Best Things to Do in Melbourne in 2026: Which Tours to Book Ahead?

The best things to do in Melbourne for Singapore travellers in 2026 are the Phillip Island Penguin Parade, a Great Ocean Road day trip, Puffing Billy and Queen Victoria Market, so book the Penguin Parade ahead through ShopBack before you pay, where ShopBack Cashback works like a discount, only easier than a promo code. Phillip Island Nature Parks says bookings are essential for the Penguin Parade, and Phillip Island is home to the largest little penguin colony in the world. Day tours to Phillip Island and the Great Ocean Road fill up on weekends and school holidays, so lock them in early.

New to ShopBack? ShopBack Singapore is a free app and website that returns cash on eligible bookings when you start from ShopBack before you pay. Klook, GetYourGuide and Viator are among the travel stores you can book through this way. Join ShopBack Singapore for free before you plan your Australia trip.

Before you go: entry to Australia from Singapore

Singapore passport holders can apply for an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA, subclass 601) through the Australian ETA app. According to the Department of Home Affairs at the time of writing, there is a service charge of AUD20 for using the app, no other charge for the ETA, and you can stay for up to 3 months at a time. Apply before you book non-refundable tours.

Things to do in Melbourne: the highlights

Melbourne mixes city sights with day trips to wildlife, coast and hills. These are the experiences most Singapore visitors build a trip around:

Experience	What it is	Book ahead?
Phillip Island Penguin Parade	Little penguins come ashore at dusk; Phillip Island Nature Parks says it is the largest little penguin colony in the world	Yes; the park says bookings are essential
Great Ocean Road	Coastal drive in Victoria, usually done as a long day tour taking in the Twelve Apostles	Yes for weekends and school holidays
Puffing Billy Railway	Preserved steam railway in the Dandenong Ranges, starting at Belgrave	Recommended, especially for families
Queen Victoria Market	Melbourne's historic market for fresh food, deli and shopping	No; just check trading days
Laneways, cafes and street art	Walkable city centre	No

Phillip Island Penguin Parade

The Penguin Parade is the most popular wildlife trip from Melbourne. According to Phillip Island Nature Parks, you can watch the penguins waddle home from the ocean to their burrows any night of the year from viewing platforms and boardwalks, and the visitor centre opens from 12pm daily. Because it happens after dark and the island is a long drive from the city, many visitors without a car book a day tour that combines the parade with stops like the Koala Conservation Reserve, which Phillip Island Nature Parks also runs.

Great Ocean Road

The Great Ocean Road is a coastal road in Victoria, and a full-day tour from Melbourne is the easiest way to see it without driving. If you would rather drive yourself, our guide to cheap car rental for a Perth or Melbourne road trip covers what to check before you book.

Puffing Billy and the Dandenong Ranges

Puffing Billy is a preserved steam railway in the Dandenong Ranges, on the eastern edge of Melbourne, starting at Belgrave. It suits families, and many Dandenong Ranges day tours include a ride.

Queen Victoria Market

Queen Victoria Market trades five days a week at the time of writing, on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and is closed on Mondays and Wednesdays. Check the market's site for the current hours before you go.

Which Melbourne tours are worth booking ahead?

Book the tours that have fixed capacity or a long drive: the Penguin Parade, Great Ocean Road day tours, Phillip Island combo tours and Puffing Billy. City walks, markets and museums can usually be decided on the day.

A simple rule for any Australia city: if a tour runs once a day, needs a coach seat or happens at a set time like sunset, book it ahead. Look for free cancellation in the listing so you can change plans if the weather turns, and compare the same tour, date and cancellation policy on each booking site.

Things to do in Melbourne: best deals from Singapore in 2026

The best Melbourne deals usually come from booking combo day tours, comparing the same tour across booking sites, and going through ShopBack before you pay. A few ways to keep the cost down:

• Combine trips. Phillip Island tours often bundle the Penguin Parade with other stops, which can cost less than arranging each one separately.
• Compare across sites. The same Great Ocean Road tour can appear on Klook, GetYourGuide and Viator at different prices on different dates.
• Know how codes fit in. Klook, for example, often has its own codes. No code is needed for Cashback: go through ShopBack before you pay.
• Watch the timing. Prices for tours and attraction tickets tend to rise in Australian school holidays and Singapore's June and year-end holidays, so book early if your dates fall then.

Klook vs Viator vs GetYourGuide for Melbourne tours

Klook, GetYourGuide and Viator all sell Melbourne day tours and attraction tickets, so the best pick is whichever has the right tour at the right price on your dates. Many local operators list the same tour on more than one of these sites. Compare the same tour, pickup point and cancellation rules on each.

What are the best things to do in Perth on a trip from Singapore?

Perth's best things to do for Singapore travellers are Kings Park, Rottnest Island and Fremantle, and most can be done in a short trip.

• Kings Park and Botanic Garden. According to the Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority, Kings Park is one of the world's largest inner city parks and is home to the Western Australian Botanic Garden, which displays over 3,000 species of the state's flora. Entry is free and it is open daily.
• Rottnest Island. A 19 square kilometre island about 18 kilometres west of Fremantle, famous for its quokkas. Book the ferry ahead for weekends and holidays.
• Fremantle Prison. Part of the UNESCO-listed Australian Convict Sites, it runs tours including the Convict Prison Tour, Behind Bars, True Crime, Tunnels and Torchlight tours, according to its website. The Tunnels and Torchlight tours are the ones to book early.

Things to do in Perth: Singapore 2026 tips

Perth is a straightforward trip from Singapore. Combine a city stay with a Rottnest day trip and a Fremantle afternoon. Kings Park is free, so spend your budget on the ferry and the guided tours.

What are the best things to do in Sydney, and which attraction passes save money?

Sydney's top sights are the harbour, the Opera House, the beaches and the city's big-name attractions, and a multi-attraction pass saves money if you plan to visit two or more of them.

According to Sydney Tower Eye at the time of writing, its multi-attraction passes cover two, three or four of these four Merlin attractions in central Sydney:

• Sydney Tower Eye
• SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium
• WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo
• Madame Tussauds Sydney

You visit the first attraction on your chosen date and the rest within 60 days. The savings Sydney Tower Eye advertises are calculated against the highest individual entry prices, so the real saving depends on which tickets you would otherwise buy. If you only want one attraction, a single ticket is simpler.

Other Sydney favourites include a harbour ferry ride, a guided tour of the Sydney Opera House and Taronga Zoo, which also sells annual memberships. Book the Opera House tour and any harbour cruise ahead for weekends.

Things to do in Sydney: deals from Singapore

Compare the attraction pass on the attraction's own site with what Klook, GetYourGuide and Viator list for the same pass.

What are the best things to do in Brisbane, and is a theme park pass worth it?

Brisbane's best things to do are South Bank, Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary and the river, and a theme park pass is worth it if you will spend two or more days at the Gold Coast parks.

• South Bank Parklands. According to Visit Brisbane, it has almost 15 hectares of lawns, free barbecues and Streets Beach, a lagoon pool with city skyline views.
• Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. Founded in 1927 in the Brisbane suburb of Fig Tree Pocket, it is described as the oldest and largest koala sanctuary of its kind in the world.
• The Brisbane River. River ferries are an easy way to see the city between South Bank and the central business district.

Is a theme park pass worth it?

A pass usually pays off when you will visit more than one park. If you only have one theme park day, a single-day ticket for your favourite park is usually the better value.

Gold Coast theme parks: which pass is the best value?

The best-value Gold Coast theme park pass depends on which parks you want: one group of passes covers Sea World, Warner Bros. Movie World, Wet'n'Wild and Paradise Country, and Dreamworld pairs with WhiteWater World. Experience Gold Coast, the city's official tourism site, describes the parks like this at the time of writing:

Park	Location	What Experience Gold Coast highlights
Dreamworld	Coomera	Australia's largest theme park, with over 500 native Australian animals
WhiteWater World	Coomera, next to Dreamworld	Water rides
Warner Bros. Movie World	Oxenford	Movie characters and themed rides
Wet'n'Wild	Oxenford, next to Movie World	Australia's tallest waterslide and a wave pool
Sea World	Main Beach	Marine life encounters; the only Gold Coast theme park with its own resort
Paradise Country	Oxenford	Farm experience with Australian animals

Dreamworld's own site lists multi-day tickets, an All Worlds Annual Pass covering three attractions and the Gold Coast Fun Pass, which bundles attractions together.

How to pick:

• Thrill rides plus animals: Dreamworld with WhiteWater World.
• Movie characters and water slides: a multi-park pass covering Movie World and Wet'n'Wild.
• Young children: Sea World and Paradise Country are gentler options.

Experience Gold Coast says the parks are 30 to 45 minutes from Surfers Paradise by car. By public transport, it suggests the G:link tram from Surfers Paradise to Helensvale, then the TX7 bus for Movie World, Wet'n'Wild, Dreamworld and WhiteWater World, and the 705 bus for Sea World.

Gold Coast theme parks: best deals from Singapore

Count the park days you will actually use, then compare a multi-park pass with single tickets for the same dates. Check whether a pass needs park dates booked ahead, and compare its price on the parks' own sites, Klook and GetYourGuide before you book.

Book through ShopBack before you pay

Save on your trip by booking flights, hotels and activities through ShopBack. ShopBack lowers the effective price of flights, hotels and online orders after you pay. Open the store's page on ShopBack Singapore, tap through and book.

Cashback lowers what you actually pay for an order. It comes back as cash, so it works like a discount on the price, not like points or miles.

Your effective price is what you pay minus the cash that comes back to your ShopBack account. The live rate is shown on each store's page: Klook, GetYourGuide and Viator.

How to book:

1. Start from ShopBack every time, for every new booking.
2. Book as usual after tapping through.
3. Complete payment.

FAQ

What are the best things to do in Melbourne, and which tours are worth booking ahead?

For Singapore travellers, Melbourne's highlights are the Phillip Island Penguin Parade, a Great Ocean Road day trip, the Puffing Billy steam railway in the Dandenong Ranges and Queen Victoria Market. Book the Penguin Parade ahead, since Phillip Island Nature Parks says bookings are essential, and book Great Ocean Road and Phillip Island day tours early for weekends and school holidays.

Do I need to book the Phillip Island Penguin Parade in advance?

Yes. Phillip Island Nature Parks says bookings are essential and asks visitors to book Penguin Parade tickets in advance to avoid missing out. It describes Phillip Island as home to the largest little penguin colony in the world, with penguins coming ashore every night of the year.

What are the best things to do in Perth on a trip from Singapore?

Popular picks are Kings Park and the Western Australian Botanic Garden, which is free to enter, a day trip to Rottnest Island to see quokkas, and a tour of Fremantle Prison, part of the UNESCO-listed Australian Convict Sites. Book the Rottnest ferry and Fremantle Prison tours ahead for weekends.

Which Sydney attraction passes save money?

If you plan to visit two or more of Sydney Tower Eye, SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium, WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo and Madame Tussauds Sydney, a multi-attraction pass usually costs less than separate tickets. According to Sydney Tower Eye at the time of writing, these passes cover two, three or four of the attractions, with the rest to be visited within 60 days.

What are the best things to do in Brisbane?

Brisbane favourites include South Bank Parklands with Streets Beach, a lagoon pool with city views, and Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, founded in 1927. Many visitors also add a day or two at the Gold Coast theme parks, which are south of the city.

Is a Gold Coast theme park pass worth it from Brisbane?

Usually yes if you will visit more than one park. Experience Gold Coast notes that you can get a pass to hop between Sea World, Warner Bros. Movie World, Wet'n'Wild and Paradise Country, or double up at Dreamworld and WhiteWater World. For a single park on a single day, a one-day ticket is usually cheaper.

Which Gold Coast theme park pass is the best value?

It depends on which parks you want. A multi-park pass covering Sea World, Movie World, Wet'n'Wild and Paradise Country suits families who want variety over several days, while a Dreamworld ticket pairs with WhiteWater World next door. Count the park days you will really use, then compare the pass price with single tickets on the same dates.

Do Singaporeans need a visa for Australia?

Singapore passport holders can apply for an Electronic Travel Authority (subclass 601) through the Australian ETA app. The Department of Home Affairs lists a AUD20 service charge for using the app and stays of up to 3 months at a time.

Should I book Australia tours on Klook, GetYourGuide or Viator?

All three list Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Gold Coast tours, and prices for the same tour can differ by date and operator. Compare the same tour, date and cancellation policy on each, then book the one that fits. Go through ShopBack Singapore first so the cash that comes back lowers the effective price.

How does ShopBack work for Australia tours and attraction tickets?

Open the Klook, GetYourGuide or Viator page on ShopBack Singapore, tap through and book on the website. Cashback lowers what you actually pay for an order. It comes back as cash, so it works like a discount on the price, not like points or miles.

Disclaimer

This article is for general information only. Opening hours, tour availability, pass contents, entry rules, prices and ShopBack Cashback rates change over time. Check the attraction's own site, the Department of Home Affairs and the live rate on each store's ShopBack page before you book.