Melbourne Independent Trip Day 3｜Puffing Billy Steam Train + Penguin Homecoming Experience: The Most Unforgettable Wildlife Watching Day!

This day is the one I've been looking forward to most on the entire Australia trip: riding the nostalgic Puffing Billy steam train, then heading to Phillip Island to witness the penguins returning home with my own eyes. What A Cat is most looking forward to is the hot air balloon, but as for me, it's this wildlife itinerary today that I came for!

Morning Snack + Victoria Market Shopping Breakfast is cheese I bought at the supermarket last night (this is the one mom specifically recommended after reading a blog post). Since the meeting time was relatively late, I planned a little side trip: heading over to Queen Victoria Market for a walk and some browsing.

Besides shopping and eating, the most important thing is to complete the task Mom assigned: buy a koala plush toy! The stalls here have such a refined, elegant style, and all the delicious food and souvenirs are so hard to resist~

A little episode before departure: sending a postcard to myself The meeting point was at Chinatown (probably because it was a Chinese-speaking tour group), and along the way we happened to pass by a post office, so I successfully sent a postcard to my future self! The postcard, postage included, cost only 2.55 Australian dollars — a tiny expense, but with a lot of sentimental value.

When I arrived at the meeting point, I was surprised to see a statue of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the Father of the Nation. Seeing such a familiar figure in a foreign land still felt quite touching.

Puffing Billy Steam Train | A Vintage Railway Journey Our first stop is Lakeside Station, where the steam train has a history of over a hundred years. It was originally used to transport timber, potatoes, and daily necessities for residents in the mountain area, and was later transformed into a tourist attraction thanks to staff who insisted on preserving it. Before boarding, we'll take a stroll by the lake and have a picnic — lunch will be bread we brought from Victoria Market.

The Classic Experience of Dangling Feet from the Carriage The most fun thing about riding Puffing Billy is being able to sit on the side of the carriage and dangle your feet out the window! Children absolutely love it, so let's experience it too!

The whole ride takes about an hour, passing through forested mountain scenery and some adorable little cottages along the way — the residents even wave hello to the passengers on the train, it feels just like a movie!

When we arrived at the terminus, Belgrave, the driver-guide had already driven over to pick us up. Many of Puffing Billy's staff are warm-hearted elders, which made the whole experience feel even more heartfelt.

MARU Wildlife Park | Get Up Close with Kangaroos and Koalas Our second stop is the 【MARU Koala and Animal Park】, with admission costing an extra AUD 25. If you'd like to experience holding/touching a koala, that's an additional AUD 25.

The park isn't large, but you can spot quite a few animals unique to Australia: Dingo: It looks like a Shiba Inu, but it's actually one of Australia's dangerous animals.

Emu: Kind of like an ostrich — I later saw wild ones at Grand Prairie too.

Kangaroo: You can feed and interact with them here, but I think seeing them in the wild is way more impressive.

Wallaby: Looks like a mini kangaroo, and it's quite shy.

Koala: Here you can experience getting up close and petting their fluffy backs~

🐨 My First Koala Encounter I was the only one in the whole group who paid extra to experience the koala interaction. At first, the staff explained some background knowledge in English (mostly just soaking in the atmosphere~), and then led us to another area to get up close with a koala that had just finished eating. Although you can't hug it (apparently koalas will attack the eyes if startled), you can pet its soft back fur, and even after I left, a faint scent of eucalyptus leaves still lingered on my hand. Although this experience was a bit pricey, it's a rare and precious memory for koala lovers!

Phillip Island Penguin Parade | The Little Blue Penguin's Nightly Return Show Finally arrived at the Phillip Island Penguin Parade, which I've been looking forward to the most! First, we'll head to the visitor center, which has an exhibition hall, a restaurant, and a penguin documentary screening room. There's also a notice board displaying the number of penguins that came ashore yesterday—**1,492!** This really boosted our confidence!

A special reminder from the tour guide: at first, the viewing platform by the seaside doesn't actually offer a very clear view, so it's recommended that once you spot the first wave of penguins coming ashore, you move back to the grassy nesting area, where you can observe them much more closely. While waiting for the penguins, we unexpectedly ran into a wild kangaroo first (haha).

📷【Image Description】: Scattered around the edge of a small burrow in the grass is a ring of feathers—this is the home of the little Fairy Penguin.

Then the sun gradually set as we waited on the viewing platform, with a few seagulls taking the lead, flying back and forth along the shore as a warm-up act. By the time night had fully fallen, like that hushed moment after the curtain drops on a stage, at 06:07, rows of wobbling little black silhouettes suddenly appeared in the distance — the penguins' vanguard had made its entrance!

Since the distance was too great, we decisively followed the guide's suggestion to move toward the nesting area, and as a result, we successfully encountered this group of little blue penguins—fairy penguins—up close on the trail, standing at just 30 cm tall! Their round, plump bodies waddled along, giving off an indescribably soothing feeling. ⚠️ Worth mentioning: photography is prohibited after the penguins return to their nests, to prevent the flash from blinding them. I personally saw a tourist forget to turn off their flash, and I instinctively reached out to block their phone—I really hope that penguin wasn't scared… 📷【Photo caption】: (Sneakily taken) Fairy penguins slowly making their way back to their nests through the bushes, the smallest species of wild penguin, round and utterly adorable.

This observation experience was simply a dreamlike moment for someone like me who loves wildlife. Supper on the way back: First taste of Da Wei Spicy Hot Pot Noodles After the tour ended at 19:00, it was about a two-hour drive back to the city. We found a place called 【Da Wei Spicy Hot Pot Noodles】 that was still open and had supper there. It was our first time trying the Australian version of málà tàng. We ordered "spicy intestine noodles" plus "soft-fried sliced meat." The spicy intestine noodles were tangy and spicy in a satisfying way, and the soft-fried sliced meat was just so-so, but the price difference compared to Vietnam is honestly a whole zero more (lol).

Summary | Steam Trains and Wild Penguins, a Perfect Day! The pace of this day's itinerary was just right and fulfilling — from a nostalgic railway journey to a nighttime visit to a mysterious colony of penguins, every part of it was unforgettable. If you love wildlife and nostalgic scenery as much as I do, then this is a one-day itinerary you absolutely must not miss when you come to Melbourne! More Australia independent travel guides: Itinerary Planning Guide for Independent Travel in Australia: 7 Must-Know Things + 10-Day Itinerary Overview ▍Sydney Australia Independent Travel Day 1-2: Flying from Vietnam to Sydney & City Walking Guide Sydney Opal Card One-Day Tour: Explore Sydney's Classic Attractions and Transit Experience Blue Mountains One-Day Trip Diary | Complete Guide to Scenic World Railway, Cableway & The Three Sisters ▍Melbourne Melbourne Independent Travel Day 1 | Jetstar Arrival, War Memorial & Yarra River Sunset Stroll | Special ANZAC Day Itinerary Recommended Australia Independent Travel: Yarra Valley Hot Air Balloon Sunrise Experience & Melbourne Sightseeing Walk Puffing Billy Steam Train + Phillip Island Penguin Parade One-Day Tour Grampians National Park, Australia | Experience Wild Kangaroos & Victoria's Most Spectacular Waterfall Great Ocean Road Day Trip | Twelve Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge, Melbourne's Most Beautiful Coastline Mornington Peninsula Tour Experience | Are These Attractions Worth Visiting? Hot Springs, Wineries, Lighthouses Explained