Melbourne & Victoria Travel Guide

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Keeping up with Melbournes calendar of cultural and sporting events can be simply exhausting. Thankfully, Melbourne is surrounded by vibrant regions that inspire winding down, or, if you cant get enough, ramping up the adventure.

Victorians spend much of their time living life outdoors. Open spaces, from outback-like deserts to yellow-sanded bayside beaches, attract activity-seekers, weekend wanderers and jovial holidaymakers. Even city folk in the midst of a working week err to the outside, watching movies under the stars and stretching out in parks to lap up the sunshine. Victorias towns have character and plenty of culture: outdoor food and wine festivals are almost a weekly event; farmers markets liven up school ovals; and family-friendly music festivals take place in front of stunning natural backdrops. Established walking and cycling routes help people ditch the car and get closer to nature, and where there are waves for surfing, or fields for skiing, or rivers for kayaking, theres almost always somewhere to rent the gear and someone to lead you in the right direction.

During a bustling gold-rush era in the late 1800s, streets in Melbourne and many of Victorias small towns were stamped with architectural wonders. These days many of those grand buildings are luxury hotels or hostels, or theatres bursting with talent, or converted on the inside to colourful state-of-the-art galleries. Some of Victorias best old industrial mills and factories live to see another century as smart, yet rough-around-the-edges, restaurants, bars and cafes, filled with folk sipping lattes on designer chairs and dining on delicious, locally sourced food.

Explore the cultural make-up of Victoria by popping into an Indigenous cultural centre and learning about Victoria as it was pre-settlement or, in Melbourne, go on an Indigenous tour along the Yarra or search for trees just outside the CBD that show remnants of Indigenous culture. Catch a tram to Footscray or Richmond and meander along a bustling market-like street before heading to a restaurant for fabulous African or Vietnamese cuisine. Hide out in Chinatowns laneways. Hang out in arty Fitzroy. The cultural identity of Victoria is evident and explained in many of the states museums and art galleries, and, in Melbourne itself, on its walls.

Packing your bags, jumping into the car and heading out of the city is a national pastime. Well-signposted touring routes, helpful information centres and thousands of different types of places to lay your hat make it almost easier done than said. To the coast? To the mountains? To the small country towns? You can almost be guaranteed a friendly welcome, a good coffee (somewhere), and a decent meal to go along with the stunning vistas. The only obstacle is time; make the most of it.

Melbourne

Head down the many bluestone-laden laneways in Melbourne () to find hidden, yet outstanding, restaurants and bright, bold street art that encapsulates the alternative vibe Melburnians carry so well. Take your place on a milk crate in Degraves St and let a local barista change the way you think about coffee, then window-shop for quirky craft and clothes. Watch evenings arrival by the Yarra River then, almost blindly, head up some stairs or down the very end of a graffiti-covered lane to find a smooth drinking establishment serving up quality Victorian wine and beer.

Centre Place, Melbourne
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Great Ocean Road

The Twelve Apostles ().

London Bridge, Great Ocean Road
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Grampians

Rising up from otherwise pancake-flat countryside, the landscape of the Grampians () is as timeless as it is tempting. The granite outcrops here are simply made for rock climbing, abseiling and bushwalking. Not that adventurous? You can drive to waterfalls, stunning lookouts and bush camps carpeted in wildflowers, sample local wines and learn stories of how the traditional Indigenous owners lived in a place they call Gariwerd. Families or romantic couples will find just as much to do here as adventurers.

Cave of Hands, Grampians National Park
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Cultural & Sporting Melbourne

If its footy season in Melbourne ().

Cricket match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
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Wilsons Promontory

For sheer natural beauty, Wilsons Promontory () has it all. Extending out into Bass Strait, this national park is isolated but accessible, boasting sublime beaches and some of the best wilderness hiking in the state. Theres a well-maintained network of trails and bush-camping areas you just need to grab a map, strap on a pack and disappear into the wilds. The overnight walk across the Prom from Tidal River to Sealers Cove and back is a great way to get started, but serious hikers should tackle the three-day Great Prom Walk, staying a night in the gloriously isolated lighthouse keepers cottages.

Whale Rock, Tidal River
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Mildura

The riverside towns on the Murray () is an isolated oasis town with a glorious climate, a relaxed attitude, art deco architecture and some of regional Victorias best gourmet dining. Spend the morning cruising to a winery lunch on a restored paddle steamer, the afternoon swimming, kayaking or golfing, and the evening choosing from the restaurants on the Grand Hotels Feast Street get a table at Stefanos if you can!

Emmylou Paddlesteamer on Murray River
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Country Charm

Theres a lot to like about Victorias country towns: a strong sense of community spirit, an unhurried pace, and that country air and many towns are only a short drive from the city (). Head up the Calder Hwy to the historic goldfield towns of Kyneton, Castlemaine and Maldon, where grand 19th-century buildings, galleries and markets will keep you occupied for days. Day-trip to Daylesford and Hepburn Springs for a relaxing spa treatment and cafe scene.In the northeast, the gorgeous towns of Beechworth, Yackandandah and Bright are a year-round delight.