

Review of the Phillip Island Penguin Parade tour from Melbourne, with Moonlit Sanctuary, beaches, seals, timing, value, and practical tips.

“Where to start? Firstly the driver/guide, who's name we were never told. When we got on the bus and set off, the heaters, which blew air onto passenger's legs was set on full. Although the driver was told about it didn't do anything about it until 45 minutes into the drive, when one of the passengers was almost in tears because her legs were burning. My own wife said that she would leave the tour if it remained like that. The information we got from the driver was delivered so badly that it was difficult to follow. He seemed to be trying to prove that he was a laid back…”

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11.Puffing Billy Train and Penguin Island Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 40 reviews · 14 hours · from $113

Review of Melbourne’s Puffing Billy and Penguin Island day tour, with itinerary details, value advice, tips, drawbacks, and booking guidance.

“Our tour guide, Evan Wu, was responsible and had a great sense of humor. The whole trip was well-organized and very enjoyable. We watched the amazing penguin parade and rode the exciting and scenic Puffing Billy Railway.”

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12.Melbourne Puffing Billy Train and Penguin Parade Day Tour Escape

★★★★★★★★★★3.0 · 4 reviews · from $121

Compare Puffing Billy, Maru wildlife, Brighton Beach and Phillip Island penguins on this practical Melbourne day tour.

“Do not take this tour, the van condition is terrible. The driver drove really bad! (I have to cancel the tour at first stop due to car sickness). The seat in the car is not comfortable at all. Very small. Not even give me a partial refund when I requested due to medical condition.”

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