Bush Walking
The best known destinations for bush walking include Bogong
National Park (with a possible 6 day walk including the
ascent of Mount Bogong, from October to April only) and Mount
Feathertop (a 2 day circuit offering scenic mountain
views, requiring walkers to be prepared for snowfalls at any time
of the year).
Also, Wilson’s Promontory (locally known
as ‘the Prom’, a 3 day circuit through stunning stretches
of coastline), and the Grampians (a spectacular
region of sandstone mountain ranges, valleys, forests and heaths,
particularly famous for its displays of wildflowers between August
to November) are also well known destinations.
Numerous mineral springs can be found around nearby Daylesford,
known as Australia’s spa centre.
For further details, please contact:
VIC Department of Sustainability and Environment
Address: 240-50 Victoria Parade, East Melbourne VIC 3002
Telephone: (3) 9412 4011
Facsimile: (3) 9412 4803
Email address: customer.service@dse.vic.gov.au
Website address: www.dse.vic.gov.au
Water Sports
Home to regular international regattas (such as Sail Melbourne),
Melbourne’s Port Philip Bay is 1 of the world’s great
yachting waterways.
There are also good beaches nearby and more improved
ones at Westernport Bay, Ninety Mile Beach (in the Gippsland Lakes
area) and along the Bellarine Peninsula near Geelong.
The best diving destinations include Wilson’s
Promontory (access to the sites is mostly by organised boat tours),
Cape Liptrap (good for beginners), Cape Patterson, and Phillip
Island.
Cape Schanck, Apollo Bay, Cape Otway (known for its crayfishing
areas); Port Fairy (around which lie up to 30 stranded ships),
and Portland (Victoria’s westernmost town) are also brilliant
diving destinations.
Whale watching is possible at Warrnambool, 263
kilometres (163 miles) west of Melbourne, where migrating whales
can be observed between May and July.
Surfing enthusiasts are advised to head to Bells
Beach and Jan Juc on the Great Ocean Road near Torquay, where
the Rip Curl Pro & Quit Classic, a triple A world rated international
surfing contest, is held annually for a period of 7 days over
Easter. Woolamai in Phillip Island offers fantastic surfing for
the more experienced surfer.
Wine Tasting
Victoria has over 350 wineries, and tasting tours
are hugely available. Outstanding wine growing regions include
the Mornington Peninsula, the Yarra Valley, and the Rutherglen
region in the Grampians. The
Victorian Wineries Tourism Council can provide further details.
Winter Sports
Victoria’s High Country is 1 of Australia’s most visited
wintersports destinations, with the main snowfields
only about 4 hours by car from Melbourne.
The best destinations for downhill skiing and
snowboarding include Mount Buller, Mount Hotham,
Falls Creek, Mount Buffalo and Mount Baw Baw, all of which have
brilliant facilities.
Other resorts, such as the Bogong High Plains, Lake Mountain, Mount
St Gwinear or Mount Torbreck, are specifically designed for cross
country skiing.
Spectator Sports
Australian Rules Football, or otherwise known as
‘Aussie Rules’, is a mixture between football and rugby,
and originated in Victoria. The climax of the season (starting in
March) is the Australian Football League Grand Final, played in
September at the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground, which also plays
host to the highest standard of international and national cricket
matches, and is categorized amongst cricket’s most sacred
pitches.
The 1st Tuesday in November is declared a public holiday for the
running, at Flemington, of the 3.2 kilometres (2 mile long) Melbourne
Cup, the highlight of Australia’s racing year. This presitigious
horserace offers the uppermost prizes in the
southern hemisphere.
Further Activities
North west of Melbourne, Sovereign Hill, situated within the country’s
most famous gold rush destination, offers visitors a chance to do
their own gold panning. Further information on
this area is offered by Ballarat
Tourism. |
