Around Melbourne

Dandenong Range

The Dandenong Range is lain less than an hour from Melbourne and towering over Melbourne's eastern fringe. The Ranges are grand, green and very accessible. You can go to sleep listening to the rustle of the bush and wake up to the cackle of kookaburras. The natural world here is gloriously diverse, from stands of mountain ash up to 100 metres high, to the exotic blooms at Olinda's National Rhododendron Gardens. The Dandenong Ranges are home to spectacular wildlife, including king parrots, lyrebirds and lead beater's possums. You can explore on foot more than 300 kilometres of walking trails that loop through ferny gullies and past waterfalls to delightful picnic spots. "Puffing Billy" is Australia's favourite steam train, which trundles from Belgrave to Gembrook and back again.

Daylesford & Hepburn Springs

Daylesford and Hepburn Springs are twin towns in the northwest of Melbourne. Victoria's home of indulgence boasts the highest concentration of mineral springs in Australia and is swathes of bush. Impressive mansions, striking landscapes and some of Victoria's finest gardens combine to create the old world ambience of the nearby Macedon Ranges. Rugged hills and thick stands of unspoiled bush provide striking contrast to stunning parks and glorious manicured gardens and historic houses, many of which are regularly open to the public. This is also a cool-climate wine region known for producing quality table wine, particularly "Macedon" and "Pinot Noir". The "Boomerang Holiday Ranch" and the "Wildwood YHA" offer a night in a dorm for A$ 20.

Mornington Peninsula

Arcing gracefully around the eastern rim of Port Phillip Bay and close to the city, the Mornington Peninsula is a holiday spot favoured by Melbournians. With a mighty ocean to the south and protected bays on either side, the Mornington Peninsula is home to wine, golf courses with ocean views, great beaches and Victoria's most popular national park. Sorrento has historic hotels and limestone mansions overlook excellent eateries, sidewalk cafés, boutiques, galleries and specialist shops. Nearby Portsea, at the end of the peninsula, is a popular diving location and provides the setting for regular surfing and iron man competitions. You can also swim with dolphins and seals and explore the labyrinth of tunnels and fortifications of Point Nepean.

Phillip Island

Phillip Island is an island two hours in the southeast of Melbourne; there you can see little penguins, seals and koalas at close range. And every year, wild life of a different kind is the focus when the island hosts international motorcycle races. There is a rugged coastal scenery as well as historic buildings, heritage gardens and ancient trees on adjacent Churchill Island. You can also find some of the best surf beaches in Victoria and explore the more than 100 species of birds that reside at Rhyll Inlet.

Yarra Valley

Yarra Valley is in the northeast of Melbourne and popular for their 55 world class wineries. The temperate climate is ideal for chardonnay, pinot noir, cabernet, sauvignon and methode champenoise sparkling wine. You can tour the region by car, take the skies to view vine-filled valleys and distant hills in a hot-air balloon, or meet the native fauna at the Healesville Wildlife Sanctuary. Just 15 minutes from Melbourne on the way to Yarra Valley is the Heide Museum of Modern Art and the TarraWarra Museums of Art.

Geelong

Geelong is half an hour in the southwest of Melbourne and it is Victoria's wool centre and has a major port. The city is home of the football team "Geelong Cats" and the Ford Car factory. It is not charming here, but the central part has plenty of historic buildings, and some views of the industrial port. If you have a little bit time, you can visit the "Wool Museum", the Art Gallery, the Waterfront, the "Ford Discovery Centre" and the Botanic Gardens. For staying overnight you should go to the "National Hotel Backpackers", there you can get a night in a dorm for A$ 19.