Melbourne Holidays

Get under the skin of Melbourne’s vibrant personality on this walking tour through beautiful back streets. Discover artisan and specialty retailers, and see quirky cafes, independent designers, street art, architecture and learn of historic tales in these walkways. Soak in the city via all your senses and engage with passionate creatives.

• Duration: 3 hours
• Start time: 2pm
• Departs Monday to Saturday
• Operates year-round
• Group experience

Good to know
The meeting point for this tour outside the Time Out Café in Federation Square.

Join a full-day group experience that’s easily bolted on to any break in the Melbourne area. Your day begins with a relaxed drive south-east from the city to Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park, to meet endangered species, feed curious kangaroos and wallabies, and spot koalas tucked into the treetops while bright birds and reptiles move around you.

From there, you’ll continue towards Phillip Island, known for its rugged shoreline, motor racing history, and its endearing colony of Little Penguins. Depending on the season, you might pause at Woolamai Beach to watch surfers out on the breaks, then choose where to eat in Cowes during daylight-saving months or have dinner at the Penguin Parade Visitor Centre in winter. After browsing the Visitor Centre and following the boardwalk to the viewing area, you’ll watch the Little Penguins emerge from the surf and shuffle back to their burrows, a memorable moment that could easily become a favourite part of your trip.

• Full day
• Daily departures
• Operates year-round
• Group experience

Head out on a small-group trip to the Yarra Valley, usually with a dozen or so fellow travellers and never more than twenty-four, settling into a comfortable, air-conditioned bus for the ride out of Melbourne. The day is led by a wine expert who keeps things curious, relaxed, and decidedly unpretentious.

You’ll visit four premium cellars, each offering its own take on the valley’s wines and a chance to taste what sets them apart. Midway through the day, you’ll sit down to an à la carte lunch with a glass of estate wine, giving you space to pause, chat, and take in the valley’s atmosphere.

• Full day
• Daily departures
• Operates year-round
• Group experience

This is a full-day coastal road trip from Melbourne that covers a lot of ground and delivers some of Australia’s most recognisable scenery. You’ll spend much of the day on the road, with regular stops for views, short walks and wildlife spotting, before returning to the city in the evening. It’s a long day, but if you want to see the highlights of Victoria’s coastline in one go, this is the classic, tried-and-tested way to do it.

The coast near Anglesea is where the Great Ocean Road properly begins, and the views start to earn their reputation. From here, the road clings to the coastline, winding past cliffs, beaches and wide stretches of ocean. There are regular stops along the way, including the Memorial Arch at Eastern View, which marks the official start of the road and is a familiar photo stop.

Around midday, you’ll stop in Apollo Bay, a relaxed seaside town where you’ll have time for lunch and a short wander before the route turns inland. The drive through Great Otway National Park is a complete contrast to the coast. Here, you swap ocean views for cool, green rainforest, with a short walk taking you among tall trees and fern-filled gullies.

The afternoon is all about scale and drama. Along the Shipwreck Coast, the Southern Ocean has carved huge limestone cliffs and stacks straight out of the land. The Twelve Apostles are the main draw, rising from the water in a way that still feels slightly unreal when you’re standing there.

• Start time: 7.30am 
• Duration: full day 
• Daily departures
• Operates daily
• Group experience