Destinations > Victoria > Around Melbourne

Around Melbourne

There are many attractions within a short drive of Melbourne. In a day, you can visit the Bellarine or Mornington peninsulas with their ocean and bay beaches on either side of Melbourne. Other day trips that you can make from Melbourne include seeing the little penguins at Phillip Island or exploring the Yarra Valley wineries.

Geelong

Victoria's second city is a thriving commercial and industrial centre and major port, but for most travellers, Geelong is just a place to pass through en route to Torquay and the Great Ocean Road.

It has a pleasant waterfront area but its main attractions are the Wool Museum and the Ford Discovery Centre.

Practical Information

INFORMATION CENTRES

Geelong & Great Ocean Road Visitor Information Centre

Stead Park, Princes Highway, Corio

Tel (03) 5275 5797 or 1800 620 888

Open 9am-5pm daily

Geelong Visitor Information Centre

National Wool Museum, corner Moorabool & Brougham Streets, Geelong

Tel (03) 5222 2900 or 1800 620 888

Open 9am-5pm daily

INTERNET ACCESS

G Net Café

119 Moorabool Street, Geelong

Tel (03) 5223 2727

Website www.g-netcafe.com

Open 10am-11pm daily

Coming & Going

Most people pass through Geelong when driving between Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road.

If you're travelling by public transport, the V/line (website www.vline.com.au) train service from Melbourne is the easiest way to get here. Trains run hourly from Spencer Street station in Melbourne and take just over an hour. The one-way fare is $7.20-20.40.

There are also direct bus links between Geelong and Melbourne's two airports.

Avalon Airport is only 15 minutes from the centre of Geelong and Avalon Airport Shuttle (tel (03) 5278 8788; website www.avalonairportshuttle.com.au) runs between Avalon and Geelong for $15.

Gull (tel (03) 5222 4966; website www.gull.com.au) run buses to Melbourne Airport picking up at 45 McKillop Street and Geelong train station. The one-way fare is $25.

Local Transport

The Geelong Transit System is comprised of buses run by Benders Busways (tel (03) 5278 5955; website www.kefford.com.au/keff_benders.html) and McHarry's (tel (03) 5223 2111; website www.mcharrys.com.au).

The $1.60 fare allows you to travel on any Geelong Transit System bus for two to three hours.

Accommodation

Irish Murphys

30 Aberdeen Street, Geelong

Bus 35, 36

Tel (03) 5222 2900

National Hotel

191 Moorabool Street, Geelong, Vic 3216

Tel (03) 5229 1211

Sights

Ford Discovery Centre

Thousands of Ford cars roll off the production line in Geelong and the Ford Discovery Centre by the waterfront illustrates the history of Ford cars in Australia. It has displays on the production and design process and also features a collection of cars ranging from the Model Tram to the latest models

Corner Brougham & Gheringhap Streets, Geelong

Tel (03) 5227 8700

Website www.forddiscovery.com.au

Admission $7

Open Wed-Mon 10am-5pm daily

National Wool Museum

Geelong's big attraction is this well designed museum that depicts the history of Australia's wool industry. It also demonstrates the process of shearing, spinning and knitting.

Corner Brougham & Moorabool Streets, Geelong

Tel (03) 5227 0701

Admission $7.30

Open 9.30am-5pm daily

Queenscliff & the Bellarine Peninsula

The Bellarine Peninsula near Geelong has a couple of surf beaches on its southern coastline as well as the historic resort town of Queenscliff.

Queenscliff became a fashionable resort in the 19th century when many grand old hotels were built and nowadays it retains an upmarket feel that separates it from coastal resort towns elsewhere in Australia.

Practical Information

Queenscliff Tourist Information Centre

55 Hesse Street, Queenscliff

Tel (03) 5258 4843

Open 9am-5pm daily

Coming & Going

The Bellarine Peninsula is well connected by public transport from Geelong. McHarry's (tel (03) 5223 2111; website www.mcharrys.com.au) run buses from Geelong.

Peninsula Searoad Transport (tel (03) 5258 3244; website www.searoad.com.au) run ferries every hour (7am -6pm) between Queenscliff and Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula. The journey takes around half an hour and one-way fares are $8 for a foot passenger or $46 for a car with two passengers.

Accommodation

Queenscliff Inn YHA Hostel

59 Hesse Street, Queenscliff

Tel (03) 5258 3737

Sights

Fort Queenscliff

This coastal fortress was constructed in 1882 as part of an elaborate defence network around the Port Phillip Bay heads. Guided tours of the facility take around an hour and allow you to see the fort's lighthouse and military instalments.

Fort Queenscliff , Queenscliff

Tel (03) 5258 1488

Admission $5

Tours Sat-Sun 1pm, 3pm

Marine Discovery Centre

The Marine Discovery Centre runs a programme of events throughout summer including beachcombing and snorkelling with seals.

Weeroona Parade, Queenscliff

Tel (03) 5258 3344

Website www.nre.vic.gov.au/mafri/discovery

Dandenong Ranges

The Dandenong Ranges lie at the eastern edge of Melbourne's suburban sprawl. Not to be confused with the industrial suburb of the same name, the Dandenongs is a region of natural bush land and a favourite picnic spot for Melburnians.

At the summit of Mount Dandenong is a scenic lookout which many locals claim has the best view of the city, but it is over-rated and not worth the effort – there's a view of the eastern suburbs, but central Melbourne is too far away and often shrouded in smog.

A much better idea is to take a ride on Puffing Billy. This is an old steam train that runs from Belgrave to Gembrook through the most scenic parts of the Dandenongs, although it is expensive for a return trip.

Coming & Going

Take the train to Belgrave station, then transfer to bus 688, 694 or 698, which will take you along Mount Dandenong Tourist Road, past the area's main attractions. Belgrave station is also the terminus for the Puffing Billy steam railway.

Sights

Puffing Billy Railway

Puffing Billy is a century-old steam train, run by volunteer train enthusiasts, that still runs between Belgrave and Gembrook on its original track. The train takes you through scenic countryside and the trip is a lot of fun. There are between three and six trains a day, although not all of them continue all the way to Gembrook.

Trains depart from Belgrave station, which is at the end of the Belgrave line on Melbourne's suburban rail network.

Tel (03) 9754 6800

Website www.puffingbilly.com.au

Fares Belgrave-Emerald $17 one-way, $28.50 return; Belgrave-Gembrook $25 one-way, $39 return

Yarra Valley

Over the Dandenong Ranges is the Yarra Valley, which is one of Australia's best wine producing regions. If you're in the area pop into some of the wineries to sample the locally produced wines, some of the best include: Fergusson, St Hubert, Domaine Chandon and Yarra Ridge.

Wandin, Silvan and Healesville supply Melbourne with many of its vegetables and there is often work available picking vegetables. Ask around at the market gardens or check the employment listings at the Lilydale Centrelink office.

Sights & Activities

Healesville Sanctuary

This wildlife sanctuary is a good spot for seeing kangaroos, koalas and other native animals.

Badger Creek Road, Healesville

Bus 685, 686

Tel (03) 5957 2800

Website www.zoo.org.au

Admission $19

Open 9am-5pm daily

Wine tasting

Wine tasting is the main reason most backpackers visit the Yarra Valley. Without your own car and a driver who isn't drinking it can be difficult to get around unless you take a tour. Backpacker Winery Tours run winery tours that visit Domaine Chandon, Eyton on Yarra, St Hubert's and Yarra Ridge with pick-ups from hostels in Melbourne.

Tel (03) 9877 8333

Website www.backpackerwinerytours.com.au

Tours cost $85 including lunch

Tours depart 9am-10am daily

Hanging Rock

This rock formation, 70km north of Melbourne via the Calder Highway, has been made famous by Joan Lindsay's novel Picnic at Hanging Rock that Peter Weir later made into a film.

The rock is a popular picnic spot and lots of fun for novice rock climbers, with plenty of crevices to explore and panoramic views from the pinnacles.

The Hanging Rock Recreation Reserve is home to native wildlife such as wallabies, kookaburras and koalas that are usually easy to find sitting high in the gum trees.

On New Year's Day and Australia Day (26 Jan), the Hanging Rock horse races are held at the racecourse within the reserve.

Phillip Island

Less than a two-hour drive from Melbourne, Phillip Island has some fantastic surf beaches and abundance of wildlife; including koalas, kangaroos, wallabies, seals and the little penguins for which Phillip Island is famous.

Practical Information

Phillip Island Visitor Information Centre

Phillip Island Road, Newhaven, Phillip Island

Tel (03) 5956 7447 or 1300 366 422

Website www.visitphillipisland.com

Open 9am-5pm daily

Coming & Going

If you're not driving, there are a few transport options between Melbourne and the island.

Inter Island Ferries (tel (03) 9585 5730; website www.interislandferries.com.au) sail several times a day between Cowes on Phillip Island and Stony Point on the Mornington Peninsula. The one-way fare is $9, but you also need to take a train from Melbourne to Stony Point (change trains at Frankston), which costs an additional $7.

A popular option is the Duck Truck tour that is run by the Amaroo Park YHA in Cowes (website www.amaroopark.com/ducktruck/). Their one-day tour is $85 and they also have a package deal that includes transport to and from Melbourne, up to three nights accommodation at the Amaroo Park youth hostel and entry to the Penguin Parade, Churchill Island and the Koala Conservation Centre. The package costs $145.

V/line run a bus service between Melbourne and Cowes although this service only runs a once a day. The V/line bus departs from Spencer Street Station and the return fare costs $23.20-33.

There are also several companies that run tours departing from Melbourne. One of the longest established is Autopia Tours (tel 1800 000 507; website www.autopiatours.com.au) who run a popular day trip costing $80 including admission fees to a wildlife park and the Penguin Parade. Wildlife Tours (tel (03) 9534 8868; website www.wildlifetours.com.au) also run day trips from Melbourne, which cost $80 ($70 ISIC, Nomads, VIP, HI/YHA).

Accommodation

Amaroo Park YHA Hostel

97 Church Street, Cowes, Phillip Island

Tel (03) 5952 2548

Sights

Koala Conservation Centre

This is a wildlife park dedicated to koalas where you can walk along a boardwalk in the treetops and see koalas up close.

Phillip Island Road, Sunset Strip.

Tel (03) 5956 8300

Website www.penguins.org.au

Admission $8.50; 3 Parks Pass including entry to Penguin Parade and Churchill Island $28

The Nobbies

At the south-western tip of the Phillip Island are a group of rocks called the Nobbies, which are home to a colony of seals that can viewed through coin operated binoculars at the Nobbies kiosk.

Ventnor Road, The Nobbies

Penguin Parade

Every night at sunset, little penguins emerge from the sea and make their way across the beach to their home amongst the sand dunes. It's best to come here during the summer when there are more penguins; during winter it can be bitterly cold with winds coming up from Antarctica and very few penguins making the trip to their nesting ground. The Phillip Island Penguin Parade is one of Australia's most popular tourist attractions; a huge grandstand has been built to accommodate the hundreds of spectators, and the beach is floodlit detracting from what would otherwise be an amazing natural attraction. There is also an information centre on the site with displays and a short film about penguins.

Ventnor Road, Summerland Beach

Tel (03) 5956 8691

Website www.penguins.org.au

Admission $16; 3 Parks Pass including entry to Churchill Island and Koala Conservation Centre $28

Open 10am-11pm daily; arrive 1hr before sunset for penguin parade

Surf Beaches

Phillip Island has excellent surf beaches along its southern coast. These include Cat Bay, Smiths Beach and Cape Woolamai Surf Beach at the southeastern point of the island.

Wildlife Wonderland (the Giant Worm)

This wildlife park features kangaroos, wombats and Tasmanian devils. It is on the way to the island and is difficult to reach without a car, but it's an easy detour if you're driving to Phillip Island.

Bass Highway, Bass

Tel (03) 5678 2222

Website www.wildlifewonderland.com

Admission $11.90

Open 8.30am-6.30pm