Phillip Island Tour

Puffing Billy Steam Railway traverses through the lush rainforest of Dandenong Ranges National Park. The trains were first operated in 1900 for the transportation of local agriculture and logging products. The railway consists of five stations, namely Belgrave, Menzies Creek, Emerald, Lakeside and Gembrook. A complete journey would take approximately 2 hours,  25 minutes of journey between each two stations on average. Despite the conundrum caused by the landslide in 1953, the railway’s gradually re-opened sections of its track over the years, thanks to the Victorian State Government and its Preservation Society. This has seen Puffing Billy gaining tremendous popularity with families all around the world. The steam trains kept their original steam engines dated back 1912, they slowly traverse through the lush Dandenong Ranges fern forest, experience the fragrance from the local flora and fern trees while enjoy the stunning scenery along the historic railway.

Puffing Billy Steam Train tickets:

One hour from Belgrave to Lakeside: AUD $ 42 adult / AUD $22 child (4-15 years old).

Maru Koala and Animal Park is a family-operated zoo en route to Phillip Island, it exhibits a variety of Australian animals. including: koalas, kangaroos, wallabies, Tasmanian devils, Tawny Frogmouth, alpacas, dingos and more. You can get up-close views of friendly kangaroos and wallabies, or snap a picture with cute koalas.

Optional fee-paying activities include: koala close encounter, dingo close encounter. The animal park also features daily shows and animal talks throughout the day, such as: sheep shearing at 2:30 PM. In addition, The adjacent mini-golf course is great fun for a whole family to take part in.

Maru Koala & Animal Park admission ticket: Adult $32 / Child $16

Cowes is the largest township on Phillip Island, it offers many excellent restaurants and is a popular stop for travellers on Phillip Island tour. The communal beach becomes lively in summer teeming with locals and tourists. On daylight saving times, our Phillip Island private tour includes generous dinner time in Cowes, you can pick from a range of quality eateries,  including Italian, Thai, local pub food, Chinese and other table service or fast food restaurants.

The grass area next to the beach is pleasant to chill out after dinner, indulge in the cool sea breeze and balmy afternoon sun.

Located at the very end of Phillip Island. The Nobbies forms a part of  “Summerland” nature reserve where the world’s largest population of little blue penguins inhibit and thrive. Their neighbours, a colony of more than 25,000 fur seals nestle on a small island situated 1.5 km  from The Nobbies coastline.  Humpback whales can also be spotted in the waters between May and October during their annual migration.

The boardwalk at the Nobbies is stunning at sunset. Take a stroll, you will be impressed by the natural beauty along the coast. Scattered around the area are many wooden boxes that were built by Phillip Island Nature Park staff to house the little penguins (More than 4,000 homes have been built for those little penguins so far). The dark-coloured rocks along the coast were formed by lava from volcanic eruptions thousands of years ago.

The world famous Penguin Parade is the most visited attraction on Phillip Island. Hundreds of thousands of travellers around the world come and admire penguins’ charm. Unlike emperor penguins that live in the Antarctica, Phillip Island is home to the largest population of little blue penguins, a total of approximately 33,000 so far. Also known as fairy penguins, they are 33 centimetres in height on average. They are found only in certain parts of the southern hemisphere. Thanks to the penguin protection and research projects conducted by the Australian government since 1980s. Summerland has remained as a fertile natural habitat for fairy penguins.

Little penguins are early risers, submerge into the Southern Ocean and return after sunset, some may take a longer trip before returning home. Penguin Parade occurs after twilight, hence the time varies considerably throughout the year, e.g. 9 pm in January and  6 pm in June.

There are three types of admission tickets for Penguin Parade,

1) General Viewing Platform (Photo 2), outdoors spectator benches, up to 3,000 seats, further from where the penguins emerge from the shoreline, generally less penguins traffic in comparison to Penguin Plus & Underground Viewing. Tickets: Adult: $ 32 / Child: $ 16

2) Penguin Plus (Photo 3), outdoors viewing platform, right above the Underground Viewing platform, a total of 300 seats for spectators, you will generally see more penguins wiggle past you, wider viewing angle in comparison to the Underground Viewing platform, suitable for summer & autumn. Ticket price: Adult: $ 80 / Child: $ 40

3) Underground Viewing (Picture 4), The only indoor viewing platform accommodates up to 80 visitors each day. Watch the little penguins right from eye level, a raised platform purposely built for children. It is a great option during winter and offers more comfortable viewing experience. Ticket price: Adult: $ 90 / Child: $ 45

In summer, General Viewing and Penguin Plus tickets are recommended, however if you fear the chilly wind and rain, Underground Viewing is highly recommended.

Little penguins have sensitive and delicate eyes, strong light from camera flash can potentially cause damage or disorientate them, so please ensure that no camera or video devices are used while watching the penguins. Let us bring back only the incredible memories and keep these cute penguins returning back to Phillip Island for more to relish.