About Penguin Passport At SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium

Visit: SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium, corner of Flinders Street and King Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3000 Australia

If you are a fan of the movie Happy Feet or a general animal-lover, this is the tour for you. The penguin encounter and behind-the-scenes tour at the Melbourne Aquarium is a unique look into the lives of King and Gentoo penguins in a well-simulated natural Antarctic habitat. This state-of-the-art facility is home to the tall and majestic King Penguins and the smaller, cheeky Gentoo Penguins.

This is no ordinary tour â€“ you wonâ€™t be standing with your nose pressed up against the glass, but actually sitting on the ice among the penguins, watching them slip and slide on the snow-covered ice and play in the cool waters of their pool.

Watch how the penguinsâ€™ food is prepared, see where they sleep and look inside the veterinary clinic where the penguins go for checkups.

Your expert guide will give you exclusive behind-the-scenes access, show you how the aquarium maintains the sub-zero temperatures to keep the ice firm and the penguins happy, and answer any questions that you may have.

The Antarctic display is one of the highlights of a visit to the award-winning Melbourne Aquarium. Antarctica is the coldest, driest and windiest continent on Earth.Through interactive and stunning visual displays you will learn about the history, culture and scientific work conducted, and youâ€™ll experience the life of an early explorer and the hardships they endured.

See below for more information on the penguins.

About the Penguins

King Penguins: Immortalized by the film Happy Feet, King Penguins are one of the most visually stunning animals in the Antarctic, with vibrant plumage and yellow-orange spots near their ears and on their necks. They are about3 feet (90 centimeters) tall and weigh up to 35 pounds (14 kilograms) and eat a diet of mainly fish, some squid and crustaceans. They can be found on many sub-Antarctic islands, including Prince Edward, Macquarie and South Georgia.

Gentoo Penguins: Although not as tall or regal as their King Penguin cousins, the Gentoo Penguin is one of the cutest, with orange feet, a reddish-orange bill and white patches over the top of their eyes. They are also the fastest swimmers of all the penguins, reaching speeds of up to 21 miles (35 kilometers) per hour. They are about 3 feet (90 centimeters) tall and weigh up to 11 pounds (5kilograms) and eat small fish and krill. Their main habitat is the Falkland Islands, but they can also be found on the Kerguelen Isles and South Georgia.

Important Information:

To maintain the health of the penguins and their environment, please adhere to the below conditions relating to participating in the tour.

You must:
â€¢ Be 14 years or older to participate
â€¢ NOT have had contact with birds in the last 24 hours
â€¢ Be able to navigate stairs
â€¢ NOT have suffered from a flu/cold/gastro/respiration infection in the last 48 hours
â€¢ NOT wear jewelry or watches or take mobile phones or cameras on the tour

OPERATES

Daily

INCLUSIONS

All use of equipment (ski suit, footwear, gloves)
Hot chocolate voucher redeemable at the Aquarium Cafe
Entry/Admission - SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium

EXCLUSIONS

Entry into Melbourne Aquarium for guests viewing the experience (separate entry will need to be paid)
Food and drinks
Gratuities

ADDITIONAL INFO

Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
Minimum age 14 (Guests under 16 must be accompanied by a paying adult (18+)
Must NOT have had contact with birds in the last 24 hours
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
Must be able to navigate stairs
Must NOT wear jewelry or watches or take mobile phones or cameras on the tour
Please arrive AT LEAST 30 minutes prior to tour departure
Most travelers can participate
You must NOT have suffered from a flu /cold /gastro /respiration infection in the last 48 hours
Hand sanitizer available to travelers and staff
Social distancing enforced throughout experience
Regularly sanitized high-traffic areas
Gear/equipment sanitized between use
Transportation vehicles regularly sanitized
Guides required to regularly wash hands
Regular temperature checks for staff
Paid stay-at-home policy for staff with symptoms
Contactless payments for gratuities and add-ons
Proof of COVID-19 vaccination required for travelers
COVID-19 vaccination required for guides
Please refrain from visiting our aquarium should you start displaying any of the symptoms associated with COVID-19. Significantly reduced the daily ticketed capacity to allow for social distancing. New information signage informing them of key safety messages and instructions.

TERMS & CONDITIONS

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.

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Overall Ratings

4.2 based on 10 reviews

Reviews

natashadH7871PE 1
27 Jun 2021
Very dissapointing! For $160 you can stand for 10 min behind the wall and see penguins from the distance!? What's the point?? They didn''t even let us take a picture, thought we were meters and meter away from them! The pictures some ''professional'' took there were completely horrible. So I DO not recommend at all, better go to St Kilda and see little pinguins for free and much closer...
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mrsincranny 2
18 Jan 2021
Having read reviews I was excited to visit the penguins as a belated birthday present. The overview states "This is no ordinary tour – actually sitting on the ice among the penguins, watching them slip and slide on the snow-covered ice and play in the cool waters of their pool. Watch how the penguins’ food is prepared, see where they sleep and look inside the veterinary clinic where the penguins go for checkups." You do not sit on the ice but stand behind a plastic barrier and you can't see the pool from this area, so basically you watch the penguins watching you. We didn't see how food was prepared, where they sleep or the vet clinic. As we were preparing to go into the enclosure the keepers were coming back from feeding the penguins. If we had been able to see this it would have added to the experience. You are not able to take any personal belongings onto the ice and lockers are not provided. This also means that you can't take your own photos and the aquarium charge $26 for one photo or $50 for a package which they don't even print out ..... a link is emailed. Overpriced experience, you really are better to watch from outside where you can see the penguins being fed and in swimming in their pool.
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sunshinestraveladv 5
13 Jan 2020
We ot to go into where the penguins are. It's so different from standing outside their enclosure. We really enjoyed it. We put on these suits to keep warm. Only thing I wish was that one of the keepers took pictures of us but then they wanted $50 for a small number of digital photos which I thought was too expensive.
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Martin B 5
03 Nov 2019
Visiting from Canada and as a penguin lover had to try the Penguin Experience. Well worth the visit and can't say enough about how friendly all the staff were. A must see for anyone who loves these creatures. I'm a long way away but if the opportunity ever comes around I would definitely do this again.
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TrendyTravellerOhYea 5
31 Aug 2019
I did this tour for my 30th birthday and it was a blast! I love penguins so being so close to them was sooooo cute and awesome! I got great pictures. I learned a lot too, because the first part of the tour you get to go behind the scenes and learn about the penguins and how they're cared for, which I found interesting. This is a pretty good value, too. A ticket to the aquarium is already $50, so this pass is only $50 more. You can still go the whole aquarium all day, plus you get an up close penguins tour. It's great! They only allow 4 people per day, so you absolutely have to book far in advance! I highly recommend it! The only downside is that they charge ANOTHER $50 for photos, which is a bummer, since we can't take our own cameras into the exhibit. It would be nice if they gave you at lest of couple of photos complimentary, since you pay extra money for this pass. But, other than that, it's a great experience.
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kogie131 5
23 Jul 2019
We went there without reading about it to go there open minded. It was just amazing, especially the show of the penguins as well as the huge fish tank. Great fun as well with the sharks. We had a great day!
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Reza5th 4
22 Jul 2019
Perfect for couple, family specially for kids. you can feel deep in sea. see all the building not just one story.
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dawn_s 5
13 May 2018
So much fun. This was our first day in Australia and what a treat to see these penguins up close and personal.
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Sheila K 5
01 Aug 2016
Exciting afternoon tour. We were introduced to the Penguins after learning about their care, feeding schedule and a look at their 'penguin hospital'. We were in the exhibit and up close with the Penguins. Highly recommend.
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Kristie S 5
26 Nov 2015
This tour was simply amazing!!! If you have even the slightest interest in animals, you need to do this! You can't touch them, but the penguins are only a few cm's away from you. You get about 30mins with them, plus about another 30mins learning about how they are taken care of, their names, where they go to be weighed and treated for any ailments, all their food, and learn about their behaviours. Its truly fascinating!
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