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The Great Ocean Road starts about 62 miles/100 km west of Melbourne. From the city getting there is easy now with the new Western Highway that leads you through Geelong to the Great Ocean Road and the Otway Ranges where you can stand atop 300 ft/100 metre limestone cliffs to view natures remarkable rock formations, all from a rainforest environment. Driving along the Great Ocean Road, you will see the Twelve Apostles, giant rock Island formations standing 45 metres high quite close to the road and the cliffs of the forshore. Visit the historic towns of Queenscliff, Port Fairy and Portland. Visit the holiday places such as Torquay, Anglesea and Lorne which is the major town along this coastal region. See the national Wool Museum at Geelong. If your lucky to get an invitation, play golf at Barwon Heads, a true links course. Golf can also be played all along the Great Ocean Road at Anglesea, Torquay and Lorne. Go to Melbourne Golf for all Victorian golf. If you wish to stay overnight at Lorne, you can head north via Colac and see rich pastoral land on the way to Ballarat, about 100 miles/163 km from Lorne to visit Sovereign Hill, a completely restored gold mining town where period costume, buildings and way of life have been re-created in the times of the gold rush days of the early 19th century. Sovereign Hill is an award winning, outdoor museum and well worth the trip. There are more than 60 period buildings to go through. You can watch carpenters and blacksmiths in action, buy cosmetics and soaps of the day and moustache cups. Mine tours are conducted by very knowledgable Guides and at the end of the day you can see a small troop of 40th regiment troopers firing their black-powder muskets and lowering the Union Flag. There are many other interesting sights and tours such as the two hour driving tour of the Ballarat Gold Fields, It will take you to 16 of the major sites associated with Ballarat's mining history and provides a marvellous orientation to the city, incorporating two of the best panoramic views of the city. Both past gold mining cities, Ballarat and its nearby northern neighbour, Bendigo, will take you back to the early days of the west in the US as the buildings, especially old hotels, sport huge verandahs overhanging the foot-paths (sidewalk). In Bendigo, at last time of visit, the Occidental Hotel was still operating. If preferred, you can drive direct to Ballarat from Melbourne via the Ballarat Highway, a 60 mile/100 km trip or you can take day tours by coach from Melbourne either via the Great Ocean Road, part of the Gold Field Tourist Route or direct via the Ballarat Highway. Both Ballarat and Bendigo sport very good golf to play. The Grampians are about 162 miles/260 km northwest of Melbourne.
The quickest drive route is via the Ballarat Hwy to Halls Gap, the central town inside the
Grampians National Park. The 167,000-hectare Grampians National Park itself combines several natural havens in one: soaring ranges, deep forests, cascading waterfalls, gigantic sculpture gardens and an annual tableau of wildflowers. And almost all these worlds are easily accessible: by foot, car, boat, even rope, Mt Arapiles near Horsham is regarded as one of the premier climbing destinations in Australia. Guide a canoe along the winding Wimmera River, or follow a trail to MacKenzie Falls, one of the largest waterfalls in the state. Swing into action on the golf course at Halls Gap, the holiday capital in the heart of the Grampians and a perfect stepping-off point for all destinations in the park. Stroll to a panoramic lookout and get your bearings. Visit an Aboriginal rock art site: more than 80 per cent of such sites in Victoria are found here. Drop by in spring and catch all the dazzling colours of the wildflowers in bloom. The Grampians and Little Desert National Parks are not only gardens of vast proportions but also a showcase of many of the state's finest plants. About a third (nearly 970 species) of Victoria's native plants are found here. Keep an eye out for an amazing array of animal life. The region's national parks are home to more than 200 species of birds and several species of kangaroo and wallabies.
Tread softly in the Little Desert and you might even catch a glimpse of
the remarkable mallee fowl. Venture further afield and tempt a trout from the scenic
rivers, streams and lakes throughout the region. And visit one of the region's splendid
art galleries, or follow a heritage trail through a local village or town. Train and Coach
tours available from Melbourne. Victoria's summer playground; of beaches cottage wineries, fabulous golf links, deep sea sport fishing and colonial Victorian architecture. To get there from Melbourne, drive south via the Freeway or the Nepean Highway that runs along the eastern foreshore of Port Phillip Bay. Just one hour's drive from Melbourne, and you could be at Frankston, the gateway to the Peninsula. Travel another hour, and you could be right at the tip of the Peninsula at Portsea. Or it could take you longer if you were to stop and sample some of the delights in between. There are many important historical aspects to the Mornington Peninsula. The site of Victoria's first settlement (1803) is located at Sorrento. Magnificent Ballam Park Homestead combines history with a craft market. Briar's Historic Park also offers more than just history to the visitor. Along with the Napoleonic memorabilia, the visitor can experience nature's splendour in the wetlands areas and the woodland walks. Then of course you can visit historic Fort Nepean where Cheviot Beach is and decide for yourself if a submarine took our Harold (reference to the disappearance of the then Australian Prime Minister, Harold Holt whose body was never found off Cheviot beach). The Mornington Peninsula is a boot-shaped promontory of land that curves south of Melbourne to form the eastern shore of Port Phillip Bay is Victoria's oldest and most popular holiday playground. Surrounded on three sides by the waters of Port Phillip and Western Port Bays, and Bass Strait, it provides the closest ocean beaches to Melbourne and a stunning crescent of safe bayside beaches. Between the bays, its rich hinterland boasts fine scenic views of grazing pastures, thoroughbred horse studs, fruit orchards and rolling, vine-clad hills. This is Australia's newest and fastest growing boutique wine district, featuring over 100 vineyards and 35 cellar door facilities, many of which include restaurants with breathtaking views over sea and countryside. When combined with its reputation for fine food and character accommodation, the Mornington Peninsula is attracting an ever-growing reputation for 'the good life'. The Peninsula contains regional Victoria's highest concentration of man-made attractions, which means that its holiday appeal lasts all year round. The region's leading attractions - Arthurs Seat Scenic Chairlift, Ashcombe Maze and Point Nepean fortifications - are complemented by a multitude of smaller attractions in the coastal towns. The Arthurs Seat precinct not only provides the best views of Port Phillip Bay, but also over 30 things to see and do ranging from a car museum to an old English pub. Horse trail riding can also be enjoyed in the area, or along the rugged beaches of the Bass Strait coastline. The colourful history of the region dating from 1802 can still be experienced in a range of historic properties open to the public, including The Briars, Coolart and McCrae Homestead. Point Nepean's strategic location at the entrance to Port Phillip Bay saw the development last century of an intricate labyrinth of tunnels, lookouts and fortifications, which visitors can now inspect on semi-guided tours. A wide range of quality art and antique galleries can be found in the towns of Sorrento, Mornington, Red Hill and Tyabb. In fact, the small township of Tyabb is almost entirely devoted to the exhibition and sale of antiques and collectable items, including Australia's largest collection of antiques and old wares under the one roof. The sand base of most of the Mornington Peninsula means that almost all of its 18 golf courses can be played year-round. From Mornington to Portsea, immaculate courses dot the countryside, including the acclaimed Cape Schanck, The Dunes and now the two new links courses, the Ocean designed by Peter Thompson and Moonah designed by Greg Norman. All things considered, these are arguably, the very best collection links courses in Australia. Both Cape Schanck and The Dunes are public links courses. Go to Melbourne Golf for all Victorian golf. A roll on, roll off Queenscliff - Sorrento ferry service, sails the Bay daily, departing to/from on the hour, from 7 am to 6 pm. See Sorrento - Queenscliff Ferry Phillip Island See the fairy penguin parade. The Parade is open every day
of the year. The best time to visit is at sunset/dusk if you wish to see the actual
"penguin parade". This is when the penguins cross Summerland Beach to return to
their sand-dune burrows. After a day fishing for food in the waters surrounding Phillip
Island, the penguins make their way across Summerland Beach in groups. This delightful
event is commonly known as the "penguin parade". This unique "parade"
can be experienced from environmentally friendly observation boardwalks and viewing
stands. Also see Super Bike international racing here. Striking contrasts dominate the landscape of Sunraysia's
Mildura and Murray Outback. Bordered by New South Wales and South Australia in the far
northwest corner of Victoria, the region is characterised by lush, irrigated orchards and
vineyards set against the arid red soil and shifting sand dunes of the surrounding desert.
Steeped in ancient history, Mungo National Park is where the world’s oldest
homo sapien remains – dating back over 40,000 years – were discovered.
Well-preserved Aboriginal campsites, sculpted sandhills, spectacular stone outcrops and
the buried bones of giant extinct marsupials are other unique features of this ancient dry
lakebed. Getting about Melbourne offers Australia's best public transport system. Coach
tours operate from your hotel door to the Gold Fields, the Grampians and Great Ocean Road
Coach tours are available. Rail operates to The Grampians, Ballarat, Bendigo and
Sunraysia.
Climate: Warm to hot summers and cool to cold winters. Mild Spring/autumn. Vacation Australia provides custom planned, competitively priced tours & packages Vacation Australia's "Kangaroo Kelly" has comprehensively golf and travelled all States in Australia over a period of 44 years. He not only knows the popular tourist regions but also knows the favourite places of the crafty locals. Groups 8 or more persons His assistant, "Wallaby Wendy," is an experienced travel buyer who individually negotiates the lowest possible price for your group. We assure you that your itinerary price will be the most competitive possible. Go to Enquiries & Quotations for your custom planned, competitively priced itinerary |
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