Contents
Melbourne is a city of many talents. Alongside being Australia’s cultural capital, this modest little city is also home to some of the world’s most impressive and innovative cafes, which also makes it a global foodie haven. Add to this the sheer variety of artistic attractions, music venues, sporting events, and all the many cultural happenings that make Melbourne as vibrant as it is, and you’ll find that you won’t want to leave all the action of the city as soon as you arrive.
Yes, Melbourne is filled to the brim with things to do on every night of the week – but you’re actually missing out on a lot more than you think if you never leave the comfort of the Free Tram Zone. In truth, the Greater Melbourne region offers just as many opportunities for enrichment as the CBD. You just need to know where to look.
So what’s worth doing across the Greater Melbourne region? Let’s dive in with our top recs for what to see and do outside of the Melbourne CBD.
Mornington Peninsula – A Quintessential Melbourne Escape
Starting off strong, the Mornington Peninsula is just an hour’s drive from the Melbourne CBD, and opens up a world of beaches and coastal trails all along the eastern coast of Port Philip Bay. For history buffs, exploring attractions like Point Nepean can provide rich insights into Australia’s naval history and the guarding of Port Philip Bay during World War I and II.
But outside of hiking, golfing, or going for a dip at beloved beaches like Rosebud and Sorrento, a weekend trip to Mornington calls for one thing more than anything else: a good soak and reset at the local hot springs.
You can stay at the Peninsula Hot Springs or even nearby in Cape Schanck resorts to make the most of your getaway to Mornington.
Great Ocean Road – An Iconic Australian Road Trip
One of Victoria’s most beloved road trip routes, the Great Ocean Road delivers adventure abound along its 243km stretch of coastline. Spanning from Torquay to Allansford, the Great Ocean Road lets you explore some of Victoria’s most iconic coastal attractions and destinations, including the world-renowned Bells Beach surfing beach, as well as the Cape Otway with its historic lighthouse and towering California redwood forests, and of course, the Twelve Apostles rock formation.
After having travelled the length of the Great Ocean Road myself, I have this tip to offer to anyone looking to experience this iconic road trip route for themselves: take your time! There’s so much to see and do even amongst the sleepier coastal towns you’ll likely stop at along the way. If you’re planning to travel during the summer holiday peak, it may also be wise to book your campsites and other accommodation ahead of time – just to make sure you have your first pick of places to stay during your trip.
Puffing Billy – Step Back into Victorian History
Moving further west now and into the heart of the Dandenong Ranges, you’ll find a charming little steam train ribboning its way through the treetops: this is Puffing Billy. A beloved attraction for Victorians, Puffing Billy is a passionately preserved and maintained remnant of Melbourne’s eclectic railway history.
The open-air carriages deliver a refreshing ride that runs along the canopies of towering Mountain Ash trees, where you can freely enjoy all the sights and sounds of the Dandenong mountain ranges. Quick stops at Lakeside on the banks of Lake Treganowan and Gembrook, also let you explore some of the historic attractions, charming eateries, and other sights nestled within the region. The Gembrook Heritage Railway Station is also a must-stop for anyone looking to step right back into the 1920s onto a fantastically restored station and station layout.
For those travelling via public transport, you can access the Puffing Billy Visitor’s Centre via just a quick walk from Belgrave Railway Station. With services operating daily (except on Christmas Day), and journeys varying between 25 minutes to 1.5 hours depending on where you’re planning to disembark, it’s easy enough to organise a daytrip out to Puffing Billy.
Heide Museum of Modern Art – Inspiration Among the Trees
Whilst the Melbourne CBD has no shortage of artsy attractions including the NGV (National Gallery of Victoria) and ACMI (The Australian Centre for the Moving Image), there are other galleries and art museums on the fringes of the city, and even across regional Victoria. One of the most ethereal and transporting art galleries has to be Heide.
Nestled within the leafy suburb of Bulleen along the banks of the Yarra River, the Heide Museum of Modern Art is a public art museum and sculpture park that has long served as a creative hub for artists based across Australia. Heide also happens to be the original home of art patrons John and Sunday Reed, so the museum doubles up both as an art gallery as well as a time capsule that preserves the life and times of Heide’s founders.
Outside of the buildings that comprise the Heide museum, you can freely explore the museum’s attached sculpture park, where open-air sculptures reside across the lawns and between Heide’s veggie garden and towering eucalyptus trees. There are plenty of spots to lay out a blanket and get stuck into a good book, or maybe you could bring along a sketchbook and try to capture some of the bold shapes in the sculptures you see around you.
Zoos Victoria – From Werribee, to Healesville, to Kyabram
If you’ve already visited the Melbourne Zoo in the inner-city suburb of Parkville, then chances are you already know about its sister sanctuaries in Werribee, Healesville, and Kyabram. The experiences offered at these open-air sanctuaries and parks wildly differ from the more structured setup of the Melbourne Zoo, so it’s definitely worth checking out these attractions alongside spending a day in Parkville.
The Healesville Sanctuary, for instance, focuses on providing bushland sites for native Australian wildlife. At this open-air sanctuary, you can expect to get up close and personal with everything from kangaroos and wallabies to echidnas, emus, and sleepy koalas.
Contrastingly, the Werribee Open Range Zoo is like a safari – but in Melbourne?! Prepare to see rhinos, giraffes, elephants, hippos, and even cheetahs and other big cats in and amongst the gum trees. Packing your camera is an absolute must!
Finally, the Kyabram Fauna Park offers similar bushland and wetland habitats for native Australian wildlife, as well as meerkats, reptiles from all over the world, and even cassowaries from tropical Queensland. There’s even a cassowary experience available for those who aren’t faint of heart. They are the world’s most dangerous bird, after all.
Wilsons Promontory – The Ultimate Wilderness Destination
Finally, here’s one for the nature lovers: Wilsons Promontory. Just a quick drive further west of Phillip Island, Wilsons Promontory offers a unique landscape and fully untouched wilderness experience that will let you see wallabies, wombats, and other native wildlife in their natural habitat – and all while fitting in some fantastic beach days and day hikes or overnight hikes along the way.
With bookable campsites located around the Prom, you can basically spend your days walking and exploring and your nights camped up in a totally new corner of the peninsula. The main camping sites at Tidal River are also well-positioned for those looking to enjoy a good swim at Squeaky Beach (named after its quartz sand deposits that actually squeak!), Whisky Bay, and some of the other picturesque bathing spots that can be found along the Prom’s eastern coastline.
On the western coast, there’s also Sealers Cove, which is only accessible via two hiking trails, the shortest of which is still a whopping 9km and spans mountain paths, forest walks, and mangrove boardwalks. It’s an all-terrain dayhike that’s high-intensity but definitely high-reward, as you basically finish it off by arriving at your own private beach at the Prom’s most isolated coastline.
Experience All that the Greater Melbourne Region has to Offer
As you can see, there are many reasons to visit Melbourne as well as wider Victoria, so if you’re planning a trip to Australia anytime soon, be sure not to forget this little state at the bottom of the continent.
And if you’re planning to spend at least 2-3 weeks exploring Victoria alone, we’re hopeful that this list of travel recommendations will help keep your itinerary jam-packed. With careful planning centred around the experiences we’ve outlined above, you can make sure you’re making the absolute most of your time in Australia’s garden state.