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My hands are outreached with humility and love, because I didn’t realise how much fun a Victoria road trip would be.
This serene Southeast corner of our Great Southern Land, is known for its outstanding natural beauty, coastal drives, mountain vistas and rolling hills and vineyards.
In fact, it’s nicknamed The Garden State, because of its greenery and gorgeous scenery.
If you’re into nature, sipping wine under the stars, hiking and wildlife watching, then traveling around Victoria in Australia is one of the best road trips in Aus for you!
In this guide, we share our perfect 16-day Victoria road trip itinerary which takes you on a loop around the state, ticking off the iconic attractions like the Great Ocean Road and Melbourne.
So when you’re ready for adventure, pack your vehicles, and let’s get exploring!
How Many Days Do You Need To Explore Victoria?
When I plan my road trips, I need adventure, beaches, mountains, delicious food, wine, festivals, sports and fun people.
Little did I know that Victoria would wrap up all these things in a neat little package.
When I was planning our Aussie road trip, we pencilled in 1 month to explore Victoria.
“That’s all we’ll need. I just want to skip through the state so we can get to the good stuff.”
3 months later we were still there.
I arrived and my soul said, “Don’t move. Just stay awhile and savour what Victoria has.“
It was gentle, soul serving and uplifting, filled with memorable moments and beautiful people.
I would say you need a minimum of 14 days to road trip Victoria, but our itinerary is for 16 days as we feel you should spend more time in a few areas.
16-Day Victoria Road Trip Itinerary
The following itinerary starts and finishes in Melbourne, the capital city of Victoria and the place where most travelers fly into.
We actually started in Bright as we were road tripping down from NSW, but for ease we’ve switched this itinerary up to meet the needs of the many.
However, it’s a loop itinerary, so you can start wherever you feel fit and go in the direction you prefer.
Melbourne (2 Days)
Every time my daughter, Kalyra, sees the skyline of Melbourne loom in the distance, she gets overly excited. It’s no wonder why, it’s long vied for title of best city in Australia.
While there’s no denying that Sydney easily wins all beauty categories – on a stunning and global scale – Melbourne owns the urban soul of Australia.
It digs deep to offer a more personable and cultural experience to make up for what it lacks in looks. I fell in love with each new suburb and cafe we found hidden deep in laneways or in convent gardens.
We explored by foot, by tram and by bikes, Kalyra even breaking all 6-year-old dare devil limits to cycle down Swanston St.
I even took a shine to the beaches in Melbourne, particularly around Port Phillip Bay and St Kilda – with sunsets like this how could you not?
Melbourne is wrapped up in community and you will never feel alone or like you have to pretend to be someone you’re not.
The food, the coffee, the shopping, the arts, the festivals, the vibe, the culture, the sports – Melbourne didn’t get the Olympics in 2000, but it did have the Melbourne Cup, the Australian Tennis Open, the Grand Prix, AND the AFL.
Get more inspiration for exploring Melbourne in these guides:
- Staying At Mantra Southbank Melbourne: An Honest Review
- Fun Things To Do In Melbourne With Kids
- Shining The Light On Street Art on Hosier Lane, Melbourne
- Ideas for What to Do in Melbourne for Your First Visit!
- Places to Eat in Melbourne: Top Restaurants & Pubs!
- Best Melbourne accommodation options from budget to luxury
- Why Federation Square is a Worthy Stop on Your Melbourne Trip
Geelong – Torquay (1 Day)
- Distance: 73km along M1
- Drive time: 1 hour
- How long to stay: 2-3 hours
Depart Melbourne in the morning and stop off in Geelong for half a day of exploring the laid-back Port City and its Waterfront esplanade, where you will find art deco buildings and a beautiful 19th-century carousel.
Go for a swim in the sea bath at Eastern Beach, or relax in the Geelong Botanic Gardens.
Fun fact: Geelong is home to the second oldest Australian Football team in Australia and has a great sporting scene.
Bellarine
- Distance: 26km along C123
- Drive time: 25 minutes
- How long to stay: 1 hour
Head over to Bellarine for lunch and admire the coastal views from the Eastern Beach Reserve, or head to Terindah Estate to sample some local wines and enjoy views from the terrace.
Bellarine is a small town with only 81 liveable properties, but it’s most well known for its wineries and quietness.
Once again, Victoria surprised us with the gift of a place to rest and a community to embrace us.
We had no plans to visit the Bellarine Peninsula, but followed the advice of a trusted friend. One week turned to three as we explored Queenscliff, Ocean Grove and Barwon Heads.
Once again, it’s an area that can’t compete with the stunning beauty of many towns across the border, but there was a home grown goodness here that stole our hearts.
Victoria, you’re so compact and give your people so much opportunity for rest and rejuvenation, with good food and wine thrown in.
It rooted us and helped us to rebuild. You opened up a new dimension of ourselves, deepened our bond and brought clarity and renewed strength to continue our journey.
Torquay
- Distance: 46.1km along C123 and Surf Coast Hwy
- Drive time: 45 minutes
- How long to stay: one night
Head to Torquay after lunch and park your car up at the hotel, as this is where you will spend the night.
Torquay is the gateway to the Great Ocean Road, but there’s plenty to see and do here and should not be a passing stop.
Spend the afternoon exploring the Australian Natural Surfing Museum, catch a sunset from Torquay Front Beach, or unwind with a craft beer at Bells Beach Brewing.
Great Ocean Road – Port Campbell (3 Days)
- Distance: 190km along Great Ocean Road
- Drive time: 3 hours 30 minutes
- How long to stay: 3 days
It baffles me how people drive the Great Ocean Road in one day.
This 243 km road is Australia’s most scenic road and you need a minumum of 3 days to drive the length and stop off at the amazing viewpoints and hiking trails.
This road is so much more than just a couple of rocks, yet even those totally floored me with their impressive beauty.
We lingered for 10 days hiking through rainforests, spying on sleeping koalas in gum trees by the roadside, enjoying your beautiful beaches, and exploring the magnificent sculptured coastline.
We recommend you make your night stops at Lorne, Apollo Bay, and Port Campbell.
Some unmissable sights on the Great Ocean Road are the 12 Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge, Erskine Falls, and Hopetoun Falls. And be sure to stop off to do some whale-watching from the viewpoints.
Read our complete guide to the Great Ocean Road to help you plan this section of the itinerary. Consider staying at the Mantra in Lorne or YHA Apollo Bay
The Grampians (1 Day)
- Distance: 152km along Hamilton Hwy/B140
- Drive time: 1 hour 50 minutes
- How long to stay: 1 day
Our visit to The Grampians was one of my favourite days in Victoria.
We began with a 4km round trip hike to the Pinnacles in the Grampians National Park.
The sun came out and warmed our spirits. The girls walked the entire 2.1km uphill path to the peak, surprising me with a strength I did not know they had.
Savannah walked barefoot and Kalyra took on the leadership role to follow the arrows to the top.
It was one of those memorable days spent bathed in happiness and beautiful nature.
We stayed at the YHA Grampians in Halls Gap, the gateway to this national park. We recommend staying here for one night and spending a whole day exploring the park
The Grampians are famous for its rock climbing routes, hiking trails, waterfalls (check out MacKenzie Falls), and native Australian wildlife such as wallabies, kangaroos, koalas, possums, echidnas, emus and more.
It also has a Gold Rush history from late 1800s and early 1900s, which you can learn about in the town of Mafeking.
Ballarat – Goldfields Track – Daylesford – Hepburn Springs (1 Day)
- Distance: 147km along Glenelg Hwy/B160
- Drive time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- How long to stay: 1 day
Depart The Grampians and head back towards Melbourne via Ballarat. This city in the Central Highlands is known for its history and botanic gardens.
Spend the morning exploring Sovereign Hill to learn about the Gold Rush era, followed by a visit to Ballarat Wildlife Park or Ballarat Botanical Gardens if you fancy hanging around longer.
Ballarat is well known for its Victorian architecture and is part of the International League of Historical Cities (the first one in Australia to earn the title).
If you want to get out of the city and into nature, then consider hiking a portion of the Goldfields Track, a 210 km point-to-point hiking trail through Victoria’s historic towns and mountains.
Of course, it wouldn’t be possible to complete the whole hike on this itinerary, but there is a beautiful section that leaves from Ballarat and passes through Daylesford and Castlemaine before arriving at Bendigo.
This trail is 6.8km out and back and is flat most of the way, passing through Bendigo Regional Park. You can view the trail map here.
Hepburn Springs
- Distance: 46.6km via Ballarat-Daylesford Rd/C292 and Midland Hwy/A300
- Drive time: 45 minutes
- How long to stay: 1 night
Spend the night in Hepburn Springs, a tiny resort town where you can soothe your aching hiker’s legs at one of the hot spring spas.
This town is in the heart of the largest concentration of mineral springs in Australia.
Relax at The Mineral Spa or go for an evening walk around Hepburn Mineral Springs Reserve.
Hepburn Springs – Macedon Ranges – Yarra Ranges
- Distance: 63.2km via Romsey Road
- Drive time: 55 minutes
- How long to stay: 1 day
Get up early to drive to the Madecon Ranges, also known as The Shire of Macedon Ranges.
This is wine country, and is best known for its wineries, native forests, and rock formations.
Don’t miss a chance to see the geographical attraction Hanging Rock, and then hang out at the Hanging Rock Winery for some incredible views and crisp wine.
If you love gardens, the Forest Glade Gardens are particularly beautiful.
Black Spur Drive
- Distance: 123km via Romsey Road
- Drive time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- How long to stay: 1 day
After spending a morning hanging around Macedon Ranges, take the scenic road known as Black Spur Drive towards Marysville, where you will spend the night.
This 27.9 kilometre drive connects Healesville to the Yarra Ranges, via Narbethong and the Great Dividing Range.
It’s known for its lush forested landscapes, made up of ash trees and green ferns. Stop off at Dom Dom in Marysville State Forest for a picnic or afternoon coffee.
Head on to Marysville where you will spend the night.
Marysville, Yarra Ranges (2 Days)
- Distance: 152km along Maroondah Hwy/B360
- Drive time: 20 minutes
- How long to stay: 1-2 days
At the end of the Black Spur Drive, you’ll find yourself in Marysville, a town I didn’t know much about, but fell in love with.
Marysville was devasted by a bush fire in 2009, but how this town recovered is remarkable.
We enjoyed the serenity of Marysville’s overhanging tree lined streets and the surrounding forested mountains of the Great Dividing Range.
We stayed for 2-3 days just to soak in the serenity, but if you are short on time, you could spend one full day here hiking in the Yarra Range and Great Dividing Range.
Bright (2 Days)
- Distance: 261km along National HWY M31
- Drive time: 2 hour 55 minutes
- How long to stay: 2 days
As mentioned earlier, our introduction to Victoria started with Bright. Oh how I love Bright, my little alpine slice of heaven.
Bright gives love its concrete form and I just want to bathe in it.
Kalyra and I don’t stop sharing the memories. She wants to live there. Although she is torn with a city that captured her heart.
I recommend you stay a minimum of 2 days, but you could easily spend more days here if you have time on your side.
Murrindal & The Snowy River National Park (2 Days)
- Distance: 294km along Great Alpine Rd/B500
- Drive time: 4 hours 30 minutes
- How long to stay: 2 days (including travel day)
It’s a long drive from Bright to Murrindal, the gateway to the Snowy River National Park.
This national park is a great place to stop off and do some hiking or some camping. I recommend you stay one night and do the Little River Gorge Walk on the way to Murrindal (where you should stay the night).
The next day is another long drive, so head to Basin Creek Falls Picnic Area to have a picnic breakfast in the scenic national park before driving on to Wilsons Promontory.
Note that Snowy River National Park often closes due to bad weather, so check the website for closures before visiting.
Wilsons Promontory (3 Days)
- Distance: 152km along Hamilton Hwy/B140
- Drive time: 4 hours
- How long to stay: 3 days (including travel day)
My first reaction to Wilsons Promontory was “Unbelievable!” (I actually swore, but you know, family travel blog!)
As soon as we turned the corner and saw the views: pink, granite boulder cliffs, turquoise waters, white squeaky sand, and dunes and green hills.
How have I NEVER heard of Wilsons Promontory and Squeaky Beach until I crossed the border and every Victorian I met said, “Prom Country is my favourite part of Victoria, if not Australia.”
Squeaky Beach made our best beaches in Australia list and top national parks to visit in Australia.
I’d never heard of Prom Country before so we didn’t book ahead, which meant we could only get 3 days there at Tidal River. I wanted to stay for weeks!
However, 3 days is enough if you’re short on time.
Some popular things to do there are surf at Norman Beach, hike to Mount Bishop, look out for migrating whales from Tongue Point, take a cruise to Skull Rock and look for seal colonies, and of course, relax on Squeaky Beach.
Philip Island (1 Day)
- Distance: 143km along C444
- Drive time: 1 hour 57 minutes
- How long to stay: 1-2 days
Finally, it’s time to head back towards Melbourne, but not before stopping off at Phillips Island, known for its colony of fairy penguins.
You can reach Phillips Island by taking a ferry from Stony Point on the Mornington Peninsula.
It’s not just penguins that you should visit here for. I thought I’d be gushing over fairy penguins, but instead, it was the chilled vibe that captivated me most.
This is a common weekend getaway from Melbourne and where you see those working hard in the city each week relax on the weekend.
We extended the groove on Phillip Island to a week long stay, but you can visit in a day trip or 2 day trip.
Philips Island is only a 1 hour 45 minute drive from Melbourne via the M1, where our itinerary ends.
Map of This Victoria Itinerary
To help you plan your stops and drive times, here is a map of this road trip of Victoria:
Final Thoughts
Victoria, what a state. Its beauty is tucked away in so many corners, you have to go looking to find it.
I’m glad I discovered the secret of Victoria, and I am sorry, but I’m sharing it.
From now on, I come to Victoria with hearts and arms wide open. There’s a softness and warm happiness with Victorians that you don’t find elsewhere in Australia.
The people here don’t have to prove to the world they’re great, they just know it from the inside out and take comfort in that inner peace.
They win the award for most passionate and friendly.
Just when I was starting to wane with Victoria, you know, because the weather is so consistent with being inconsistently awful – and the most annoying flies in Australia (on last count, I’d swallowed 5) – I was wowed…
Victoria opened my eyes to the depth my country has to offer. Thank you for that.
You will always have a special place in my heart, Victoria.
LOve it guys!
Although Victoria doesnt hold as much of my heart as NSW i do agree with the Great Ocean road – one of the most memorable road trip for me!
Haha, what a beautiful love letter to the fine state of Victoria! I moved here two years ago and still have a love-hate relationship with the place. Although, there’s now a few more things to add on my to-do list after reading your post.
Thank you for sharing wonderful memories.
BC
I love this…I dream of travel but as we are in the midst of building a home it is a way off for us at the moment. What you’ve done those is inspire me to take a travelling mindset in my own backyard! Love you’re round up of Victoria! I’m sad to say there a few places I haven’t seen on your list and I’ve lived here my whole life!
Having lived in both Melbourne and Sydney, I have to say I prefer Sydney. There’s something about the huge, chaotic city that calls out to me. It’s not a fair comparison, though, more about personal preference. Apples and oranges. 🙂
I have only spent about a month in Oz but reading this so makes me want to go back. I too lingered at the Apostles for more time than I thought reasonable. Soon, soon, soon!
I LOVE victoria. We lived in Geelong for 2 years and the beauty that surrounded us was truly amazing. We had melbourne to one side and the most beautiful beaches and scenery to the other. Yes the weather is up and down and the winters are wet and cold, but that’s part of its charm. We moved back home to the UK but Victoria will always be considered part of our home 🙂
I live in Geelong. When Caz and Craig said they were coming down, I warned them that the area surrounding Geelong is good, but the town itself is boring. It is ideally located – Apollo Bay and the surf coast on one side and you are *so* close to Melbourne. I think Victoria has an underrated charm and I think that they only got to explore part of what makes it awesome
Great reflections Caz and a real thought inspiring article. For me Melbourne grows on me each time I visit, Sydney dissipates each time I visit. Melbourne has real character and lots of hidden gems. Yet each time I go to Sydney I stumble across more places which don’t look pretty and feel uncomfortable to be in.
Yes the harbour views of Sydney are amazing, world class in fact. That along with NRL is the main appeal for me. I’m afraid I disagree with you on the AFL, not quite to my taste and I’ve experienced a few matches.
I think overall in order my favourites would be Queensland, then Victoria followed by NSW.
I often feel the marketing budget and perception of Victoria is so understated that it never gets the profile it deserves. Good for you for raising it.
Love it! Victoria is enchanting. I consider myself lucky to have discovered Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road. Would love to go back there!
This post made me so happy but so sad at the same time Caz! 🙂 Happy because I’m so glad you’ve loved Victoria. It does have so much to offer but I think often gets overlooked because Sydney’s so ‘flashy’ and pretty and in your face. Victoria and in particular, Melbourne, has gone this kind of nonchalant feel about it; like it’s not even trying to compete with NSW because it’s quietly just sitting there KNOWING is freakin’ amazing but not screaming about it 🙂
But, like I said, this post also made me sad because I miss Australia so much. I see what you guys are doing and I just want to go back. I was on the Great Ocean Road when I won your Urban Adventures comp back in 2011 – I listened to you announce my name in a video while I walked around Lorne. I don’t really miss working on a vineyard (waaaay too many snakes for my liking!) but I do miss the way of life over there.
And, even though, I could probably never choose between Sydney and Melbourne (having lived in both) I do miss how laid back Melbourne is; living in St Kilda was a dream and I miss my apartment by the beach.
But, onwards and upwards, I’m here in London and have all of my memories from Australia to look back on.
Like I said, so glad you’ve enjoyed Victoria Caz 🙂
Beverley
I am not surprised that you loved Victoria. My mate went on a summer-long vacation there, and came back raving about how beautiful it is, and how stunning the beaches, the ocean and the wildlife are. He is also a surfer, and almost made me promise that I am going to visit Victoria one day. I have never heard anything bad about the place, so I might have to go one day.
Welcome to the club! Victoria is amazing – I love it, need to get out there a little more again.. Prom country is the best kept secret..shhh I try and take family there when they visit Australia, it is so special. The Prom country also has an amazing walk for the fit about 3 days I think. You’ve inspired me to visit Bright again as it has years since I’ve been (pre children) I can picture you living in Bright Ms Caz I think ,your daughter is very astute… Enjoy the warmer weather as you head north… (next time add Port Fairy & Malacoota & Croajingolong National Park to your list)
I totally agree with you. I spent the first 22 years of my life in Victoria and couldn’t wait to relocate to sunny Qld. Having spent time travelling around now that I’m in my fifties I can appreciate her bounty. I also loved The Bellarine
Well said Caz and I am sure Victoria will forgive you! Its one of my favourite corners of this earth.
Just loved that view entering Prom Country!
We moved from QLD to VIC (Brisbane to Geelong). We discovered how accessible so many great places were. Truly a wonderful discovery. I love the lane ways in Melbourne, but not the hook turns and trams. I prefer to get the train into Melbourne to avoid those.
Thank you for sharing the beauty of nature on your trip, I really enjoyed it.