Puffing Billy & Penguin Parade Chocolate Wine Tasting Bush Walk Tour

This itinerary was incredibly well-planned and packed with activities. Starting at 9 AM meant it wasn't too rushed, and as long as you stay near the train station, you can even enjoy breakfast at your hotel before heading out. Joe was fantastic, very patient, and always helped everyone take photos. He even took a short video for us on the mini-train, which was a wonderful keepsake, especially for someone traveling alone like me. We enjoyed delicious ice cream at the chocolate factory, then went wine tasting at a winery – you can't go to Australia without trying the wine! I also got to pet a kangaroo, which I'd always been curious about; their fur is so soft, and they're very friendly when there's food involved. We saw more koalas than we did at Taronga Zoo in Sydney. The penguin parade in the evening was a bit disappointing, though. Perhaps we were too far away, and it seemed quite different from what was advertised online. I also feel this island is perfect for a self-drive trip with an overnight stay; it's truly lovely.

I highly recommend this day tour! We met at 9 AM and returned to Melbourne city center at 9:30 PM. The itinerary was perfectly planned, and our driver and guide, Joe, was very professional and attentive. He personally led us at each stop, and while driving, he introduced the attractions in English. He's from Hong Kong and speaks Cantonese, Mandarin, and English. His English explanations were very detailed, and he's been in Australia for 25 years, so he drives very smoothly! We were very lucky to have such a great guide; he took individual photos for everyone at each stop and even recorded videos for us from the bridge when we rode the Puffing Billy train. He was also very friendly to the children! We traveled in a medium-sized bus, with about 20 people in our group. The first stop was the chocolate factory, where we had 40 minutes for unlimited chocolate tasting. The second stop was for wine tasting (optional, AUD 15 per person), lasting 30 minutes. We tasted 5 different wines, about two sips of each. I personally felt this optional activity wasn't necessary to experience; perhaps I'm not a connoisseur, as I didn't find anything particularly special about it. Next was lunch, where we stopped in a small town with options like McDonald's and Chinese restaurants (at our own expense). Most people chose McDonald's. We had 40 minutes for lunch. Our Puffing Billy steam train ride was at 2:15 PM. We were very lucky that the train wasn't delayed, and the weather was excellent. The ride lasted about half an hour. Seating position is crucial; sitting on the right side allows you to capture the beauty of the train! Unfortunately, the timing was tight, so we didn't have time to stop at the souvenir shop to buy postcards. After that, we visited Mary's Koala & Kangaroo Sanctuary. Unlike the city zoos, this one is smaller, but you can feed and touch the kangaroos up close. This is an optional activity, costing AUD 30 per person (group ticket price), and we stayed for about 45 minutes. It's definitely worth experiencing! Everyone had a great time. The last stop was the Penguin Parade, where we had an hour, which was plenty of time to watch. The penguins return to their nests in groups after sunset! It's recommended to find a good spot early for photos. Since it's located at the southernmost tip of Melbourne, the climate is a bit colder! Overall, the itinerary isn't rushed, but be prepared for long travel times. If you're lucky enough to have Joe as your guide, it will be a wonderful day!

Decided to join this tour as a solo female traveler, but ended up finishing the trip with a very grateful feeling. Joe Chan was my tour guide. He did his job very well and was very caring. The tour schedule wasn’t too packed, but it’s better to bring your own light meals to eat while you’re on the way from place to place. Highly recommended.

This tour was honestly one of the best experiences and activities we did during our 3 days in Melbourne. Everything was very well organized and we managed to visit all the places listed in the booking, including Maru Animal Park, Puffing Billy, and the wine tasting. Our tour guide, Joe, was super humble, friendly, and helpful throughout the journey. He even offered to take photos for us and explained many interesting things about the places we passed by along the way. The Puffing Billy train ride and wine tasting were definitely the most memorable experiences for me. Highly recommend joining this tour with Joe if you’re visiting Melbourne!

I chose to join this tour based on consistently good reviews of its tour guides, and I was not disappointed at all. Joe Chan is the most considerate guide I have ever met! He pays good attention to each person in the group (11 people) and offers help before we ask. It was a long day (over 13 hours and 400km mileage) but he managed to maintain a professional smile and high level of energy throughout the whole day. He sent us very clear guidance the evening before, prepared us with a lot of details at each stop on the tour, and helped all of us take pictures, so I felt well taken care of even though I was traveling alone. I would highly recommend this tour if a good guide is important to you. The Puffing Billy train and penguin parade are very unique and interesting experiences, not to be missed! I liked the Maru animal park as well - it’s small but you can get up close to the kangaroos and feed them. Wine tasting and chocolaterie are also interesting and not normal shopping stops.

Really decent tour to cover bits and pieces around the East/South of Melbourne in a day, that you would otherwise need to put effort in planning, booking & driving about. Shout out to William for taking care of us

my driver and guide for the tour is Joe and he is so friendly. Even though the Buffing Billy in our trip was canceled due to unexpected notice from Police, Joe then made it up for us by driving us to places near the beach, where we could see the beautiful sunset. If you are in to taking photos, you sure can get a lot of beautiful pictures. The whole tour was safe thanks to Joe. What a great experience!!

Everyone had a great time here, especially with the itinerary. It was excellent, covering all the essential experiences. I highly recommend following this itinerary. The price is also very reasonable. At the zoo, there's a wide variety of animals, and you can get up close. If you're not afraid, you can even touch the kangaroos directly. I suggest adding $3 to feed the kangaroos and see if they'll eat. Afterward, you'll go to a winery, which costs an additional $15 and is not included. The zoo entrance fee is also not included, costing around $23. The highlight is the mini train ride, which is as good as ever and a must-do experience. The ride lasts about 15 minutes, which is plenty of time to enjoy it. Since you sit with your legs dangling outside the train, your bottom might get sore if you sit for too long. Finally, you'll see the penguins, which are adorable. A friendly reminder: no photos are allowed here, and please do not use flash photography as it can harm the penguins' eyes. Everyone should be mindful of this.

Don't waste your time looking at other travel agencies' itineraries, I've already done it for you. At the same price point, other agencies have the worst reviews, whether it's the car breaking down, the guide also being the driver and not providing any guidance, or even a last-minute no-show. We were very lucky! Today's guide, Shin, had none of these awful issues, but instead gave us the most direct advice: appropriate introductions to the attractions, driving steadily and quickly, and even letting us take pictures when we saw kangaroos ❤️. I've never wanted to tip this much since I started working... He also took us to award-winning wineries in Australia for wine tasting, and it was only 15 AUD, such attentive service... He even conveniently dropped us off at our respective hotels that day, I couldn't be more grateful, not to mention the free iced drinks readily available throughout the trip... I hope my next Great Ocean Road day trip is even better than this travel agency 👍 We all appreciate your great tour guidance Shin 👍👍. Paid advertisements with pictures can die, thanks for watching.

Firstly, due to overbooking, we almost couldn't experience the long-awaited penguin tour that day. Thankfully, the guide William confirmed and handled the situation, allowing us to fill a no-show spot and participate in the tour. The day's itinerary started at 8:30 AM and we returned to the hotel at 12 AM, making it tiring but very fulfilling. The itinerary included: Puffing Billy Steam Train + Wine Tasting at a Winery + Chocolate Farm + Maru Koala and Animal Park + Cowes Town + Penguin Parade. The tour guide was very attentive and patient, and provided detailed and professional explanations at each attraction. Overall, I highly recommend this tour and the professional guide William, and sincerely thank him~