Melbourne Tours & Day Trips

Melbourne tours and day trips are a great opportunity to get away from the city and experience another side of Victoria.

You can go on cultural tours such as wine tours or historical trips; or experience real Australian wilderness in one of the many surrounding National Parks.

Melbourne surroundings are know for its variety of landscape within only a few hours drive, which makes Melbourne a great destination to tour from.

Whether for a long weekend or just a day away, you can find many possibilities for adventure, enjoyment and relaxation.

Point Lornsdale Port Phillip Bay Melbourne

There are many organised tours from Melbourne. I prefer the freedom of driving myself on a ‘private tour’ which gives me the opportunity to linger wherever I like.

On the other hand, organised tours can get you to places you might miss otherwise, you don't have to get organized, and may make some great friends.

Melbourne Historical Tours

Finding out about Victoria’s past is an adventure in itself. Only just over 150 years ago, Melbourne boomed in the gold rush - whose influences you can still trace today around the city.

For experiencing this era, a tour to the historic gold mining town of Ballarat is the thing to do. Grand Victorian and Edwardian Heritage buildings and tree-lined avenues still speak of its 19th century glory days.

Ballarat’s major attraction is Sovereign Hill, a 35-acre open-air museum recreating the gold mining heydays, including old buildings, actors in authentic costumes engaged in 1850s activities. – Well worth a visit and great for kids.

Another one of Melbourne tours can take you to Beechworth, Victoria’s most perfectly preserved historic gold mining town. It has maintained its original streetscape and original graceful and dignified character.

Australia's most notorious bushranger, Ned Kelly was imprisoned here in a small dark cell for 6 month. Beechworth is located 271 km north-east of Melbourne via the Hume Freeway.

Bendigo is another historic city made rich by gold. Worth visiting is also the nearby Maldon with its well-preserved historic streetscape. Then there is Echuca, Victoria’s historic inland river port with original Paddle steamers.

Closer to Melbourne, there are interesting historical attractions found in Geelong and Queenscliff.

Melbourne Wine Tours

Australia makes some of the world’s best wines and is the fourth largest wine exporter. Melbourne is the only place in the world with five distinct wine regions on its doorsteps. (Yet another Melbourne superlative!?)

Melbourne Yarra Valley wine tours take you through Healesville and the picturesque Yarra Valley, Victoria's best known wine region. There are many small and large wineries to call into, where you can taste pinot noir, chardonnay and sparkling… In the Yarra Valley you can also enjoy the thrills of an early morning balloon flight over the valley.

Then there are large wine growing regions in the Mornington Peninsula, and the wine growing areas near Geelong, both with great sea views, food and wines.

Other Melbourne tours can take you to the wine areas in Sunbury, not far from Tullamarine, and further north, the Macedon Ranges, an area with smaller and boutique wineries.

While there you got to visit the famous Hanging Rock – a rocky mountain top where the legendary disappearance of several college students and their teacher occurred in 1900 – as well as the Mount Macedon scenic outlooks.

National Parks

For nature and wilderness, Melbourne has a number of National Parks that you can visit on a daytrip:

The Dandenong Ranges are a beautiful escape only about 1 hour east from the city -! Melbourne tours to the Dandenongs take you on breathtaking scenic drives through tall Eucalypt forests, a bush walking or a stop-over at an attractive coffee or craft shop. The historic Puffing Billy train from Belgrave to Gembrook - a great lure for kids (of all ages).

Towards the southeast one of the most popular day trips is to visit theFairy Penguins at Phillip Island.

In the southeast are also the Cape Schanck Basalt Cliffs and Mornington Peninsula National Park, a great place for bushwalking, swimming and surfing.

For a more serious getaway of a few days or more, camping out in one of the great National Parks is a favourite:

The Grampians National Park, about 3 hours west from Melbourne, is a fantastic place with breathtaking rocky views, Aboriginal art sites and wild life. Great for bushwalking, cycling, picnicking, or engage in adventure activities such as rock-climbing, or kayaking.

Taking on one of Melbourne tours to the southwest coast and Port Campbell National Park is a travellers favourite.

It is most famous for the Twelve Apostles , stacks of rock formed millions years ago, and gradually falling into the sea. The last major fall was in 2005 - there are in fact only eight left.

To get there drive along the stunningly scenic Great Ocean Road. There you can also go bird watching, swimming, snorkeling or surfing, or follow along historic Shipwreck Trail. Here are some great images of Australia, Victoria and more...

There is no bush camping in Port Campbell National Park, but plenty of camping opportunities in private camping grounds in the area.

About the same distance but southeast of Melbourne, you will find the Wilsons Promontory National Park, a magnificent stretch of coastline with many excellent walks with mountainous forests, fern gullies, salt marshes, grey granite ranges and wild life.

It is the most southerly point of mainland Australia, one of the 'must Melbourne tours'; a great place to camp, go diving or snorkeling, or to enjoy the tidal river and beaches.

Melbourne Tours to High Country or Snow

The Alpine National Park is massive and stretches from Mount Baw Baw, just 2 hours east of Melbourne, right through to Canberra.

In summer there are fantastic opportunities for rock climbing and abseiling, bushwalking, mountain biking, kayaking & canoeing, horse riding and 4Wheel driving – and plenty opportunities for bush camping.

There is still real wilderness in many places such as the rugged plateau of Mount Buffalo with its massive granite tors (a high rock or pile of rocks on the top of a hill), plunging waterfalls and cliff-top views.

In winter, the Victorian Alps offer plenty of opportunity to get out your skis, snowboards and toboggans. There is downhill skiing Australia as well as snowboarding and cross country trails. Along the Alpine Road, about 4-5 hours from Melbourne, there is Mount Hotham and Falls Creek, and then there is Mount Buller only three hours from Melbourne.

For children and beginners, Melbourne tours to Mount Baw Baw are just fine with a perfect mixture of beginner and intermediate downhill runs and tobogganing. For cross country skiers there is Mount Stirling and Lake Mountain.

Check the snow report as Australian Snow can be a bit unpredictable, but nevertheless great fun.

Tours from Melbourne

Of course there is more to do in the world than just shorter Victoria and Melbourne tours. Nevertheless, it is always a wonderful place to return to after a long trip.

Melbourne is a great starting point to explore the rest of Australia.

Tasmania travel is popular from Melbourne. Tasmania is close to Victoria and very different - with amazing natural beauty and wildlife, and a slower pace where you automatically have to relax.

If you want to venture further and want some help in deciding what little corner of the world to concentrate on, Mark and Judy of MouseTours Travels are a great resource.

With a click of your mouse, you can travel with them and read their travel adventure stories and helpful tips. They'll inspire you to take your dream trip... in Australia or anywhere else in the world! Answers to questions... Where to go? How to choose? Can custom tours be affordable? What to pack? Do you need shots? What is a visa? Do you need one? What about foreign money... and the language?

Return from Melbourne Tours to Melbourne Home Page.