Victoria

Victoria's compact size means you can travel from high in the mountains to the coast to the city in a short space of time. Whether you drive a touring route, follow an itinerary or make your own way around, you'll be graced with breathtaking landscapes, historic towns to explore and local food and wine:

Great Alpine Road - From the north-east of Victoria to the heart of Gippsland, you'll find local food and wine to sample and mountain vistas to marvel at

The Great Southern Touring Route - See awesome coastal cliffs, towering rock stacks, rugged mountain ranges, famous surf beaches and underground gold mines

Capital & Country Touring Route - Chart your course from Melbourne to Sydney via the nation's capital, Canberra while passing through some of Victoria's most attractive towns

Sydney to Melbourne Coastal Drive - Take in the beauty of the coastline between Melbourne and Sydney. See national parks, wildlife, surf beaches and pristine lakes

Touring the Murray - Follow one of the world's great rivers from the high country to desert country. Take the time to visit towns and sample local wine and produce

Victoria boasts over 350 wineries in 22 distinct wine regions. Enjoy tastings at the cellar door and dine on local produce at winery restaurants. From the cool-climate varieties of the Yarra Valley to the big reds of Rutherglen, you won't have to travel far to taste fantastic wine in Victoria.

Around Melbourne - Melbourne's Surrounds are unique – five winegrowing regions within 90 minutes of the city. And where there's good wine there's always great food, markets and festivals.

Western Victoria - Head west to mountains, Goldfields and four distinctive wine regions. Follow the Great Ocean Road and the Great Grape Road tasting spectacular wines along the way.

North-west Victoria - With its Mediterranean climate tempered by the Murray River, north-west Victoria is home to vast orchards, citrus and olive groves, grain fields and of course, vineyards.

Central Victoria - Stretching from the bountiful Goulburn Valley, west to the opulent city of Bendigo, east to the magnificent High Country, and north to Echuca on the Murray.

North-east Victoria - Five individual regions – Rutherglen, Beechworth, Glenrowan, King Valley and Alpine Valleys – producing a diverse range of wines from old-style fortifieds to the newer Italian varietals.

South-east Victoria - Head east to Gippsland and three separate sub-regions with their own microclimates and wine styles. Discover over 100 individual vineyards and about 30 small, family-owned wineries.

Experience the beauty and diversity of natural Victoria. Walk through tall trees, through manicured gardens or along wild coastlines, head out to the desert, take in the view from the top of a mountain, or observe Australian birds and animals in the wild. The Twelve Apostles are spectacular rock stacks that rise up to 70 metres from the Southern Ocean. The 20 million year old formations are seen best from lookouts between Apollo Bay and Port Campbell.

Croajingolong National Park extends for 100 kilometres along the wilderness coast of Victoria's East Gippsland. It protects remote beaches, tall forests, heathland, rainforest, estuaries and granite peaks. Grampians National Park is renowned for rugged mountain ranges and stunning wildflower displays, and the park is a popular destination . The 167,000-hectare park is home to abundant bird life and almost a third of Victoria's plant species.

Victoria's public galleries house some of Australia’s most important colonial and contemporary works, while private galleries, both large and small, showcase the works of talented local artisans and craftspeople.

• The National Gallery of Victoria now occupies two homes within the one magnificent arts precinct.
• The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia at Federation Square exhibits pieces from the gallery's 20,000 Australian art works.
• The revamped NGV International on St Kilda Road is a breathtaking four-level venue displaying collections of European, Asian, Oceanic and American Art. 

Take the Aboriginal Heritage walk in the Royal Botanical Gardens or visit the Bunjilaka Aboriginal Centre at the Melbourne Museum to discover more about the customs and rich heritage of the Aboriginal people in Melbourne and Victoria.

Victoria has almost 2,000 kilometres of coastline, which stretches from the South Australian border to the New South Wales border in the north-east corner of Victoria and fronts the Southern Ocean, Bass Strait and the Tasman Sea.

The Victorian coastline is always changing, due to weather, wind, waves, and tides. The landscape ranges from sand dunes, wetlands and heath land, to forests and woodland, sheer cliffs, rocky shores and sandy beaches. National, state and coastal parks protect much of the coastline, with more than 20 marine parks and sanctuaries protecting the waters up to 5.5 kilometres offshore.

• Great Ocean Road: The Great Ocean Road has some of Australias best beaches. Discover kilometres of clean, golden sand and crashing waves all along the coast. 
• 90 Mile Beach: One of Gippsland's highlights, the Ninety Mile Beach is one of the longest and most beautiful stretches of sand in the world offering a wealth of beach activities. 
• Mornington Peninsula: Mornington Peninsula spoils you for choice with calm sandy beaches that extend from Frankston near Melbourne along the length of the Peninsula.

Victoria’s fascinating native wildlife includes kangaroos, koalas, wombats, platypus, echidnas and lovable Little Penguins, which parade nightly along the beach. You can find any number of these creatures by visiting one of the following attractions:

Ballarat Wildlife Park - Located only 1½ hours from Melbourne you can experience close contact with koalas, wombats, kangaroos and even crocodiles. Ballarat Wildlife and Reptile Park houses a rich collection of Australian wildlife in 16 hectares of natural bushland. York Street, Ballarat Open daily 9am – 5.30pm

Healesville Sanctuary Located only one hour from Melbourne, Healesville Sanctuary is one of Australia’s premier wildlife parks with more than 200 species of native birds, mammals and reptiles, beautifully displayed in their natural habitats. Badger Creek Road, Healesville Open daily 9am – 5pm

Melbourne Zoo - Located five minutes from the city you can view more than 350 animals in brilliant botanical settings. Wander through an African and Asian Rainforest displaying gorillas, pygmy hippopotamuses, mandrills, tigers and otters. There is also an extensive collection of Australian animals to see including koalas, kangaroos, wombats, platypus, penguins and seals. Other highlights include the Butterfly House and an authentic Japanese Garden. Elliott Avenue, Parkville Open daily 9am – 5pm

Werribee Open Range Zoo - An Out of Africa adventure just 30 minutes out of Melbourne! Head out on a guided safari tour through wild grassy plains and sweeping river terraces rich with rhino, giraffe, antelope, zebra and hippo. Walk a fascinating trail to discover cheetah and monkeys at play then come face to face with Lions on the Edge.K Road, Werribee.Open daily 9am – 5pm