The 15 Best Day Trips in Melbourne

Phillip Island Penguins & Wildlife Day Tour from Melbourne - Moonlit Sanctuary and Australia’s native animals

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

See Phillip Island’s little penguins, koalas, kangaroos, Cape Woolamai, and the Nobbies on a long but rewarding Melbourne day tour.

“We experience many adventures from kangaroos and koalas to penguins. Our guide, John C was incredible with his knowledge of the areas that we visited.. I recommend this to anyone who wants to see kangaroos, koalas, and penguins. The bus we rode was very clean..”

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Phillip Island: Penguins and Wildlife Full-Day Tour

2.Phillip Island: Penguins and Wildlife Full-Day Tour

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

See koalas, fur seals, beaches and Phillip Island’s little penguins on a guided 10-hour tour from Melbourne for $109.

“good experience with the penguins even more if you pay Penguins Plus. i thought it was a little long before the penguins. there are some better koalas Sanctuary for exemple”

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Yarra Valley Wine Day Tour

3.Yarra Valley Wine Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 637 reviews · from $222

Review of Melbourne’s Yarra Valley wine tour, with premium tastings, winery lunch, cheese, small groups, scenic views, and practical tips.

“Brilliant tour, Paul our driver was great and very knowledgeable both on Area and wines. 5 wonderful vineyards with great wines. Super lunch. Spot on tour, would recommend.”

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Grampians National Park Small-Group Eco Day Tour

4.Grampians National Park Small-Group Eco Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 577 reviews · 13 hours · from $109

Review of Go West Tours’ Grampians day trip from Melbourne, with waterfalls, kangaroos, lookouts, short hikes, guides, and practical tips.

“Michael was one of the best tour guide, he went above and beyond to ensure his clients make the most of the trip!”

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Small-Group Phillip Island Afternoon Day Trip from Melbourne

5.Small-Group Phillip Island Afternoon Day Trip from Melbourne

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 566 reviews · from $150

Review of the Phillip Island small-group tour from Melbourne, with koalas, wallabies, Nobbies seals, and the famous sunset penguin parade.

“What a great day! We enjoyed non-stop wildlife - wallabies, kangaroos, shy koalas, a feisty Tasmanian devil, and lots of cool birds. Our tour guide Travis was an expert at spotting them all. Our evening highlight was the penguin parade. We sRead more”

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Melbourne: Great Ocean Road & Iconic Coastal Views Day Tour

6.Great Ocean Road & Iconic Coastal Views Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 406 reviews · 12 hours · from $36Best value

Review of Melbourne’s Great Ocean Road day tour, with coastal views, koalas, Apollo Bay, the Twelve Apostles, and practical value advice.

“The tour started on time. The entire tour was excellent. The driver/guide [Mick] was very good. highly knowledgeable. I learnt a lot from him bouth about the tour and overall history of Melbourne and in particular the Chinese immigration. He made he tour enjoyable with is subtle humor. Great tour.”

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Phillip Island Day Trip from Melbourne with Penguin Plus Viewing Platform

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

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

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

“A very enjoyable trip with a fabulous ending when we got to watch the little penguins. Our guide Fiona was very informative. The koala sanctuary was great too. It was well worth getting the premium plus ticket for the penguin parade as we had an excellent view of the coming up the beach and into the banks.”

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From Melbourne: Penguins and Wildlife Nature Day Tour

8.Penguins and Wildlife Nature Day Tour

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

See koalas, wallabies, Tasmanian devils, coastal views, and Phillip Island penguins on a practical 12-hour day tour from Melbourne.

“We had the best time. Our guide Lockey was lovely, chatty, funny and informative. The trip had a very good schedule, we never felt bored or rushed.”

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From Melbourne: Day Trip to Mt Buller by Premium Tour Coach

9.Day Trip to Mt Buller by Premium Tour Coach

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 220 reviews · 1 day · from $105

Review of Mt Buller’s $105 day trip from Melbourne, with coach details, snow activities, timing, costs, tips, and who should book.

“This return bus service is very straight forward. Picks us up at Southern Cross COACH terminal (inside the southern cross building, follow the COACH TERMINAL sign) ON TIME and drop us off at the Village of Mt. BULLER. Same pick and drop location for our return. As a first time going for a snow trip with a little ones, this is convenient enough for us. The bus has toilet for the long drive and has cargo space underneath for the luggages and snow gears. 5-6hrs spent in Mt. Buller is all you need to explore and have fun in the snow. 100% be booking the same service next time.”

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Melbourne: Puffing Billy Railway & Penguin Parade Day Tour

10.Puffing Billy Railway & Penguin Parade Day Tour

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

Ride Puffing Billy, see The Nobbies, and watch Phillip Island’s little penguins return at sunset on a full-day Melbourne tour.

“Loveeed it!! The guide was great! Well organised day, I was lucky to have a small group, so the train carriage had enough space for us to move around. Guide was knowledgeable and funny! Also sorted out drop-off depending on where we stayed which I hugely appreciated! He was also able to stop off at an extra photo op! The bus was clean, spacious and comfortable. Like with all trips, you wish you had more time here or there, extra 15min at the Nobbies would’ve been perf, but it’s a matter of logistics, so I can’t complain! Penguin parade was super cute, I’d recommend watching them walk in then go…”

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From Melbourne: Wilsons Promontory Small Group Day Tour

11.Wilsons Promontory Small Group Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 155 reviews · 12 hours · from $155

Hike Wilsons Prom from Melbourne, with Big Drift dunes, Mt Oberon views, Squeaky Beach, wildlife, and a small group of eight.

“This day trip was an incredible experience. Curtis our tour guide was fantastic and he really made the experience exceptional. We visited so many beautiful spots and the hikes were wonderful. My favourite part was seeing Wombats and Kangaroos so close up in the wild. A truly memorable trip!”

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From Melbourne: Phillip Island and Penguin Parade Day Tour

12.Phillip Island and Penguin Parade Day Tour

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

Review of the Phillip Island Penguin Parade tour from Melbourne, with Moonlit Sanctuary, Cape Woolamai, the Nobbies, costs, tips, and honest drawbacks.

“James was an amazing guide he made the trip even better than the experience alone, with his sense of humour and knowledge about wildlife and his own experiences. The trip was great would highly recommend, a great company to go on a trip with the coaches are big and comfortable too which is a bonus.”

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From Melbourne: Small-Group Great Ocean Road Day Trip

13.Small-Group Great Ocean Road Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 102 reviews

Travel Melbourne’s Great Ocean Road in a Mercedes Sprinter with a small group, rainforest walks, wildlife, fish and chips, and the 12 Apostles.

“Excellent and fun tour. Paul was so accommodating for everyone on the tour - going above and beyond for us to enjoy it. Paul’s informative commentary also was excellent. Lunch was beautiful - a truely wonderful tour day! Highly recommend this tour. The scenery was breathtaking.”

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From Melbourne: Great Ocean Road Day Tour

14.Great Ocean Road Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 95 reviews · 11 hours · from $113

See the Great Ocean Road, wild koalas, rainforest, Loch Ard Gorge, and the 12 Apostles on an 11-hour small-group tour from Melbourne.

“Sarah was an excellent guide! Very informative, personable and attentive to everyone’s questions and needs. Great way to spend the day. I would highly recommend doing this size tour versus the large coach tours.”

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Melbourne: 12 Apostles, Otways & Great Ocean Road Day Tour

15.12 Apostles, Otways & Great Ocean Road Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 78 reviews · 12 hours · from $155

See the 12 Apostles before crowds, hike an Otways waterfall, spot koalas, and explore redwoods on a small-group Great Ocean Road tour.

“Our guide Marcus was great. Tour had a nice selection of stops, wildlife sightings, and wasn’t too long of a day. Lunch stop was at a great restaurant! Great experience all round.”

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