Puffing Billy And Phillip Island Penguin Parade Bus Tour

Great Experience

Our tourguide, Nick was very informative. Pointed out different locations and told us the history behind it. We arrived st Puffing Billy while it was raining but tje experience was still great! Nick brought us to see some wallabies while on the way to the Penguin Parade. He showed us where we can see the penguins up close! Great tour from Nick indeed! Would recommend 👍🏽

A pleasant trip!

The bus driver and tour guide, John, is very friendly and professional. The time management is good and we can come back Melbourne before 9pm to catch public transport. Maybe 15-20 minutes more for lunch break. It was raining when we boarded Puffing Billy train but it was a special and memorable experience. John also brought us to see wild animals (wallaby and goose) before penguin parade. Overall, it was a pleasant trip.

Full day trip

Dear sir, Firstly, thank you very much for the tour packages that you had offered to us. Please refer to the followings for future suggestions: 1. Bus - it's comfortable but the space is a bit limited and the seats are not easily adjusted. 2. Puffing Billy trip - exciting ride but I'm thinking of the safety of passengers too at times when the train was passing through the elevated railway track at certain areas. 3. Philip Island - we managed to see the penguins. It's a unique experience. Bus tour driver - warm, insightful and welcoming.

Stunting tour

I absolutely did have wonderful a wonderful time. The Puffing Billy was stunting. Nearby villagers had very good hospitality. Landscapes of Philip Island and wild life animals were uttery exotic. Penguins were adorable. I wish I could cuddle them all. Big thank you for our guide (Raphe). He was dedicated and polite. He also had a great sense of humor. I definitely recommend him, you cannot choose guide though.

Brilliant tour

Brilliant tour from start to finish. Nik pointed things out as we left Melbourne and gave lots of information as we travelled. Puffing Billy was brilliant fun, travelling though some beautiful scenery. Phillip Island was great and again Nik went out of his way to ensure everyone had a great time showing us all lots of different wildlife, before arriving at the penguin parade. Loved seeing all the penguins coming up the beach and finding their homes. A throughly enjoyable trip that I would highly recommend. Possibly too long a day for those with little ones.

Nice tour

Nice tour for large group of us. Great to experience at least once in your life. The tour guide, ben, was friendly.

Trains and penguines

Tour guide Marty was great, helpful and informative. Obviously a bit of travelling but there was time at each destination. I would have liked to be at the Penguin parade earlier to spend time in the information centre before the actual penguin parade. But otherwise, an enjoyable day out. Only downside was a mix up in times. Viator correspondence was for pick up 10am to leave at 10.15. However, the time was actually pick up 9:15, leaving at 9:30am. We made it as we were there extra early but another family of 4, missed out.

A wonderful experience!

All of it was amazing but the fact that our tour guide ( Ben) was so knowledgeable and genuinely cared about what he was doing was absolutely the best part for us!

Puffing Billy/Phillip Island

The driver Joe was amazing.knew all the best places to get good photos. Would definitely recommend 👌

Amazing Puffing Billy And Phillip Island Penguin Parade Bus Tour

It was a wonderful experience. The trip was smooth and enjoyable. Our tour guide was professional, knowledgeable, and a great entertainer. They took great care of us. I would definitely recommend this tour, and it was worth the money.

Fabulous experience

We were impressed with our friendly tour guide and driver. Raffie made us feel comfortable as a group of like adventurers no matter where we originated from. We were like a band of close friends when we departed at the end of the experience. We had been celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary with a week in Melbourne and your tour was something we will remember with a smile, the train trip with arms and legs hanging out the carriages and the tiny penguin's antics were fabulous,. Again thank you for the day. Bob and Marilyn

Best Trip for our kids....

Best Trip for our kids. They really love it. Good Service and The driver was nice and well explained

Memorable and enjoyable trip

Russell who leads the tour is very friendly and service orientated, that makes the trip a memorable one and enjoyable.

Puffing billy to lakeside and Phillip Island

Excellent trip with good tour guide, Ryan who is friendly , helpful and knowledgeable. Would recommend tour Explore Australia as it is perfectly organised.

Unforgettable Experience

What an amazing experience riding the Puffing Billy and seeing the Fairy Penguins return from hunting. The way they greet their partners on return should be experienced at least once in a lifetime. It is something that cannot be put into words. The Tour Company, Wine Hop and Scenic Tours were the perfect choice. Marty, our Tour Guide made the day extra special and fun. A big thank you to him and the team for looking after us and pointing us in the right direction for the best viewing areas at Phillip Island, the amazing food choices and the video of our train ride. My Sister and I are so impressed with this experience, next trip to Melbourne we will be seeking Wine Hop and Scenic Tours out for the Great Ocean Road tour. Thanks again Marty for a fantastic experience with the Company.

Average experience but the penguins were cool

Raf was our guide. Tour start and end time shifted by a few hours due to the penguins and weather (no fault of the tour company). Both occurrences were communicated in advance. Puffing Billy was a fun ride to see some Australian countryside/backyards/small towns. Raf gave a short talk about the history of Puffing Billy but nothing about the coal train/steam engine. Watching penguins come out of the ocean was a bit of a zoo (crowded amphitheatre layout) and watching the penguins along the boardwalk was better. I would suggest starting with the boardwalk and then go to the amphitheatre after the crowd leaves (we still saw penguins come out of the ocean after the crowd left) and bring binoculars.

Great tour

Great experience. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and helpful. All attractions exceeded expections

Must-do day trip from Melbourne!

Exceptional tour, transfers to and from CBD and lots packed into a small amount of time! Great to do huffing Billy as well as Philip island, one of the only tours that does both so definitely worth booking. Our guide, Ben, was super friendly, enthusiastic and had exceptional knowledge, so really made the experience for our group.

Incredible experience, Amazing Guide and Right on time

We had a fantastic tour with them last week. The trip started right on time and we were given clear instructions by our guide on the Dos and DONT's to ensure the long day ahead is as per schedule. The travel was smooth and the activities , experience were out of this world. Our guide, Rafi (Rafael) was incredible, I think his commentary made the trip alive as he pumped up so much of energy into everyone. We were told all the scenic spots along our journey , helped us to watch out the Wallabies enroute and was available for photography to answer any question about Australia. I think , we made the very right decision to go with Wine Hop and Coastal tours.

Great experience

Guide Ravy was amazing. Helped us take photos and made sure we werent bored during the bus ride. The iteniary was nicely planned. Views at the Nobbies were breathtaking. We managed to see some wallabies and penguins there too. Would be better if we can stay longer at penguin parade, little bit rush at the end. The minivan seats were the most uncomfortable compared to the competitors. But overall a good experience in Melbourne.

Good - Covers 2 points of attraction

Raffie - good tour guide from Wine Hop & Coastal Tours. If you travel from overseas and will not have mobile roaming or change to an Australian sim, update the tour provider since they will text you the night before via standard text message. The time departure can be later as the penguins are coming onto the beach later.

Personable guide and great fun!

Ben shared so much about his personal knowledge and history of the puffing billy! The puffing ride was enjoyable despite the warm weather, we got a glimpse into history and were glad to be part of it. The penguin experience, though magnificent, was overcrowded and commercialized, we much preferred our penguin viewing in NZ. Nonetheless, nothing to do with the tour. Ben, was patient and assisted our group (wheelchair), guided us and made sure we were comfortable. Thanks for sharing with us the best penguin spots. Our favourite.. was his jokes! 😂 Our only gripe though.. was the AC on the bus. Even at full blast, the air is warm and humid, made the ride from puffing to penguin island quite unbearable. Perhaps the vehicle is due for servicing?

Perfect way to spend a day in Melbourne

Wow! What a fantastically fabulous day. Perfectly organised and executed and excellent value for money. Our tour guide Ben was very informative, happy and easygoing which was just what a long travelling day needs. My absolute favourite part was when the penguins came out of the water and onto the beach and up to the sand dunes. Nature at its very best. Puffing Billy was awesome too with everyone hanging their legs out and a wonderful scenic trip to Lakeside. Thank you for such a awesome experience

Fun trip in phillips island

Had a great day in Puffing Billy and Penguin Parade in Phillips Islands! The tour guide Raphy was funny and made the whole trip so much fun and enjoyable. The Puffing Billy steam train experience was unique and memorable and the Penguins in the Phillips Islands were adorable and lovely, not to mention the entire island was so pictureque. Definitely a must-go destitation in Melbourne!

Rafi our tour guide...

Rafi our tour guide enhanced the scenic trip with timely insights, stories and experienced information that was not only easy to understand, find proper meeting locations, see points of interest but was also quite witty and entertaining. The transport portion is not the shortest but the views were great and we are glad we booked this experience.

Amazing Day! Highly recommended tour!

I highly recommend this tour! The trip was well organized and we saw a lot of things during the journey. Our driver/guide is the best! Kellie was a really passionate and knowledgeable person, She explained many things and I learned a lot during the tour especially about the penguins. She also very cute & funny and really taking care of us. I really enjoy the puffing billy's train ride. But off course the highlight was to be able to watch the penguin parade. They are so adorable. Kellie gave us many tips to watch the penguin, just follow her lead, you will be so happy at the end 😆 Thank you so much!

Great day of manmade and nature combo

The day was a pleasure , professionally run and seamless transfers which gave us confidence to have fun and enjoy the experience, the only negative was the bus seats we had were worn and very uncomfortable for the 2 hr trip home , saying this we loved our day thankyou

Awesome experience with a very fun and caring giide

We’re a group of four joining this tour for Puffying Billy train, the Nobbies and penguin parade on Phillips Island. The trip was an amazing experience. Our guide Kellie was knowledgable in wildlife and her fun jokes made this long trip very enjoyable. We really appreciate she’s been giving us great tips to see the penguins throughout. And she’s caring to offer extra drop off points on our way back as it’s nearly midnight by the time we returned to Melbourne. Definitely would recommend this tour to those who want to make the most within a day outside Melbourne.

Well worth the money

Raffi certainly kept us entertained , we were kept informed of everything we would be doing and also times to be back at the bus so we could keep to the timescale needed. Puffing Billy was a laugh and beautiful scenery and the penguin's were adorable we had a lovely day

Awesome

It’s worthy to book this tour. Our driver and tutor was so welcoming and gave us many great guidance. It’s almost a 12 hours tour. The view on the train is really nice and never have such experience to sit by the window. The penguins parade is also awesome. I will book this again next time!

Relaxing and exciting

We loved this tour because it took the weight of our shoulders for travelling around by ourselves and packed so many memorable activities into 1 day. Our tour guide Nick was cheerful, relaxed and clearly loved his job and made the experience even better.

Not impressed at all, as there was a problem with my booking, at first I booked and paid 3x tickets and a week later I

It would be nice if trip organiser informed us day before that Puffing Billy trip is cut shorter that what is addvitised.

Tour guide was on time at...

Tour guide was on time at showed all locations . Made every one comfortable through out the trip. Gave us commentary and was easy to follow .

A great day out

Enjoyed train ride and trip to see the penguins. However I was not expecting such a long day. Phillip Island, the home of the penguins is a two hour drive from Melbourne. Did not return till about 11.30pm. Did not see times when booking. Fortunately our cruise ship was in port overnight. Guide/driver was friendly, efficient and very knowledgeable. A great day out. Take a jumper - it’s cold after dark!

Fab time

Fantastic day out well worth it . Nick our guide was very informative and really friendly and helpful. Would recommend.

Great trip.

The trip started off with Nick, our driver, who was so welcoming and friendly and continued to be so for the whole of our 14 hour! trip. We were well looked after and guided the whole day. The itinerary was fairly good but would’ve been better to have incorporated a visit to something else such as a Wildlife Centre after leaving Puffing Billy because it felt a little flat in the middle. The trip to the “caves” wasn’t that interesting.

A great day out!

We would thoroughly recommend this great trip to the Puffing Billy train, The Nobbies and Penguin Parade. The long day was worth it all, especially watching the penguins walk out of the sea and in their natural habitat. Shout out to Ben our guide for the day, he was great at keeping us entertained and safe throughout. Highly recommend!

Comfy family zoo? It was unexpected but awesome for kids. Bring winter coat for the parade, you will never regret.

Good guide 👏 . He is so kind and acceptable of some of an unmodeling behaviors from customer's perspective. Thank you for your generosity.

Still after all that I recommend this tour

I have always given honest feedback. So here it is. Unfortunately yesterday's tour guide was on his first day on the job. He does have the character and charm to be a great guide/driver but did lack a few basic skills and experience on the job training should have provided before my trip. The laughable points are trying to unlock another tour bus, after getting us a bit lost getting to our destination and finally when leaving the penguin parade drove nearly 20 minutes before arriving back at the penguin parade 😳, with no mention of this error we went round the roundabout and continued to get lost on the road back to Melbourne. What should have taken 1 hr 50 minutes ended up taking 2hr 35 minutes. Getting us back to our drop off at 00.45 am in morning. Very long day 😴 The bonus and why we luaghed at all this was, the lad couldn't be more helpful and took great effort to tell us all about this country. Puffing Billy was something to behold, it was awesome DO NOT MISS IT and the penguins was a must see. Overall a great day even with the errors.

A must trip if you have a day in Melbourne

Fantastic time with Ben being our guide. Ben was always friendly, chatty and helpful with ideas about where to eat and what to do as well going out of his way to assist in any way. I would highly recommend the tour since it is a lot of driving and he knows the roads. We left around 11:30am and first went on the Puffing Billy steam engine then onward to the Nobbes for an overlook with the final leg of the Penguin Parade which depends on the timing of the sun. It was so fantastic to see the Penguins come ashore and to see the babies eagerly wait their parents , this is a must do when you have time in Melbourne even though the trip back can be 2-2:30 minutes!

A great day

The trip was lovely and well worth the money with a great tour guide (Kelly) who went above and beyond to ensure everyone got the most out of their experience.

Awesome day !

Well organised Great comms - pickup site and tone Great guide - Dirk very informative Great sites Penguins special Phillip Island lovely

Fun adventurous day

The trip on the Puffing Billy was fantastic. Had a great day, our bus driver Nick was excellent, very friendly and made the whole day memorable. The penguins were adorable, the whole day was well organised and fun.

For the young and the young at heart.....

Truly a fan and memorable experience for both young and those young at heart. Other than the enjoyable ride, the sceneries are also spectacular, both for the Puffing Billy and Penguin Parade. Don't miss the sunset stroll at the Phillips Island boardwalk, it's one of a kind.

Great experience.

Great trip, Joey looked after us all very well and we were able to sit back and relax while he looked after all the details - which was great. Highlights were the puffing billy, and the penguin parade but there were other things in between that were also very interesting. It is a long day, especially for kids, but I would highly recommend, my 12 and 13 year old children very much enjoyed it as did we.

It was a long but really...

It was a long but really good day out. Loved both activities and Joe our driver/guide was very approachable and knowledgeable

Joe is awesome!

Joe is a really good tour guide! Fantastic! I love the journey in puffing billy and Phillip island. The instructions of the tour is comprehensive.

Great day

Puffing Billy was great. It was very beautiful scenery and relaxing. The penguins were super cute and amazing to see in their natural environment.

Amazing experience .

Booking was a breeze. Response and instructions from the organizers were prompt and clear.. guide assigned to out bus was helpful and knowledgeable. Puffing Billy was an amazing experience for the children and even the adults. Despite the rain, watching the adorable penguins at Philip Islands made it all worthwhile.

Great Aussie Experience

First time doing this type of tour and Kelly was great! Very knowledgeable and comical throughout the ride/tour. Thank you!