Our 13 Favourite Healesville Sanctuary Tours from Melbourne

1.Puffing Billy & Healesville Sanctuary Scenic Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 1,220 reviews · 8 hours · from $162Our pick

From central Melbourne, ride Puffing Billy through the Dandenong Ranges to Emerald Lake, then visit Healesville Sanctuary and the Yarra Valley Chocolaterie. Your English-speaking guide handles the driving and day’s schedule. The $162 price includes transport and admission to the train, sanctuary and chocolaterie, but not lunch or extra treats.

“Tom was very informative and attentive. Enjoyed the day and felt looked after”

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2.Puffing Billy And Healesville Sanctuary Scenic Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 451 reviews · from $163

From central Melbourne, this eight-hour tour combines Puffing Billy’s steam train ride from Belgrave to Emerald Lake with free time at the lake, Healesville Sanctuary, and the Yarra Valley Chocolaterie. Your guide handles the driving, and coffee and tea, WiFi, and admission are included. Guides have included Bonnie, Peter, Matt, and Emily.

“Steam train good fun for all ages Sanctuary was very enjoyable Nathan our driver was excellent We were glad we didn't have to travel with the first bus that arrived as the driver was as miserable as sin and just left us in the pouring rain”

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3.Yarra Valley Wildlife & Wine Day Tour with Healesville Sanctuary

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 333 reviews · from $236Top rated

Leave Melbourne at 8:30 am for 2.5 hours at Healesville Sanctuary, then visit Yering Station for wine, an à la carte lunch, a glass of wine, and coffee. Finish with wine and cheese at De Bortoli. Hotel pickup is offered at select Melbourne hotels, and groups are limited to 11.

“This was the perfect day tour. Spent the morning with native animals at the sanctuary. The bird flyover is not to be missed. In the afternoon we had tastings at 2 wineries and a lovely lunch. Rob knew his stuff.”

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4.Healesville Sanctuary General Entry Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 217 reviews · from $40

Make your own way to Healesville Sanctuary, a bushland wildlife park about an hour from Melbourne by car. Your $40.88 mobile ticket includes all-day entry, keeper talks and the Spirits of the Sky bird show. Follow paths past koalas, wombats, kangaroos and more, then look for the platypus at its riverside exhibit.

“Family day enjoyed very much, pity it rained. Well worth the money, thanks to all the great staff. Not many people there due to weather so all exhibits easily viewed and appreciated.”

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5.Healesville Sanctuary: General Admission Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 162 reviews · 1 day · from $37

Spend a day among more than 200 Australian wildlife species at Healesville Sanctuary in the Yarra Valley. Your general admission includes daily presentations, including the Spirits of the Sky bird show, and access to the Australian Wildlife Health Centre. Paid animal encounters are optional; food and drinks cost extra.

“We were visiting from the Uk to visit family, and my cousin has been here before, we took one of our nephews, we all loved the park, such a wonderful natural environment for the animals, the rangers were super knowledgable and friendly, we had something to eat in the cafe! Would definitely return when next in Australia”

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6.VIP Sanctuary Tour at Healesville Sanctuary – excl. entry

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 19 reviews · from $85

Spend two hours exploring Healesville Sanctuary with a private ranger in a group of no more than six. Expect bushland paths, stories about native wildlife, behind-the-scenes insights, and reserved seats for the Spirits of the Sky free-flight bird presentation. Admission is not included, and the tour starts at 10:30am.

“Before you book this, beware the sanctuary is 60 miles from the central business district in Melbourne. There is no taxi, public transportation, or Uber for a return trip! Once we resolved our transportation issues, the sanctuary was awesome and the experience was spectacular.”

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7.Healesville Sanctuary & Phillip Island Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.3 · 11 reviews · 11 hours · from $125

Travel from Melbourne by air-conditioned coach to Healesville Sanctuary, the Nobbies boardwalk and Phillip Island’s Penguin Parade. Admission to all three is included, while meals are extra. Guides including Russell and Lorraine have been praised for wildlife commentary and kind help. Before booking, confirm the Healesville stop: some departures have reportedly gone to Moonlit Sanctuary instead.

“Stop at beach houses a waste of time. A bit disappointed in Healesville Sanctuary: Found the Melbourne Zoo much better for indigenous animals. Penguine Parade was quite good. Driver gave excellent advice and commentary.”

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8.Puffing Billy, Healesville Sanctuary & Chocolatier

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 9 reviews

Travel from Melbourne by coach for a 30-minute Puffing Billy ride through the Dandenong Ranges, 2.5 hours at Healesville Sanctuary, and a guided chocolate tasting of 12 handcrafted chocolates. The English-speaking tour includes transport and a visit to watch chocolatiers at work. Staff can vary; past departures have included driver Matthew and photographer Michael.

“Great day out longer at sanctuary would have been beneficial and offering lunch as part of tour would have been beneficial as very hard to get food at sanctuary and then eat with massive amounts of flies not very pleasant”

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9.Puffing Billy Train & Healesville & Winery Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 7 reviews

Spend about 11 hours travelling from Melbourne to Brighton Beach, Healesville Sanctuary, Rochford Winery and the Puffing Billy Railway. Expect a bilingual English- and Chinese-speaking guide, coach transfers and a one-hour steam-train visit. Wine tasting is at your own expense. Guides named on past trips include Ken and Devin, but your guide may differ.

“I highly recommend to double check the pick up location if joining this tour to prevent unnecessary conflict with tour guide: We were noticed to change the pick up point a day upon our tour from a walking distance to ~15min vehicle travel. Yet, another parties were picked up in our original spot. We enquired our tour guide, Devin about the new arrangement and he repeatedly insisted that was the instruction he received in a considerably unprofessional manner. We understand mistake could occur but an inappropriate response wouldn’t solve any problem but deliver negative impressions. In the end of the tour, Devin finally apologised a bit more sincerely, he suggested…”

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10.Koala Experience at Healesville Sanctuary – excl. entry

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 4 reviews · from $27Best value

At 11 am, join a group of up to eight at Healesville Sanctuary for a roughly 10-minute, no-contact koala experience. You’ll go behind the habitat gate to observe a koala from a different angle and hear facts about the species. The $27.97 price covers the experience only, not sanctuary admission.

“This review is targeted to the KOALA EXPERIENCE and NOT the Sanctuary.”

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11.MEL: Private Yarra Valley Wine & Healesville Sanctuary Tours

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · 1 day

Travel from Melbourne in a private group of up to 13 with an English-speaking driver-guide. Visit Healesville Sanctuary, wineries, a gin distillery, cheese makers and the Chocolaterie, with flexibility to adjust the day. Mathew has guided previous groups; tasting fees, meals and drinks are extra.

“Mathew was the perfect host for our group of 6. Good knowledge about the area, the wineries and history of the places. Fantastic lunch recommendation and he tailored the itinerary to fit in everything we wanted to do - this flexibility made the day perfect!”

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12.Healesville Sanctuary And Phillip Island Wildlife Bus Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 3 reviews · from $126

Travel from Melbourne by air-conditioned bus to Healesville Sanctuary, then continue to the Nobbies and Phillip Island’s famous penguin parade. You get time to explore the sanctuary at your own pace, free Wi-Fi on board, and admission to all three stops. Food and drinks are extra, and the day can run long.

“Good tour for all around exposure to Melbourne and sights at nature reserve. The National Park was nice but a little rushed. The penguin parade was unique but the place had a chaotic/fomo vibe that certain cultures bring with them. ThRead more”

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13.[Private Tour] Healesville Sanctuary Wildlife & Puffing Billy Steam Train

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · from $502

Start at 9 am with pickup from a select Melbourne hotel or the port, then spend about 90 minutes at Healesville Sanctuary and 90 minutes aboard Puffing Billy. Your private driver-guide handles transport and tickets. Guides Russel and Francois are among those named for their humor and helpful animal explanations; assignments may vary.

“Amazing experience.The places are scenic. Thanks Russel for explaining everything with humor which makes our day even funnier”

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