Bicheno Penguin Tour: Children, Access and What to Wear

Children of all ages can do the Bicheno penguin tour with an adult, and under-4s go free. The walk is about 500 m over 50 minutes on lit paths with seats along the way, the tour goes ahead in most weather, and the rules that matter are the operator’s: enclosed shoes, warm clothes, quiet voices and no flash. The tour is Tasmania: Bicheno Penguin Tour, from US$53 a person (checked November 2026).

The calendar above is the Bicheno penguin tour, with 47 reviews (checked November 2026).

The short answer

Bring them. Bicheno Penguin Tours welcomes people of all ages, and the evening is short: check in on Burgess Street, a short bus ride, then about 50 minutes walking slowly through the rookery with a guide. What makes it hard for small children is not the distance but the hour and the hush. In summer the tour starts between about 7:30 pm and 9:30 pm, with sunset, and children have to stay with an adult, keep quiet, and sit down at times while the penguins pass. There is no quiet space for a child who needs a break.

Ages and what children pay

September to January costs A$76 an adult and A$32 a child, with under-4s free; the operator’s FAQ and Tourism Tasmania both put February to August at A$56 and A$27, while its home page shows the summer figures for both seasons (November 2026). The price on the booking page for your date is the one that counts. The operator does not take concession, seniors or companion cards. The GetYourGuide listing prices per person from US$53 (checked November 2026), and allows free cancellation up to 24 hours before; booked direct, the operator refunds cancellations made 72 hours ahead.

Check dates for the family

Keeping quiet at the rookery

The penguins come ashore at dusk and make their way through the rookery to their burrows, and children on the tour are required to stay with an adult, keep quiet and sit down at times. Photos are fine on a phone or camera with the flash turned off; the operator’s terms forbid flash photography at every point of the tour, and it offers a selection of its own photos free of charge, which saves a child from fiddling with settings in the dark. The paths are lit in a colour range the operator chose to suit the penguins, which makes walking in the dark easy.

The walk, wheelchairs and prams

The walk is about 500 m over 50 minutes to an hour, slow and with stops, and there are seats at points along the way. Access for wheelchairs is the one place the operator’s own pages pull in different directions: its FAQs say wheelchairs can be accommodated on its boardwalks case by case, with a discussion about the bus or your own transport, while its terms say the tracks are not suited to wheelchairs, walking frames or prams. If anyone in your group uses one, call Bicheno Penguin Tours on (03) 6375 1333 before you book. Everyone rides to the rookery in the operator’s bus with seatbelts on, and infants sit on a parent’s or carer’s lap.

There are toilets at the shop where you check in, and none at the rookery, so use them before the bus leaves. Check in at least 10 minutes before your tour time; there is free parking outside the shop.

What to wear, and the weather

Enclosed, comfortable shoes without prominent heels are required, on the operator’s terms and on the GetYourGuide listing alike. The tour is entirely outdoors after dark on the coast, so bring warm, weather-appropriate layers and, in the cooler months, a waterproof jacket; a beanie helps children last the hour. The tour goes ahead in rain and wind. The operator cancels only in conditions such as extreme winds, at its own discretion, and its terms put the safety of guests first.

Is it worth it with children?

For most families, yes: an hour, a bus ride and wild penguins walking past at close range is a rare combination, and it is the only penguin tour on Tasmania’s east coast. It is less of a fit for a toddler who will not stay quiet at bedtime, or for anyone who needs a wheelchair-friendly path, until the operator has confirmed it on the phone. If summer bedtimes are the problem, the tour starts earlier from February to August, between about 5 pm and 7:30 pm, except in March, when it closes. Tour times and the season has the detail.

Prices, ratings and review counts from the listings (GetYourGuide checked November 2026). Operators price by date and season, so treat the figures as the shape of the market, not a quote.