Western Victoria Drive
Travel one of the world's most scenic roads through an extended area that includes the world-famous Twelve Apostles, the Otways rainforest, Bells Beach, on the Surf Coast, and visit the Grampians mountain range in the heart of western Victoria. Distance: 877/1002 km.
Day 1: Leave Melbourne via the West Gate Bridge and head for Geelong via Princes Fwy. If you are limited to a 2 day drive, head south from Geelong for Torquay via the Surfcoast Hwy. Otherwise, head for Portarlington for a round trip of the Bellarine Peninsula, taking in the Bellarine Peninsula Tourist Railway (Sundays and school holidays only); visit the historic Fort Queenscliff on Shortland's Bluff and nearby lighthouses, cliffs and the Rip View Lookout on Point Lonsdale.
If time permits, you can surf the wave of Ocean Grove or Barwon Heads beaches or scuba dive the waters of the marine National Park off Point Lonsdale, view the mangrove swamps of Lake Connewarre State Game Reserve or walk the Ocean Grove Nature Reserve. Heading south beyond Torquay are more of Victoria's favourite surfing beaches (Torquay; Jan Juc; Bells Beach) and the oceanside resort towns of Anglesea, Aireys Inlet, Fairhaven (wild koalas have been photographed on the beach here by travellers) and Lorne.
Aireys Inlet
Inland from Lorne are some mountainous rainforests with interesting bushwalks and waterfalls. Lorne is a good place for an overnight stay if you took the time out to explore the Bellarine Peninsula. The Falls Music & Arts Festival is held at Lorne during the New Year long weekend every year. 195 km
Day 2: Continue south along the Great Ocean Rd through the stunning scenery of the Otway Coast. After Apollo Bay and Marengo, the road heads inland through Otway National Park, which is a bushwalkers haven - dense rainforests with waterfalls, volcanic lakes and craters. Check out the views from Cape Otway lighthouse if you have the time, otherwise continue westward through the hills to Lavers Hill, Wattle Hill, touching the south coast again at Princetown, which marks the beginning of the strip of coastal scenery for which this drive is famous.
Gibsons Beach, Port Campbell National Park
The coastal features between Princetown and Peterborough, contained within Port Campbell National Park, are too numerous to mention here, but include Loch Ard Gorge, the giant rock stacks known as The Twelve Apostles, Gibsons Beach (the walk down to the beach is well worth the effort). In the middle of all of this, in a picture-postcard setting, is the tiny village of Port Campbell, a great place for a break before continuing your journey. Beyond Peterborough, the road passes Bay of Islands Coastal Park before heading inland as it winds its way towards Warrnambool. The regional centre for the Victorian west coast, Warrnambool is an ideal overnight stopping place. 170 km
Logans Beach, Warrnambool
Bay 3: From Warrnambool, continue travelling in a westerly direction through Tower Hill, Port Fairy and Tyrendarra to Portland, the major port of West Victoria. Nearby Cape Bridgewater, which has some of the highest coastal cliffs in Victoria and protects a bay that stretches in a perfect crescent around the rim of a huge, ancient volcano crater. The scenery is quite stunning - hang gliding is a popular sport here, scenic walks lead to a sand-petrified forest, freshwater springs and lakes, rugged cliffs, a blowhole and a lookout above mainland Australia s largest breeding colony of fur seals.
You can join a boat tour for a closer look at these playful animals. Head north from Portland along Princes Hwy to the agricultural centre of Hamilton, then on the Dunkeld where you'll get your first views of The Grampians. Drive north from Dunkeld into the ranges; less that 2 km from town you are given the choice of the more travelled, shorter route (turn right into Grampians Rd) or the longer more scenic route through Victoria Valley that scales the heights of the mountains then plunges into the valley below. Either way, follow the signs to Halls Gap where a visit to the Brumbuk National Park & Cultural Centre is essential. Here you can find out everything you need to know about Grampians National Park, and work out what you can and can't see in the time you have available (there's a lot of it) and where to stay if you need accommodation. Essential natural attractions are Boroka Lookout; MacKenzie Falls; The Balconies; Ngamadjidj Shelter Aboriginal rock art site. 325 km
Boroka Lookout, The Grampians
Day 4: Leave The Grampians from Halls Gap via Grampians Rd to Stawell. Take Western Hwy south to Ararat, the first of many old goldrush towns you'll will visit. You'll pass through Great Western, with its historic underground cellars for making sparkling white wines - a tour of the place is an interesting experience. From Ararat, take the Pyrenees Hwy to the Avoca and you are in the heart of the Pyrenees Wine Region, known for its classic styles of red wine, full-bodied dry whites and for sparkling wines made by the authentic Champagne method. If you are in the mood for a winery crawl, book yourself some accommodation in the area and spend a day exploring the wineries around Avoca, St Arnaud and Landsborough.
From Avoca you have a choice of routes back to Melbourne: the longer route heads east through the centre of Victoria's historic goldfields district along the Pyrenees Highway through Maryborough and Castlemaine, before returning to Melbourne via Calder Hwy. This route will particularly appeal to anyone who wants to do a bit of gold fossicking or wander through some of the many old gold mining towns on the way, like Maldon (heritage steam railway, goldmining museums), Tarnagulla, Inglewood, Dunolly, Clunes, Malmsbury and Talbot.
The shorter route - south via Sunraysia Hwy - passes through the old goldmining city of Ballarat with its heritage buildings, historic sites and Sovereign Hill, an award-winning history-themed park that is a recreation of a goldmining town. From Ballarat, take Western Fwy. past Kyral Castle to Melbourne. On the way you'll pass Werribee Gorge State Park. Popular among bushwalkers and rock climbers, it has a walking track through a gorge alongside the Werribee River, leading to a picnic area and popular swimming holes. 187km/312 km
