7 best day trips from Melbourne

Day trips compared

The day trips

270 km · About 4 hours each way along the coast

1.Great Ocean Road and the Twelve Apostles

The Great Ocean Road winds along cliffs and surf beaches from Torquay through Lorne and Apollo Bay to the limestone stacks of the Twelve Apostles in Port Campbell National Park. It is a very long day; staying a night in Lorne or Apollo Bay lets you add rainforest walks in the Otways and see the Apostles at sunset.

Getting there

Car or organised coach tour

Best for

First-timers, Couples, Families

140 km · About 2 hours by car

2.Phillip Island

Phillip Island is best known for its Penguin Parade, when hundreds of little penguins come ashore at dusk at Summerland Beach while visitors watch from grandstands and boardwalks. Daytime stops include the Koala Conservation Reserve, the Nobbies boardwalk and the Grand Prix motorcycle circuit.

Getting there

Car or evening coach tour

Best for

Families, First-timers

60 km · About 1–1.5 hours by car

3.Yarra Valley

Victoria's best-known wine region around Healesville and Yarra Glen has cellar doors pouring Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and sparkling wine, plus Healesville Sanctuary, a native wildlife park run by Zoos Victoria. Hot-air balloon flights launch at dawn over the vineyards.

Getting there

Car or winery tour

Best for

Couples, Food lovers, Families

40 km · About 1 hour by train or car

4.Dandenong Ranges and Puffing Billy

Puffing Billy, a restored steam railway dating from 1900, runs from Belgrave through fern-filled forest in the Dandenong Ranges, with passengers sitting on the open carriage windowsills, legs dangling. Hill villages such as Sassafras and Olinda have tea rooms and gardens.

Getting there

Suburban train to Belgrave, or car

Best for

Families, Couples, Quiet stays

90 km · About 1.5 hours by car

5.Mornington Peninsula

The peninsula south of the city mixes calm bay beaches lined with colourful bathing boxes, surf on the ocean side, cool-climate wineries around Red Hill and the geothermal pools of Peninsula Hot Springs near Fingal.

Getting there

Car

Best for

Couples, Beach, Food lovers

115 km · About 1.5 hours by train

6.Ballarat and Sovereign Hill

Ballarat grew rich in the 1850s gold rush, and its grand Victorian streetscapes still show it. Sovereign Hill recreates a gold-mining town with costumed staff, gold panning and mine tours, and the Eureka Centre tells the story of the 1854 Eureka Stockade rebellion.

Getting there

V/Line train from Southern Cross

Best for

Families, Culture

260 km · About 3 hours by car

7.Grampians National Park

Gariwerd, the Grampians, has sandstone ridges, waterfalls such as MacKenzie Falls, kangaroos grazing at dusk around Halls Gap and important Aboriginal rock-art sites. The Pinnacle walk gives the classic view over Halls Gap; it works best as an overnight trip.

Getting there

Car

Best for

Quiet stays, Couples

Day-trip tips

• Leave early: most trips are more relaxed with a morning departure and a return before dinner.
• Suburban trains run from Flinders Street and Southern Cross stations, with the underground City Loop under the CBD, while regional V/Line trains leave Southern Cross for Ballarat, Bendigo and Geelong.
• Buses cover routes the trams miss, and SkyBus express coaches link the airport with Southern Cross Station.
• For trips over about 150 km, an overnight stay or an organised tour saves a lot of travelling.

Questions travellers ask