Melbourne and I had a love hate relationship, some days I never wanted my time there to end and other days I wanted to run as far away from her as possible. If it wasn’t the cold winter weather then it was the towering city buildings that made me want to run away. I shouldn’t moan so much really; there were so many things about Melbourne I loved and every day I find myself wishing for one of those amazing coffees the little cafes sell.
Before I arrived in Melbourne we had been lucky enough to take a road trip from Adelaide along the coast, including the Great Ocean Road. I rocked up in Melbourne with a dream that we would take road trips out to the beach all the time. Instead the only road trip we took was to the Grampians on a bus tour!
Today I’m reminiscing about Melbourne and thinking about the road trips I wish I had taken. There are heaps of places to rent cars in Melbourne, and I cannot believe I didn’t take advantage of this. For help with choosing which rental company to go with, use Drive Now to do a quick compare search.
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Wilson Promontory
The Prom – or Wilson Prom, as it is better known – is located around 160km from Melbourne city. I fell in love with this place just by looking at the photographs, it is that stunning. But of course I never ended up making it there. It is described as one of Australia’s most loved national parks and is at the southern-most tip of mainland Australia. The national park offers walk tracks, wildlife, beautiful scenery, camping, long beaches, forests and much more. Tidal River is the main location in the park and has plenty of accommodation and a general store. Wilson Prom would have been worth a long weekend visit, had we have been in Melbourne in the warmer weather.
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Yarra Valley
This area is where the Yarra River starts, around 90km from the city. It is well known for its beauty but also its wine and food. A trip to the region would not be complete without visiting some wineries and sampling food paired for the occasion. The views from here are said to be fantastic and you will find small villages nestled in amongst the scenery. As well as wineries this regions boasts walking, wildlife, art, culture and scenic balloon rides. Yarra Valley isn’t far from the city; however with all the wine an overnight road trip would be best when visiting here.
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Mount Buller
This area is in the alpine region of Victoria where there are several mountains which get snow during winter. The village of Mount Buller is just over 200km from Melbourne and is primarily a resort town, coming alive as soon as the snow hits. Considering we were there for winter, this is one trip we definitely should have taken but ended up saving our money for skiing in New Zealand instead. However Mt Buller can be enjoyed any season: during winter it is all about the snow but come summer the weather improves and climbing this area can provide some spectacular views. There is also the chance to grab some mountain bikes and take to this area.
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Mornington Peninsula
I remember looking at brochures for day trips while we lived in Melbourne and the pictures of Mornington had me longing to head there. The beautiful beaches and perfect beach huts were the biggest draw for me. This area is located south east of Melbourne and is connected to the mainland via the north. The main places to visit in this area include Mornington, Sorrento, Portsea and Red Hill/Main Ridge. They are all worth a visit for their own individual differences, however expect to find: cute cafes, perfect seaside towns, art galleries, wineries, stunning beaches, incredible buildings and much much more. Due to the location you could easily combine a trip here with Phillip Island by taking the ferry across to Cowes.
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Phillip Island
This little island is popular for a few reasons but the biggest one is penguins. Each night at sunset there is a parade where these little fellas waddle out of the sea for all to watch. I know a lot of people who have done this trip and had a fantastic time. It isn’t just the wildlife this island is famous for however – motorsport is another big attraction with the Superbikes heading here as well as the V8 Supercars. This island is of course known for its beaches and beautiful coastline and has four main destinations worth a mention: San Remo, Cowes, Rhyll and Newhaven. Phillip Island has accommodation to suit everyone so a weekend road trip would be perfect for visiting here.
Even just writing about these destinations I feel homesick for Australia and Melbourne, I cannot wait to use my second working holiday visa at some point in the future!
This is a sponsored post by Drive Now, however as always the content and ideas are my own. I genuinely love a good road trip so much that I’ll take any excuse to write about one.
Tags: Australia Melbourne Roadtrip
