The 15 1-Day Tours in Melbourne That Earn Their Price

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

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

Leave Melbourne in a small group of up to 11 for Moonlit Sanctuary, where koalas, wallabies, kangaroos, and native birds are close at hand. Continue to the Nobbies and Seal Rocks, then watch Little Penguins return to shore at dusk. Guides such as Travis, Josh, Adam, and Gary add wildlife insight along the way.

“With an experienced guide Gary from Oceania Tours and Safaris, we had great fun! He provided insider information for the penguin watch, which made our trip more valuable! strongly recommend!”

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

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

Spend about 9.5 hours with Autopia Tours visiting the Koala Conservation Reserve, Cowes, the Nobbies, and Phillip Island’s famous penguin parade. Guides such as Fiona, Craig, Vicky, and Ben provide live commentary, while Penguin Plus gives you a closer view of the little penguins returning after sunset.

“Best part of our Aussie journey! Ben, our driver/guide, was professional, informative, friendly and helpful in every way. Everything we had hoped for. Just the best!”

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3.Small-Group Great Ocean Road Day Trip from Melbourne

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 281 reviews · from $154

Travel from Melbourne in an air-conditioned minivan with up to 11 people, stopping at Apollo Bay, Great Otway National Park, the Twelve Apostles, and Loch Ard Gorge. Guides such as Fred, Shane, Gary, and Toby are known for adding local stories, music, wildlife stops, and humor to this long day.

“So nice tour!! very kind guid informed all about that places. I love the Great Ocean rd and that tour.”

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4.Phillip Island Penguin Parade Day Trip with Koalas from Melbourne

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 253 reviews · from $111

Spend about 10 hours with guides such as Fiona, Graham, Peter, or Craig, visiting the Koala Conservation Reserve, Cape Woolamai, Cowes, the Nobbies, and the Penguin Parade. Transport, entry fees, commentary, and Wi-Fi are included. Bring warm layers and patience for the late penguin viewing.

“This day activity was more exciting than the Great ocean road. If you’re a person that doesn’t think like “Journey is better than the destination” then this is for you. Only One and half hour away from the city, you get to see animals at conservatiRead more”

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5.Day Trip to Mt Buller by Premium Tour Coach

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

Take a premium coach from Southern Cross Coach Terminal to Mt Buller, arriving at Village Square with no shuttle change. You get about six hours on the mountain for skiing, tobogganing, snow play, walking, or village cafés. Resort entry is included, but equipment and lift tickets cost extra.

“Fantastic drive up to Mount Buller. Great bus and driver and good value for money. I will definitely book this again.”

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6.1 day Puffing Billy Steam Train and Wildlife Tour from Melbourne

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 211 reviews · from $157

Travel from central Melbourne to Grants Picnic Ground, ride Puffing Billy for an hour with its famous open-sided carriage style, then visit Healesville Sanctuary. Guides such as Gerry, Andy, Mark, Margaret, and Stewart add local stories, while the bird show and kangaroo encounters are worth your time.

“The Puffing Billy train ride is unique and fun. We also loved the Healesville Sanctuary and seeing all the koalas, kangaroos and other unique animals there. It is beautifully laid out and feels like you are just out walking in a lovely natural area. Our guide Lucky was great and made the tour very enjoyable.”

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7.Small-Group Grampians Great Wildlife Escape Day Trip with Hiking

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 160 reviews · from $111

Spend a long day in the Grampians with a small group of up to 23 people. You’ll visit Boroka Lookout, the Balconies, MacKenzie Falls, Halls Gap, and Brambuk Aboriginal Cultural Centre, with guided walks, wildlife spotting, and commentary from guides such as Lauren, Graham, Jacob, and Tina.

“Really enjoyed a very well planned and informative trip with Jerry as our guide. Great small group. Perfect for quiet time or a group activity as per personal choice.”

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8.Reimagined Great Ocean Road 1-Day Tour from Melbourne

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 147 reviews · from $71Best value

Travel from Melbourne along the Great Ocean Road with an English and Chinese-speaking guide, multilingual audio commentary, and stops at London Arch, Loch Ard Gorge, the Twelve Apostles, Apollo Bay, and the Memorial Arch. Guides such as David Hsu and Daniel are known for lively stories and careful driving.

“It was really breathtaking and the weather was perfect. Our Driver Wei Cui managed to fit in beautiful Lorne too in the Itenary. He was very informative in Mandarin and English . He waa very polite and assisted us in every way. It was a very enjoyable experience.”

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9.Reverse Great Ocean Road Day Trip with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 123 reviews · from $96

This 13-hour reverse Great Ocean Road trip takes you from Melbourne to the 12 Apostles and Loch Ard Gorge first, then back via Apollo Bay, the Otways rainforest, wild koala country, and Memorial Arch. You travel in a 28-seat vehicle with lunch, Wi-Fi, USB charging, and an English-speaking guide.

“We had a fabulous day with Aiden as our guide. He kept the group on schedule and told some interesting stories with some thoughtful dialogue along the way. As a senior my biggest fear was unrealized with timely and frequent washroom breaks! Our only comment would be that we could have used a few more minutes at the twelve apostles because it is the highlight of the tour. And no fault of anyone’s but the Loch Ard steps were closed on the day we visited, perhaps we can return! Thank you Aiden for driving and guiding us for twelve hours! Anna and KimRead more”

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10.Small-Group Great Ocean Road Day Trip

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 102 reviews

Travel from Melbourne in a custom Mercedes Sprinter with up to 11 people, stopping at Anglesea, Lorne, Kennett River, Apollo Bay, an ancient rainforest, and the 12 Apostles. Your English-speaking guide looks for koalas and kangaroos, serves local fish and chips, and returns inland through Colac.

“Excellent from beginning to end. But it’s the driver who makes the day! Brendan was knowledgeable, considerate and planned the logistics of the tour in a meticulous way, avoiding the crowds on a long holiday weekend! Several scenic stops along the way made for an exciting and interesting tour. Stopping to experience koalas and kangaroos in their natural habitat was the icing on the cake! Obviously the scenery along this stretch of road is outstanding. Highly recommend this tour!”

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11.Wilsons Promontory Day Trip from Melbourne

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 97 reviews · from $114

Spend 13.5 hours exploring Wilsons Promontory with Bunyip Tours. Walk Squeaky Beach, choose Mount Bishop or Lilly Pilly Rainforest Walk, and look for wombats, emus, kangaroos, and wallabies. Guides such as Chloe, Chris, Aaron, and Rhys lead small groups from Melbourne.

“Robbo was an excellent guide! He is incredibly knowledgeable and patient throughout the hikes, always providing the support and guidance needed to fully enjoy both the experience and the stunning scenery. We especially loved the tidal Read more”

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12.Peninsula Hot Springs Day Trip with Bathing Entry from Melbourne

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 73 reviews · from $129

Travel from Melbourne to Peninsula Hot Springs with a small-group transfer and bathing entry included. You get about three hours among thermal pools, saunas, a Turkish hammam, cold plunges, and scenic outdoor baths. Guides such as Dom, Vicky, Jacob, and Misty help make the 90-minute ride easy.

“It was around 63’F (17’C) today in Melbourne and the hot springs felt so good! There are so many pools with different temps and even wet and dry saunas and cold plunge pools and an ice cave! The staff is very attentive and helpful. You can bring your own towels and robes or you can rent them there. We rented robes and a locker. The robes were very nice and thick. The grounds are lovely with tents a greenhouse rooms to also hang out in. Vicki our driver was great and provided super helpful info. The bus was roomy and the seats very comfortable.”

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13.Peninsula Hot Springs and Beach Boxes Day Trip from Melbourne

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 64 reviews · from $135

Leave Melbourne at 9:00 a.m. for Peninsula Hot Springs, with entry and towel hire included. You’ll have about three hours for thermal pools, then stop at Murrays Lookout on Arthur’s Seat and the Mornington Peninsula beach boxes. Guides such as Matthew, Brooke, Ken, and Stewart have added local color along the drive.

“Kinda pricey for a short trip to peninsula, but overall the hotspring is to die for. It is recommended to go 1 night stay in the hotspring to enjoy and relax even more”

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14.Melbourne City Tour and Phillip Island in One Day

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 46 reviews · from $243

Start with Melbourne’s lanes and arcades, then visit Brighton Beach and Moonlit Sanctuary before reaching Phillip Island. Your small group, capped at 11, watches the penguin parade after sunset. Guides including Fred, Jeremy, Sarah, and Kevin have led this long day, so expect local stories and changing guide styles.

“!!!!!!!THIS TOUR IS A SCAM!!!!!!!!! Literally the WORST tour I’ve ever been on. Unprofessional and rude would be an understatement. There was construction on the road near our hotel so they told us to meet them 15 mins away from our Read more”

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15.Private Great Ocean Road Day Trip from Melbourne

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 45 reviews · from $448

Travel the Great Ocean Road in a private vehicle with a guide such as Richard, Michael, Milan, or Max. Stop at Bells Beach, Kennett River, Apollo Bay, the Otways, and the Twelve Apostles, with hotel pickup and drop-off in Melbourne.

“We are lucky to have Micheal as our guide, he is a very good driver, know the Great Ocean Road in and out, stop at all the spectacular view points all throughout our 12 hrs trip. He is a Russian Immigrant who spoke perfect English , highly educated, like to write poem and compose song , he had his own CD in Russian, and share with us all along the trip. Overall its a wonderful trip highly recommended. Will post a photo of him with my wife Grace underneath.”

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