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Guest post by Chris and Laura Travels
If you’re planning a trip down under to Australia, then make sure you hit this list of the Top 10 Things to do in Victoria!
As Victorians ourselves we have travelled far and wide across this beautiful state that holds many incredible treasures like one of the world’s best road trips on the Great Ocean Road, seeing the Twelve Apostles, enormous stretches of beautiful Australian coastline and so much more. Many of the best things to do in Australia can be found right here.
The topography is Victoria is so diverse as you can be in the snowy alpine high country in the east right through to the sand dune deserts of Wilsons Promontory in the south, and of course, as far as the middle of the Wimmera Plains and the Grampians national park, a sacred site to the Indigenous Aboriginal people of Australia.
The rich history of this country provides for some amazing cultural experiences, stunning natural landscapes and adventure activities all year round.
If you’re flying into Victoria you will arrive in the capital city of Melbourne, Australia’s second-largest capital city, home to 5 million people. Catching a bus to the city from the airport couldn’t be easier with the SkyBus system that will take you about an hour to commute.
We’ve managed to condense what would otherwise be an enormous list of places to see in Victoria down to the Top 10 best things to do in Victoria that you can use to plan your next adventure down under.
10 Best Things to Do in Victoria
1. Melbourne City
The beating cultural heart of Victoria is on display amongst the thriving art scene as you can wander the alleyways and laneways in search of graffiti artwork by local and international artists in places such as Hardware Lane, Hosier Lane and ACDC lane.
You’ve probably heard this about Melbourne but the coffee and cafe culture here is second to none. Seriously, we challenge you to find another city in the world more obsessed with their coffee than Melbourne. With thousands of cafes scattered across town and even into the ‘burbs’, the choices are endless; just make sure to try a Melbourne Magic Coffee (technically a double shot ristretto paired with a ¾ flat white)
One of the best things to do here is visit the many galleries of the CBD (central business district) like the Ian Potter Gallery, Melbourne Museum and the National Gallery of Victoria.
There’s plenty of high end shopping for those that enjoy their retail therapy through Bourke st mall, or an endless list of rooftop bars with incredible views of the city skyline at sunset.
The city circle tram is a living relic of the early 1900’s when electric trams first opened to remain in continuous operation in St.Kilda and Essendon and currently runs a city loop track around Melbourne city centre, giving visitors and locals a free ride around town that stops at multiple locations to hop on and off.
2. Mornington Peninsula
We might be a little biassed on this one (we live here) but the Mornington Peninsula on the south side of Port Phillip bay is an ecological haven protected on both sides by the calm waters of Port Phillip Bay and to the south of the Southern Ocean and Bass Straight.
This region is known for incredibly long stretches of beaches from Frankston through to the seaside towns of Sorrento, Rye and Portsea. The journey from the city will take you over an hour to reach Sorrento (nothing is quick in Melbourne) however upon arriving here you will escape the hustle and bustle and quickly forget you’re in one of the most densely populated cities in the country.
The centre of the Peninsula is home to some world class wine growing regions in Red Hill and Main Ridge that house some beautiful wineries of the Mornington Peninsula.
If you enjoy hiking then the Two Bays Trail is a fantastic 26 km hike from Dromana to Cape Schanck where you can enjoy some of the cleanest air in the world.
In winter time, as we currently write this, large pods of Migrating whales converge around the warmer coastal waters of Australia, particularly Victoria’s southern coast line as they make their way south to Antarctica.
3. Phillip Island
Home to the Australian Moto Grand Prix and the cutest colony of Little Penguins this side of the city, Phillip Island is an island escape that’s less than 3 hours from the city; transported to a city away from the city.
The island as it’s known by locals is only accessible via an overpass bridge that connects the island to the town of San Remo. In the far south west region of the island known as The Nobbies, a council built sanctuary complete with information shelters, on site parking and restaurant has been set up that accompanies a purpose built home for the strong Little Penguin colonies that march onto the beaches at night time having returned from their hunts.
A viewing deck allows guests to see the Penguin march unfold at night and is one of the most popular attractions in Victoria and this all happens at Summerland Bay between October to March.
There’s tons of boardwalks and viewing points all along the Nobbies centre, with cliff side boxes allowing returning shearwater birds and penguins to nest in at night.
The Islands main town of Cowes has a ton of beautiful dining options like traditional Italian food, Asian fusion restaurants and a thriving nightlife scene with bars and gelato shops. It’s also where the professional motorcycle riders hang out after the race so if you’re in town during the event make sure you see the likes of Valentino Rossi and Marc Marquez.
4. Wilsons Promontory National Park
Travel deep down south in the south west corner of Gippsland in the state’s southeast region to uncover the hidden beauty of Wilsons Promontory national park. This stunning ecological mystery is a mix of coastal reserve meets bushwalking wonders.
Choose to stay in the park at their large campsites or cosy up in their luxury lodges, Wilsons prom is a fantastic place to see natural wildlife like Wombats and Echidnas stroll around your campsite at night looking for food. Laura and I recently stayed here and every night we had Wombats come to visit us in our Tidal River campground.
There’s great hiking trails through here with the option of overnight trips, just make sure you travel in twos and always carry a GPS tracker on you. The Mount Oberon Summit is one of the best things to do in Wilsons Prom that takes around an hour to climb up a fairly steep hill to the summit. Greeted with sweeping views of Oberon Bay at sunrise or sunset this is one of the shorter yet challenging hikes.
Wilsons Promontory is also known for its white sand beaches, the most accessible of all are the western coast beaches like Whisky Bay, Squeaky beach and Fairy Cove. Fairy Cove can be a little tricky to reach and during the summer months snakes tend to pop up around the trail so make sure you wear closed toe shoes and look for the moving branch!
The drive from the city will take you just under 3 hours by car. Entrance into the national park is free for all vehicles but if you plan on staying overnight you will need to book in advance as the campsites book out fairly early every month.
5. Grampians National Park
For a complete change of scenery far from the coastline, in fact 4 hours north of the Victorian coastline is the Wimmera Region of western Victoria, most notably known for the giant Grampians national park.
The Grampians are one of the best things to do from Melbourne, located under 40 minutes from the main city of Horsham and 3 hours from Melbourne, a drive to here is the same distance as it is from Wilsons Promontory.
The national park covers 84 km in total distance as the crow flies from the northernmost point to the southernmost tip, however one of the longest hikes here in the region is called the Grampians Peak Trail and will take you at least 9-11 days to complete.
The Grampians national park is a sacred site for the Indigenous Australian first nations people known as Gariwerd. YOu can just as easily do the Grampians as a day trip or make it a full week away, however for the day trippers we recommend the following lookouts.
- Boroka lookout
- Pinnacle Lookout
- Reed Lookout
All of the above can be accomplished in day trips accessible from Halls Gap to the east off Grampians Road. The Grampias visitor information centre is the best place to go for the most up-to-date information regarding park closures, track maintenance and flood closures.
6. The Great Ocean Road
The number one road trip you MUST try before you leave Victoria is probably one of the most iconic road trips in all of Australia; The Great Ocean Road. Hugging the coastline between Torquay and the Twelve Apostles, this 243 km stretch of road winds through incredible nature, seaside towns far out of reach from the city and a surf culture like no other.
The journey begins in Lorne as you pass through the Memorial Arch, built and dedicated by and to the soldiers who served in the Great Wars. We’d personally recommend attempting this drive in a few days to get the most out of your experience.
There are dozens of cafes and bars all along here in towns like Lorne, Apollo bay, Aireys Inlet and of course Torquay. At the southern end of the drive, one of the best attractions on the Great Ocean Road is a stop at the Cape Otway lighthouse station, a short detour from the drive.
As you wind through the Beech forest of the Great Otway national park, we love stopping at the beautiful waterfalls of Hopetoun, Beauchamp and Triplet Falls.
If you’re game enough to adventure a little deeper and aren’t afraid of heights then the Otway Fly treetop park is a great place to try a flying fox, zip-line through the trees and along the canopies of the treeline.
7. Twelve Apostles
Undoubtedly your final destination along the Great Ocean Road that deserves a mention all of its own is the Twelve Apostles natural monument in Port Campbell national park. Despite the name, there were never 12 apostles in existence, only 8 that have now reduced to a mere 6 or 7 over time due to erosion.
As you make your way along this stretch of the Great Ocean road you’ll come to the 12 Apostles visitor centre where you can walk the long boardwalks that surround the apostles from either side, including Gog and Magog to the east. If you don’t mind heights there is a great helicopter tour to purchase from the visitor centre.
Drive a little further back and you’ll find Gibson steps that lead down to Gibson Beach for the opportunity to be sea level with the giant limestone formations.
8. Yarra Valley Wine Country
In Melbourne’s east is the beautiful wine country of the Yarra Valley and the wider Yarra Ranges national park. World class wineries and cideries of Yarra Glen, Healesville and Coldstream produce some of the most popular wine and cider on tap.
The perfect day trip to the Yarra Valley should include an early morning Hot air balloon ride with YarraValley hot air balloons, followed by a lunch and wine at De Bortoli wines as the afternoon slowly fades away.
For the drive back to your accommodation we recommend getting your sweet tooth kick at Yarra Valley Chocolaterie and Ice Creamery off old Healesville road in Yarra Glen.
The Alowyn Gardens here are a nice alternative after lunch to walk off the calories through their perfectly maintained botanical gardens.
9. The Murray River
The border of Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia shares a river bed that runs through all three states known as the Murray River. It’s also used as the border between Victoria and New South Wales all the way through to a remote region called Pilot Wilderness south of Kosciuszko national park.
Locals far and wide travel here through the summer months from December to March to enjoy camping, water skiing and sunshine along the banks of the Murray.
There are plenty of roads that merge across from the Victorian side to the New South Wales side so you can quite easily continue your journey north.
10. Warrnambool
To the far west of the state known as Barwon there is the largest regional town known as Warrnambool where during winter, pods of migratory humpback whales make their way into a special section of the coast known as Logans Beach Whale Nursery.
Driving here is simple enough with plenty of on-site parking before making your way to the viewing platform to see breaching, tail slapping Humpback Whales and even Southern right whales.
It’s one of the few areas along this stretch of coastline dedicated to viewing whales from a fantastic vantage point.
Final thoughts on the Top 10 Best things to do in Victoria
Whilst this is by no means an exhaustive list you should already be packing your backpacks with your new travel coffee cup in hand ready to tackle some of Australia’s most fascinating landscapes. Chris and Laura Travels pays respect to Aboriginal elders past, present and emerging and acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land. Chris and Laura Travels acknowledge that the land is never being explored anew, given the ancient cultures that came before us who still call this land home.
About the Authors
Chris and Laura Travels are an adventure travel and photography blog from Australia living in Melbourne, living the laptop lifestyle since 2019. They’ve been travelling the world for years and are ‘a real couple doing cool s%&t in a responsible way. You can find them all over the world photographing beautiful destinations, travelling sustainably bringing you the best travel guides from around the world.
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Raised as a third culture kid living in South America and Europe, Annick caught the travel bug early. As an empty-nester, Annick enjoys sharing her tips for traveling for those with champagne taste and beer budgets.