Phillip Island Penguin, Brighton Beach, Moonlit Sanctuary from Melbourne

Very well organized, very nice tour leader, highly recommended. Beautiful landscapes, very cute animals.”

James, the guide, was brilliant Full of enthusiasm and positivity on a very wet day. Well organised and the penguins were well worth waiting for”

Phillip island penguin parade was an out of the world and a uniquely humbling experience. Not to be missed and an absolute must”

This tour was the highlight of our trip. Phillip Island is not to be missed. Our tour guide was friendly and informative and all the sights were amazing.”

Great tour! The bus arrived exactly on time and everything went very smooth throughout the day. Great commentary by Scott who handled everything with ease. I will definitely be using Go West Tours again. This was probably my favorite tour I've been on and we really got to see a lot. Penguins were really great to see and I had a really fun day.”

It was a long day but seeing those little penguins come out of the sea together and find their homes ashore was amazing. We had wonderful seats for this event. The Moonlit Sanctuary was included and the kangaroos and koalas were fun to see up close. There was a short show too that was very informative.”

We stopped at Moonlit sanctuary where we got to feed lots of Wallabies and Kangaroos before going to Phillip Island to see the Penguin march, which was amazing to see. About 1,300 penguins came to shore that night and were very cute to see. I think the Guided Ranger Tour is a must, the ranger explained a lot of interesting facts about the whole thing and we got to sit in a secluded place where we had an awesome view of the penguins returning to their homes.”

No regrets opting for this tour! We had Yazmin as our guide who is very cheerful and provided great info and tips on the places that we went to. She also took great care of my son , Bryan.”

It was a great tour very helpful tour guide and informative. The great thing of this tour that you will get plenty of time to explore the things.”

Yazmin of GO West tours was awesome! She was very informative and face of inside tips for the best viewing! Great trip!”

Go West Tours was fantastic as was our tour guide, Amy. They use a small 25 seater bus which I prefer rather than the larger buses. The bus was very comfortable. Our tour guide picked us up on time and always made sure that everyone was comfortable on the trip. She was enthusiastic and energetic and gave us really good information about the sites along the way. We visited 2 beaches, Brighton Beach and one other lovely beach. Then we went to Moonlit Sanctuary where we had the opportunity to see some marsupials, a dingo and some birds come out and their handler would give us an educational talk about them. Our family had tons of fun feeding and petting the kangaroos and wallabies. They were very tame and friendly. The koalas were awake and active which was a real treat for us because they are sleeping most other times we see them. They have a baby koala also. But the highlight of the tour and of my trip to Melbourne was the Little Penguin Parade. If you are trying to decide which option to take, I would recommend the Ranger Guided Tour or the Viewing Platform (max 200). The Viewing Platform has a good view of the penguins coming home and most of them come up to shore from that side of the beach. There is also a walkway along the Viewing Platform with low light that we can see (but the penguins cannot see that light spectrum so doesn't hurt their eyes) so you can see the penguins very close up. They in fact walk beside the platform. I chose the Ranger Guided Tour and a Ranger takes you on your own walkway where there are nests along the walkway, and teach you a lot of things about penguins. Then you are taken to your own seating area of about 50 overlooking the beach to watch the penguins come home. You are also given binoculars. Then you go into the boardwalk of the Viewing Platform to watch penguins return home. The penguins are very cute but please DO NOT TAKE ANY PHOTOS OR VIDEOS as the flash will blind their eyes. To print out your own photos, download the app "Phillip Island Penguin Parade" and there you will find lovely photos you can print out. I went in early January, the summer, and Melbourne was 25 Celsius but Phillip Island at night was freezing with a wind factor. So make sure to bring fall/winter clothing, touque, windbreaker, blanket, etc to stay warm. I would like to thank Amy for a fantastic time and also the Ranger. I would certainly recommend Go West Tours.”

We had an amazing time on this tour. I would highly recommend this tour, it was a great way to see lots of different places in Australia. The little penguins are so adorable. We choose the underground experience which was incredible we got to see them up close and personal. Our tour guide Ricky was awesome. We had a great day. Bring sunscreen and be aware that you probably won't get back until around midnight. It's a must do experience if you have never been to Australia.”

This really is a great excursion. Got picked up in a fully air conditioned minibus at the time advertised and off we went. The guide/driver Ricky was very knowledgeable and likeable as we went to the various places en-route to the Penguin Parade. These included the iconic Beach Boxes at Brighton, moonlit animal sanctuary and the beach at Woolamai before being dropped off at Cowes for refreshments before a penultimate stop at the Nobbies, where you can see Wallaby’s, Grey Geese and Bandicoots in the natural environment. Unfortunately didn’t manage to see any of the seals the area is famous for. Once we got to the Penguin Parade we were directed to our seats in the Penguin plus area ( worth paying the extra for in my opinion) where at just past 9pm we had sight of these wonderful little creatures taking a breather following their long swim back to land before they set off to find their burrows, where you can follow them on the final stage of their journey . As this is a conservation area photos are NOT allowed as this startles and can upset the Penguins, so the upmost respect should be given to these little creatures. We set back off to Melbourne at 10 pm and were back in the city by midnight. A thoroughly enjoyable time was had.”

The trip was worth it! Paul was an entertaining and knowledgeable guide! Would recommend it to others!”

This is one of the best trips we have ever done. Second time for us and it didn't disappoint. A must for anyone coming to Melbourne.”

Such an incredible experience! It was incredible just waiting for the penguins to come out from the ocean and watch them walk to their burrows. The Nobbies and Seal rocks were also truly breathtaking! Kaitlyn from GoWest Tours is such an amazing guide as well. Very organized. I highly recommend for families with kids.”

Memorable Trip. A friendly and Informative tour guide by the same of Ms.Leah, I guess.”

I absolutely loved that day from beginning to end. One of my favourite moments was the visit of the Moonlit Sanctuary Conservation Park where I spent quality time petting wallabies. What an experience! I could have stayed there all day. It really felt being in the wild as opposed to fenced or enclosed like in a zoo. It was amazing. The stop at Brighton Beach was also nice but could probably be done on its own without the tour. Finally Philip Island is definitely a must visit. I am glad I opted for a special experience with a guide, I believe it made is extra special. I understand why we cannot take photos of the place but it's still a pity, and would have liked to know in advance, just to set my expectations. I would recommend this tour for solo travellers, couples or families.”

Highlight of the trip was the penguins. We did the guide option and would highly recommend as the crowds are less.”

Amazing experience Phillip island was definerly the highlight of the evening. I wish we couldve spent a little more time at the kaola/kangaroo sanctuary nut feeding them was amazing!!! Especially the wallaby, I wanted to take them all home! Im glad we purchased the underground option for the penguins because you get to see them really up close so close you can see their eye color. Since the dont surface until evening its a bit hard to see them since they are a dark blue color when your up on top on the platform. However being in the underground portion you do miss seeing them arrive on shore but they do have a video monitor for you.”

Great day out! Nice beaches and scenery. Wildlife sanctuary and feeding kangaroos was fun no pictures with koalas. Penguin parate not to be missed! Wonderful experience! Late return. Dinner plans didn't fit into schedule very well.”

such an unique experience ....the penguins are so adorable .. a must do especially if you have young children .”

Had a great day. More time with the penguins would have been good.”

Great tour! The Penguins are super cute! Brighton Beach was fun and the stop at the Wild Animal park was great. Getting to feed the kangaroos was a highlight for my daughters.”