Sovereign Hill Tour. Alan our driver was excellent and our tour guide Deb at Sovereign Hill was the best.

A memorable trip We had an excellent day even with mixed weather. Anthony was a superb guide - informative, friendly and professional. The wildlife tour was really special and we saw an incredible bird show. Puffing Billy train ride combined a step back to another century with superb views of the forests and local area.

What a day! Outstanding day trip from Melbourne. The zoo was great, with plenty of native wildlife on show, and to be up close watching a lyre bird in full display was truly memorable. The bird show was also exceptional, and a platypus swimming about just topped things off. Puffing Bllly was well organised and beautifully scenic, as well as authentic and nostalgic in equal measure. Our guide Anthony was a delight from start to finish and gave clear explanations throughout as well as driving with care and ensuring everyone had the best experience - thank you!

Fabulous! A fantastic day out. Well organised from start to finish and a great tour guide who was knowledgeable and friendly. A really great day out.

Best Tour Guide in Melbourne. Great Melbourne Tour..Mr Anthony is kind..friendly..loves to joke wth us.

Money for value trip!⭐️ We had such a wild and unforgettable time playing in the snow with our whole family! Everyone enjoyed it, including me. Our tour guide was excellent, friendly, and professional. Highly recommended for a fun family adventure! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

About guide Guide matt was very friendly. Really helpful enjoyable and great guide .

Interesting and beautiful AN THONY幽默又盡責，為我們帶來一段很棒的旅程

Great trip It was a great trip with friendly guide

Thank you ​Everything was well-organized, smooth, and full of charm from start to finish. Highly recommended for anyone visiting Melbourne to make memorable memories🙂

Great and enjoyable experience Our tour guide Anthony is really funny and amazing! He is very helpful and managed to rent a stroller for us at Healsville, the tour operator didnt allow us to bring it on the vehicle. But the puffing billy ride is so worth it and Healsville is so amazing. Definitely worth it

We had an amazing day on the Puffing Billy and Phillip Island tour!
Everything was very well organized, and the itinerary was fantastic.
A special thanks to our guide, Gary, who was really friendly. He shared lots of interesting facts and made sure everyone had a great time. We would definitely recommend this tour!

GREAT EXPERIENCE! This was amazing our tour guide was amazing and so accomodating we had a Bub (2years old) and 2 other children and they loved it will definitely book again with them next time we come!

Smoke in the ranges A unique experience. Margaret the tour guide was super. Very pleasant, knowledgeable and helpful with an open straight approach to her business. Very good.

Gary, our guide, was friendly and helpful during the Lake Mountain Snow Play & Puffing Billy Tour. We had plenty of time at each attraction, making the experience relaxed and enjoyable. I appreciated how Explore Australia and Melbourne Day Tours organised everything seamlessly.

Anthony was such a wonderful tour guide. He was so witty, full of energy and made us feel safe and comfortable all through out the journey. I would highly recommend this trip if you are new to Melbourne or you aren’t keen to drive all the way.

Fun train ride and beautiful guide Anthony was good value and fun guide. Weather was not the best however guide made the experience fun!

Golden day at Sovereign Hill. Excellent day trip from Melbourne which exceeded our expectations. Stuart was a very knowledgeable guide and made sure we got the most out of our trip. Visiting Sovereign Hill is like stepping back in time and learning about both the gold mining industry and the harshness of daily life during that time for miners and their families. The visit was both entertaining and informative.

Was a top tier experience! Was enjoyable, fun and my tour guide Margaret was the best! Learned a lot and saw a lot I would recommend any tour by this tour group. Great deals and honestly it worth the money. Best money I’ve spent thus far in Australia. Margaret was super nice, very helpful and I learned a lot from her. I appreciate her and she didn’t feel like a tour guide but more like a friend showing me around their beautiful country.

Melbourne Trip as good especially our guide Anthony ❤️

Family-Friendly Tour Guide Extraordinaire A well-deserved shout-out to our tour guide/ driver anthony! Friendly, knowledgeable, and incredibly patient with the kids, making the whole experience enjoyable for everyone. Thank you for keeping the tour fun, engaging, and family-friendly. Highly recommended!

Train and wildlife tour. The train was very fun cos can sit on the rail thingy and enjoy the scenery. Matthew, me tour guide was really nice and funny. Wildlife tour was nice cos can see animals like Lyle birds, parrots, kangaroos and koalas

Matt makes the difference! Matt our driver cum tour guide made the trip different from just another trip. Always cheerful and telling jokes, our whole day was full of laughter. Well done Matt!

AMAZING tour! Loved our guide, i think his name was Jose. He was so lovely, super knowledgeable and friendly. Had great food on the tour, time for our own little ventures and a memorable experience overall. I recommend!!

Puffin Billy train ride and animal sanctuary Margaret was a wonderful guide. Couldn’t have asked for a friendlier and more interesting guide. Loved the walk in the woods, animal sanctuary and Puffin Billy train ride

Relaxing day enjoying the hot baths and beautiful views of the sea Relaxing day enjoying the hot baths and beautiful views of the sea

I was fortunate to won the price for the trip to the hot springs Peninsula, from Instagram. What an experience of a lifetime. From the pick up time by our lovely Stuart, he was punctual was there at 9am on the dot, he is funny, full of knowledge and he was a good driver. The trip took 2 hours from Melbourne to the hot springs. Arrived at destination around 10.30. Enough time to enjoy the nice hot bath, finish it with a yummy pizza. Stuart picked us up at 3.30. It was then continuing to see the bath boxes and to the lookout. Would be using the explore Australia again for next trip. Hoping Stuart will be our tour guide. The overall experience was amazing and memorable.

Had an amazing trip. Will book with anytime again. This was my second daytrip booking with them. Highly recommended tour agent.
Absolutely amazing penguins and wildlife tour. Antony was our tour guide for Moonlit sanctuary experience. He is very professional , polite and cheerful.Very small group and comfortable bus. He explained to us clearly and gave us tips along the way. Me and my kids thoroughly enjoyed feeding the wallabies and ducks and Kengaroos. Very close encounters. Loved it. Saw cute koals. After half day we were combined with another group for Penguin island. Gina was our guide. She is very professional, explained about the wildlife , when to spot. Dos and donts. Stopped at places to get stunning philip island coastal views. Only small vehicles can reach these places. Always ask the guide what is the best place to sit for penguin viewing. Try not to miss the penguins coming out of the ocean. Amazing amazing experience. The little blue penguins are adorable. Prepare for cold winds as you will be seeing penguins after sunset. Walk around after a while to see penguins returning to their homes and interaction with each other.
Absolutely loved the trip

A fun and enjoyable family adventure especially with kids A fun day outing with family, especially with kids. It was a nice experience with many photo moments along the journey. The knowledgeable and vocal conductor is an added attraction.

Had a really nice time on the Mornington Peninsula Food and Wine day tour from Melbourne. Everything was well organised and ran smoothly. Our driver-guide Stuart was pleasant and knowledgeable about the area. Lunch at Montalto was very tasty - the prawn pizza and focaccia were delicious. The tasting at Point Leo included entry to the beautiful sculpture park that had artworks by some well known artists like Yayoi Kusama and Jaume Plensa. Thought the mix of some sightseeing and visits to wineries and brewery was just right. Highly recommend this tour.

Great Tour Had a great time on this tour. Stuart was very knowledgeable. Plenty of time at Moonlit Sanctuary and Penguin Parade station never felt rushed. Thoroughly recommend.

Had an amazing trip. Will book with anytime again. Had an amazing trip with a small group. Darren was amazing, very professional and engaging. Walked with us in the rainforest explaining and engaging. Saw cute koalas, Kengaroos etc in the healesville sanctuary. He took a video of us from a specific place beating the train. It was a very fun and great experience.

One tip if you wear light colored clothes the chars from the steam train may fall on your clothes, ofcourse u can wash them away later.
If you want valley view sit towards the platform side (preferred) and for mountain view sit on the other side.

Puffing Billy Puffing Billy was great absolutely loved it but not much to do before going to the penguins. A few stops, and some interesting local information. Unfortunately the weather gods were not on our side and it rained just as the penguins were coming ashore. Despite being told multiple times to not use umbrellas or take photos, everyone around us did which made it difficult to see anything. Pretty disappointing.

One of it’s kind, a must do tour from Melbourne. Got to spend the day with our tour guide, Stuart, who was absolutely phenomenal. He provided detailed and engaging commentary throughout the entire trip, explaining every area we traveled through and always giving clear directions whenever we had free time to explore on our own. Our group consisted of seven people, and every single one of us agreed that Stuart elevated an already incredible experience to another level. Highly recommend him!

The Puffing Billy Steam Railway through the rainforest was the perfect length and truly unforgettable. The scenery was breathtaking, and the train itself was fantastic. Many passengers chose to sit on the ledge with their legs dangling outside the carriage — completely safely, of course, as that’s part of the authentic Puffing Billy experience. For those who prefer to stay seated inside, the seats were very comfortable and didn’t take away from the experience at all.

The Penguin Wildlife Tour was a genuine bucket-list experience. Coming from Canada, seeing penguins in the wild is something we simply don’t get to experience back home. Most of our group, myself included, upgraded to the Penguins Plus package, and it was absolutely worth it. We were seated right on the beach and witnessed hundreds — possibly over a thousand — little penguins waddling right past us, only feet away. It was incredible.

Even after about 30 minutes, we had already watched four separate waves of penguins come ashore. On the walk back to the main building, several hundred meters from the beach, we were still able to walk alongside these amazing little animals as they waddled up the hillside toward their burrows.

Photos and videos are not allowed because penguins are extremely sensitive to light, and protecting their environment is important. Honestly, though, this experience is something that will stay with me forever regardless.

I HIGHLY recommend Explore Australia and especially Stuart to anyone considering this tour.

Thank you all for an unforgettable experience!

Best regards,
Mike from Canada

Amazing Experience This was one experience we were looking forward to so much! We booked 6 weeks in advance as they sell out very fast and are so popular. Our tour was with Explore Australia , the morning of our booking , we waited for bus and one it arrived , we found out there was an issue with our booking, we had updated the date recently and Viator had it but it wasn't updated so EA didnt know the change! The tour was full so nothing could be done but to reschedule, which we did from two days later. Suddenly , we got phone call an hour later from the manager of Explore Australia and he felt so bad that error had happened and explained about the error, he asked us where we at and he said he was sending a private uber car to get us and take us the 45 mins t catch the train where the tour bus was heading. I was like shocked and we agreed and soon wee were in uber on way to make the experience after all. We made the train with ample time and got to do the experience after all and didn't have to wait another two days. The manager went above and beyond and to me , this is customer care at its finest and he also messaged and called throughout our journey to train and once we completed it. Things happen but this company and manager with his team work above and beyond so we enjoyed even after booking error. I would highly recommend using Explore Australia, great experience but customer service was a bonus without any doubt!!

First time in Melbourne The trip was excellent and the tour guide was very knowledgeable

Enjoyed the tour thoroughly Had Matthew as our tour guide and he's really funny! The tour was also relaxing

Excellent Experience A very nice experience . our tour guide Jose was very friendly as well . excellent experience Must visit!!!!

Perfect half day trip to the rainforest and puffing billy Puffing Billy and Rainforest with Jose
A perfect half day tour to see the rainforest and huge ferns plus an hour ride on puffing billy. Jose is a charming and informative guide who made sure everybody was safe and happy

Puffing Billy and Healesville Sanctuary Day Trip Great down out. First stop was to Healesville Sanctuary , a dedicated animal attraction for animals from Australia. Plenty of time to walkaround to see all the animals. Then onto Puffing Billy. Puffy Billy was a good trip but its important to understand which side to sit on to get the best experience, this is the platform side and the wooden bridge is just outside the station. This it winds through the local woodlands with view of the valley and small towns. All locals are very happy to wave you pass which was great to see. It is only a one way trip. Seating with you legs out was a great experience but not very confortable, and maybe an issue with people with mobility issues - Larger seats would be ideal, lower bench seating is also there so not a massive issue. Driver and Guide Matt was very knowledgeable about Australia and the trip.

The penguins were absolutely adorable. Highly recommend this tour! I joined this Puffing Billy and Penguin Parade tour as a solo traveler and had a great time. The guide was very friendly and made the whole experience enjoyable. The driving felt very safe, and I also appreciated how they pointed out wildlife along the way.

The penguins were absolutely adorable. Highly recommend this tour!

Special needs well catered for My friend and I found the staff mathew and Nathan to be very understanding with our special needs to rebook and accessible requirements with the step and separate carriage on the train. Nathan told us information about the area and gave us an extra stop as a secret blessing.

Avoid this company. Explore Australia is very unsympathetic and has unreasonable conditions. I would definitely avoid them.

Wonderful tour Great tour the train was fun, but seeing the Penguin is definitely a must see. Additionally, our guide, Gina was wonderful she was so knowledgeable, and did a great job telling us interesting stories about Australia, the history, and of course the Penguins. I’d highly reythis your.

A wonderful experience! Absolutely wonderful experience. Darren our driver was excellent timing things perfectly. We loved Puffing Billy and the Penguin Parade, but itwasa couple of other bits that made it extra special. We were a bit early for the train so Darren took us for a top in the rain forest. You could go to he cafe or Darren said there was a short walk in the rainforest. We did this a d saw a Lyre Bird, which absolutely thrilled me.

Again when we reached the Penguin Parade Darren took us first to Bobby's point where we saw penguins in daylight, wallabies an echidna and lots of Cape Barren Geese. Wonderful!

Excellent vehicle as well. Highly recommend

Happy Birthday to me. The tour met all my expections from pick up to drop off it was a fun day out. I would recommend this tour if you wanted to live a nostalgic day in the Dandenong's. The train was quaint, and not the most comfortable but it is 100 years old. The only thing I was disappointed about was the scenery itself, I thought we would be travelling in more remote type bushland, but we did in fact see housing for most of the journey. In saying all that worth a look if you have never been.

Great experience!
Smooth adventure as explore Australia tours handled tickets, and transportation throughout the day. From a scenic train ride to feeding a Kangaroo it was a great time. Our guide Jose was fantastic

All aboard!! We had a great time riding on the train. Sitting on the side of the train(slight disappointed that it wasn't a steam engine) but mood was fun and brings back memories of early childhood. Was a little crowded with the train but room for everyone. Our tour /driver was very good and informative. Recommended

Great Ocean Road trip, one of the best days out I did when in Melbourne. Despite the tour being a very long day, I was so glad I had done it and loved the fact we were a small group of 11 in a comfortable mini bus, driven by our brilliant guide Anthony who set the tone for the entire day with his welcoming, friendly demeanour and and knowledge. Just enough time was had at all the stops, toilet breaks were plentiful, and you could be sure we never missed sightings of kualas or kangaroos as Anthony always managed to spot them, often from
afar. It is definitely a trip where you get to see so many different aspects the stunning state of Victoria has to offer, from beautiful small ocean towns, to stunning rain forests, culminating in the magnificent 12 Apostles and the even more stunning Loch Ard Gorge. Inspite of the early start, the GOR is a must see trip in my opinion. Just make sure you have comfortable walking shoes!
Please convey my thanks to Anthony. He is a natural at what he does!

Great fun day out Great fun experience! Staff all wonderful & helpful, train journey stunning going through woodlands & beautiful rainforest areas. Visitor centre is very well appointed & organised & food was good. Would def recommend!

Don’t go on a weekday!! I took this tour on a weekday, which turned out not to be the best choice. One of the towns we stopped in had all their cute souvenir and boutique shops closed which left only restaurants open, so we ended up with about an hour there and very little to do.

We also visited Moonlit Sanctuary, which was a huge letdown. The sanctuary looked run down and not very well maintained, and the overall atmosphere was quite depressing. We spent around an hour and a half there, which felt far too long for what there was to see.

The rest of the tour included a few quick stops at beaches and coastal viewpoints, but nothing that really made up for the earlier parts of the day. I would have been better off renting a car and exploring on my own, especially just to see the penguins. NOT WORTH IT!

Fun day out! The driver, Loki was awesome. The tour was exactly what I booked. Everything was on time, it wasn’t too crowded. Very enjoyable.

100% recommend Absolutely recommend this tour! Our tour guide Peter was hilarious and a great tour guide. There only ended up being 5 of us so it felt like a VIP tour. The puffing billy train was a super cool experience and there were tons of cool animals at the sanctuary. I’d definitely do it again!!

A Timeless Steam Train Adventure 🚂🌲 Puffing Billy is a charming and nostalgic steam train experience through the beautiful Dandenong Ranges. A great family-friendly attraction with scenic views, fresh air, and a fun step back in time. Highly recommended for visitors of all ages.

Murray River Padfle Steamer and wildlife tour Our tour guide is Allen, very informative, a very safe driver and looked after our group very well from food, toileting needs etc. Thanks for the fabulous day. Keep up the good work😀 I highly recommend Explore Aust for future tours communication is excellent and on time.

We had an amazing day on Puffing Billy and Penguins wildlife tour. Gina, our tour guide was knowledgeable, friendly and helpful the whole day through.
Puffing Billy is an amazing experience and watching hundreds of penguins come in from the ocean to their Burroughs was something else. Do yourself a favour and pay for upgrade to penguins plus. WELL worth the money for being so close to the penguins 🐧. You can take photos until it gets dark, then no photography or videos allowed. Just live in the moment and the experience.
It's a long day but with a guide like Gina, it doesn't seem like it. An amazing day. Thank you.

Puffing Billy It was a great activity to do while in Melbourne. It was lots of fun. The rainforest is breath taking and amazing so close to the city. You feel like you are on a different planet. Very organized no need to stress about anything

We took the French & Phillip Island tour and were suitably impressed with the itinerary, organisation and all the sights we saw.
The trip is incredible value for money. The tour guide was excellent (sorry didn’t remember his name).
The lunch was great and the hosts were friendly and engaging.
A highly recommended trip and such great value.

Amazing tour! Definitely recommend! Such a great tour! It is the perfect amount of activity/ travel. Our tour guide Mark was an absolute LEGEND! He gave a good amount of informative information and humour! As well as recommending places along the way when we stopped. Overall would recommend to others and use them in future.
We had a high tide with the penguins- sadly didn't see as many come out of the water, but saw so many in the grass and burrows.
Puffing Billy was also a great experience! Highly recommend a wind proof/warm jacket as the weather is unpredictable.

We loved every bit of this tour! Would like to thank Mark for the tour today. Mark was very accommodating and we were extremely grateful to be able to be picked up and dropped off at San Remo.

Mark had the knowledge of Phillip Island, the animals and history of the area. I highly recommend this tour to everyone of all ages.

The Nobbies was beautiful, Woolamai beach was stunning and Cowes is a great stop for dinner but our highlight was seeing the cute penguins at Penguin Parade! This tour did not disappoint :)

Thanks Mark and Explore Australia for this beautiful tour. We’ll be back again in the future.