If anyone epitomises the Australian dream, it’s a Melbournian. Demonstrating on a daily basis that you really can find a place that has it all, the people of Melbourne not only live in one of the world’s greatest cities, bursting with art, culture, fantastic food and vibrant nightlife but they also have some of Australia’s most stunning natural attractions on their doorstep.
Head just an hour out of the city, and you’ll find breathtaking national parks, ruggedly remote coastlines, lush forests, and the chance for close-up encounters with the country’s unique wildlife.
Melbourne and the state of Victoria are the ultimate road trip destination. Take to the Great Southern Touring Route, which circles almost 850km through some of Australia’s most spectacular landscapes, including the Great Ocean Road and Grampians national park, with the chance to discover the region’s untouched beaches, Aboriginal history and gold-mining past. Or to the east is the Sydney Melbourne Coastal Drive, which dishes out awe-inspiring wildlife experiences along its marine playground.
So get behind the wheel to explore five of the state’s wildest destinations …
Mornington Peninsula: Melbourne’s playground
Forget an hour’s commute to work, in just 60 minutes, Melbournians can be basking on some of Australia’s best beaches, hiking through tranquil bushland, or swimming with seals and dolphins.
An easy drive from the city, the Mornington Peninsula attracts surfers, divers and nature-lovers alike with its long sweeps of sand, wildlife-rich wetlands and the pristine sanctuary of Port Phillip Heads marine national park.
The peninsula’s rugged back beaches on the Bass Strait are prime spots to catch a wave, while the sheltered strands on Port Phillip Bay are best for sparking up a barbie or going for a sail, before soaking in the geothermal waters of the Peninsula Hot Springs.
Grampians national park: natural highs
Just three hours from Melbourne, the soaring sandstone escarpments of the Grampians rise up from the vast Wimmera Plains, staking their claim over one of the country’s most outstanding areas of natural beauty.
Waterfalls plunge into lush gorges and pools, dazzling rock formations harbour ancient Aboriginal rock art, and craggy peaks provide 360-degree views across the park’s boundless mountains, valleys and forests.
Halls Gap is the base for bushwalkers and rock climbers and a magnet for wildlife, with kangaroos, kookaburras and parrots offering visitors a textbook Aussie welcome, while at the Brambuk Cultural Centre you can join in rock art tours, walks and workshops exploring the traditional owners’ relationship with this raw, beautiful land.
Phillip Island: wild encounters
With dramatic coastal walking tracks, sweeping bays and laid-back beach towns, Phillip Island is another favourite weekend destination for Melbournians looking for some R&R outside of the city.
But the biggest draw of this easily accessible isle is undoubtedly the little penguins that have taken up residence at Summerland Beach, taking full advantage of this prime stretch of real estate by strutting the sands on their sunset commute from the sea to their rookeries each night.
Phillip Island Nature Parks offers passes to the nightly “penguin parade” and the island’s Koala Conservation Centre, and runs Wild Ocean EcoBoat Adventure to see Australia’s largest fur seal colony at Seal Rocks, with the chance to spot dolphins and whales.
Great Ocean Road: surf’s up
One of the world’s must-do drives, the Great Ocean Road stretches across south-west Victoria, passing through a diverse array of habitats and revealing stunning landscapes at every turn.
Travel along this highway to see plunging cliffs, immense sand dunes, ancient volcanoes, historic towns and the famous 12 Apostles: giant limestone formations rising from the crashing ocean.
Opportunities to spot wildlife abound above and below the waves, with emus and kangaroos wandering the bushland, platypus rippling rainforest pools, glow worms lighting up the gullies, and southern right whales cruising the coastline from June to September.
For a bird’s eye view of the forest, hike the world’s highest and longest treetop walk at Otway Fly Treetop Adventures in the Otway Ranges, or explore Victoria’s underwater forests and canyons in the Arches Marine Sanctuary, home to sponges, turtles and seals.
The Dandenongs and Yarra Valley: mountain retreat
The towering forests and magical fern gullies of the Dandenong Ranges are a world away from life in the city, but just an hour’s drive from Melbourne by car.
Walking, hiking and cycling trails wind through mountain ash trees, past cascading waterfalls and crystal-clear streams. It’s a perfect place to escape: a primordial landscape where the air is cool and permeated with the rich, peaty smells of an age-old forest, and lyrebirds tease, unleashing mimicking calls through the tangle of trees.
And after experiencing the wild beauty that Victoria has to offer, you’re still close enough to get a fix of the city, drifting in a hot-air balloon across the Yarra Valley, as the sun sets over the spectacular skyline below.
Getting there
Singapore Airlines has five daily UK departures to Melbourne via Changi airport in Singapore. You can travel straight through so you get to Melbourne in less than 24 hours, or stop off in Singapore for a day or two. Fares from Heathrow and Manchester to Melbourne with Singapore Airlines start from £710. Book online at singaporeair.com and discover what you can look forward to at visitmelbourne.com.
