Tag: victoria

Melbourne, Australia

On By touristnat2 Comments

Melbourne is the coastal capital of the southeastern Australian state of Victoria. People always compare Melbourne and Sydney but it’s really up to you to decide which city your prefer as they both have pros and cons. Melbourne is known for being more artsy but you could get four seasons in one day! Here is a list of things to do in the city, a few eating recommendations and near by road trips you can do too.

  1. Adelphi Hotel rooftop pool (glass bottom)
  2. Aga The French Patisserie
  3. Art Centre Melbourne
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  4. Australian Centre for Moving Image
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  5. Ballarat day trip known for its Gold!
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  6. Bendigo Day Trip
  7. Brighton Beach for the famous colourful beach huts20180623_164239
  8. Carlton Gardens where you’ll find Melbourne Museum and the Royal Exhibition Building
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  9. Chadstone shopping centre with 550 shops, free shuttle available
  10. China Town
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  11. Cycle Merri Creek Trail
  12. Dandenongs Day trip (puffing billy railway)
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  13. Day trip to Yarra Valley with Autopia Tours
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  14. Degraves street for cafes
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  15. Eat at Hawker Chan (Singaporean food)
  16. Etihad Stadium
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  17. Eureka Tower 88 floor observation deck
  18. Federation Square
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  19. Flag Staff Garden
  20. Flinders Street station
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  21. Forum Theatre
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  22. Geelong day trip
  23. Get a bird’s eye view from the balcony of Hamer Hall2F232308-EBE0-4D05-8C4F-EF343265EB6D
  24. Grampians

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    On the way to Balconies Lookout Point
  25. Great Ocean Road

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    Gibson Steps Beach
  26. Hanging Rock – Macedon Ranges ( I would highly recommend Hanging Rock Llama Walking Tours hosted by Mark, be sure to book ahead)850D80D9-FE42-481F-9AFF-C3A022CE306E
  27. Heide Museum of Modern Art
  28. Hopetoun Tea Rooms – always fully booked
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  29. Hosier Lane and Centre Place for street art
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  30. Immigration Museum
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  31. Luna Park
  32. Lune Croissanterie, always sells out
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  33. Melbourne Museum
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  34. Melbourne Zoo
  35. Mornington Peninsula day trip with Bunyip Tours which will include either the hot springs or Sorrento and Port Sea in the morning followed by the Enchanted Adventure Gardens in the afternoon

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    Arthur’s Seat View Point
  36. National Gallery Victoria
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  37. Nicholas building (shopping)
  38. Old Melborne Gaol
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  39. Old Treasury Building (really good free museum)4E60113F-7576-48E9-9B62-E71BDAA82C8F
  40. Parliament House
  41. Philip Island day trip, they come out after sunset
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  42. Pidapipo Gelato (try the Nutella one)
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  43. Port Campbell (part of Great Ocean Road trip)
  44. Princes Bridge
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  45. Queen Victoria Market
  46. Royal Botanic Gardens
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  47. Royal Exhibition Building
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  48. Sofitel Hotel toilets for a view!
  49. Sorrento and Port Sea
  50. South Melbourne Market
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  51. St Kilda where you can also see Penguins for free
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  52. St Paul’s Cathedral
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  53. State library
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  54. Take the ferry from Queenscliff to Sorrento
  55. Take the free city loop tain
  56. The Block Arcade
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  57. The Star – their ferris wheel for great views from up top
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  58. Town Hall
  59. Waterfront city/New Quay
  60. Yarra River

Great Ocean Road and Grampians

On By touristnatLeave a comment

I’d like to share my itinerary for this famous road trip to make your life easier!

Tip: It tends to be gloomy in the morning with really blue skies 12pm onwards, so keep this in mind for your photos.

Day 1:

Pick up car from Melbourne Airport, drive to the Great Ocean Road putting in Torquay as you first stop. The Great Ocean Road is a permanent memorial to those who lost their lives whilst fighting WW1. From here, head to Bell’s beach known for its surfing -> Anglesea -> Memorial Arch -> Lorne -> Eskirne Falls > Teddy’s Lookout -> Apollo Bay for lunch and grab takeaway dinner here -> Otway National Park for Cape Otway light station (this is a paid activity and closes at 5pm with last entry being 430pm. If you miss this, you can still do a free walk on the side to see the lighthouse from a distance). Check in to 12 Apostles Inn and drive to Gibson Steps and the 12 Apostles for sunset.

This sounds like a lot in one day but keep in mind it’s all about the drive and view points so nothing took up too much time other than the lighthouse walk. Of course we took the first flight that got us into Melbourne ASAP.

Great Ocean Road from Teddy’s Lookout
12 Apostles Sunset
Erskine Falls
Gibson Steps Beach
Teddy’s Lookout platform
Memorial Arch

Day 2:

Continue along the Great Ocean Road and ensure plenty of time to stop at the lookouts along the way. There are short walks at Loch and Gorge -> Bay of Islands -> Logans Beach viewing platform for whale watching (May-Oct is best) -> Warrnambool for lunch and cheesy factory-> Tower Hill State Game Reserve for multiple walk options -> Port Fairy for Griffith Island lighthouse (nice gentle walk) -> Stay the night in Warrnambool Redwood Manor Motel Apartments.

 

London Bridge
Griffiths Island lighthouse
Griffith Island Walk
Tower Hill State Game Reserve
Warnambool Cheese Tasting
The Arch Port Campbell
Loch ard Gorge
Sunset at Warnambool Thunder Point
Sunset at Warnambool Thunder Point

Day 3:

Drive to the Grampians! First stop Dunkeld where you will find The Old Bakery known for its croissants (opens 9am) -> Boroka Lookout especially stunning at sunset if you wanted to do the drive here the night before instead (90m from carpark, best view) -> Reeds lookout (100m from carpark) -> The Balconies (Easy 2km return walk) starting from the Reeds lookout carpark -> Mackenzie Falls 2km return to the base of the falls (there are also other short walks to other falls from here) -> Beehive falls which is almost the highest point of the Grampians National Park (there wasn’t any water when we went, seasonal, 2.8km return therefore not worth doing) -> Pinnacle Lookout (2.1km climbing rocks too, best hike, starting from Sundial Carpark). Stay at Halls Gap, The Grampians Motel and eat at The Views Bar and Restaurant. Food around this area is pricy because there isn’t much choice. Halls Gap is the base for the Grampians. Sunset is best from The Balconies and Reeds Lookout if you want to catch this.

We initially thought we needed to split all these across two days but it is absolutely doable to see and hike everything in the one day as long as you stay the night because you will need the rest!

 

McKenzie Falls
Boroka Lookout
Boroka Lookout

Day 4

Grampians to Ballarat exploring the town known for Gold. From the information centre in the city centre, pick up a free walking tour guide so you can read up on the historic buildings you will see everywhere you walk. Definitely visit Sovereign Hill and the gold museum. Drive back to the airport to return the car and fly home.