Melbourne is the cultural hub of Australia and gateway to some of the most spectacular scenery in the world. When planning a visit to the city make sure to set aside time for day trips from Melbourne.
There is so much to see and do in Melbourne, the city has a lively arts, music and theatre scene which takes its inspiration from the cities rich multicultural blend.
Add a vibrant café culture and restaurants featuring a lavish variety of world cuisines and you will begin to understand why so many people love Melbourne.
Take a break from the city and explore the breathtaking vistas of the Great Ocean Road or spend a lazy day enjoying the award-winning wineries of the Yarra Valley.
Melbourne and the surrounding region have a lot to offer and with each visit you will find yourself wanting to stay longer.
Top Melbourne Day Trips
The best Melbourne trips should be a mix of exploring independently and taking Melbourne tours. This allows you to quickly tick off famous Melbourne attractions while giving a good insight into the orientation of the city.
This leaves time to immerse yourself in the ambience of the city as you discover the hidden laneways and treasures of this thriving metropolis.
Whether you are interested in taking Melbourne city tours or exploring further afield with day tours from Melbourne, our guide will help you choose the best day trips Melbourne has to offer.
We begin with one of our favourite day trips from Melbourne, the Great Ocean Road day trip from Melbourne.
The Great Ocean Road
The Great Ocean Road would have to be one of the most popular day trips from Melbourne. In fact, the Great Ocean Road is the third most visited attraction in Australia after Sydney Harbour and the Great Barrier Reef.
We have taken a Melbourne Great Ocean Road tour and can highly recommend it to anyone thinking of taking this unforgettable journey. Melbourne Great Ocean Road tours allow you to sit back and relax as you twist and turn along more than seven hundred kilometres of coastline, rainforest, and rural landscapes.
Highlights of this day trip from Melbourne include spectacular views of the Twelve Apostles and Loch Ard Gorge. Along the way you can enjoy nature on a Maits Rest Rainforest Walk and Kennett River Koala Walk.
The Twelve Apostles
The Twelve Apostles would have to be one of Australia’s most recognisable landmarks. Seeing the Twelve Apostles for the first time is an overwhelming experience as viewing them takes your breath away.
Seeing the Twelve Apostles in person is truly remarkable as photos don’t convey the true grandeur and beauty that is set before your eyes.
The Twelve Apostles is just one of the extraordinary attractions that you will see on the Great Ocean Road and 12 Apostles tour from Melbourne.
Loch Ard Gorge
Loch Ard Gorge is named after the Loch Ard which was shipwrecked in the area in 1878.
Here you can learn a heroic tale of endurance as survivors Thomas Pearce and Eva Carmichael struggled to stay alive when the Loch Ard became another casualty of the regions famous “Shipwreck Coast.”
Loch Ard Gorge has a series of walks that highlights the natural beauty of the area. Each walk features dense coastal scrub and dramatic windswept panoramas.
Maits Rest Rainforest Walk
Maits Rest Rainforest Walk will have you spellbound as you discover the mysteries of the rainforest. This ancient landscape has hardly changed since the time of the dinosaurs and is home to towering rainforest trees and giant ferns.
Kennett River Koala Walk
Kennett River is a sleepy community which is home to a colony of koala’s living in the wild. Have fun playing spot the koala and watch these reclusive marsupials spend their day eating and snoozing in the eucalyptus trees.
Click here to book Great Ocean Road Tours
The Yarra Valley Wineries
One of the most enjoyable weekend trips from Melbourne are the Melbourne winery tours of the Yarra Valley wineries. Of course, if you are visiting during the week, you will not miss out as you will find a great selection of Melbourne wine tours to choose from.
The Yarra Valley wine region is renowned for its award-winning Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Shiraz, and Cabernet Sauvignon. This picturesque valley is a short trips from Melbourne and home to over eighty wineries.
Melbourne Yarra Valley wine tours allow you to relax and let someone else do the driving while you enjoy the fruits of the earth. Some of the wineries visited can include Steels Gate Winery, Balgownie Estate, Yering Farm, and Greenstone Vineyards.
Click here to book Yarra Valley Winery Tours
Phillip Island Tours
These Melbourne bus tours take you to Phillip Island which is a short 125-kilometre drive from Melbourne. Phillip Island certainly packs a punch when it comes to natural beauty and wildlife. The island is famous for its nightly penguin parade and seal colony.
A Phillip Island tour Melbourne will have you snapping photos of the colourful Brighton bathing boxes. These iconic structures have been gracing the foreshore of Brighton Beach for well over a century and overlook the sheltered waters of Port Phillip Bay.
Get up close and personal with a cast of Australian wildlife characters at the Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park. This award-winning wildlife park is home to kangaroos, koalas, wallabies, dingos, birds, and reptiles.
Stop off at the Nobbies and marvel at the stunning views of Bass Strait. Follow the boardwalk to the rocky outcrops where you will get a chance to see the resident fur seal colony which is the largest in Australia.
This one day trip from Melbourne will delight as you watch families of Little Penguins quickly waddle up the beach on Phillip Island. The island is home to the largest Little Penguin colony in the world and seeing these little cuties in the wild is a truly magical experience.
Click here to book Phillip Island Tours
Melbourne Day Tours
If you are looking for Melbourne city tours, you will find an excellent choice of day trips around Melbourne that highlight the best of this vibrant city. These day tours Melbourne cover a range of attractions including early morning balloon rides over Melbourne, sightseeing tours, and food tours.
Melbourne Walking Tours
One of the best ways to find the soul of a city is to take a walking tour. These tours show a variety of well-known Melbourne locations that tell the history and stories that transformed Melbourne into the city you see today.
Melbourne Ghost Tours
If you are looking for adventure why not choose to investigate some of Melbourne’s spookier attractions.
By day these iconic Melbourne landmarks appear innocent but by night they tell the story of murder and mayhem, the perfect setting for a ghost story.
During the tour you can stop off for a stiff drink to calm those shattered nerves. Are you up to the challenge of a Melbourne ghost tour?
Melbourne Laneway Tours
Melbourne lane tours have a choice of Melbourne experiences. Fashion lovers can hunt down a bargain in a laneway boutique and chocoholics will be in heaven when they scour the laneways for chocolate and dessert.
Night owls can sample Melbourne’s nightlife at one of the hidden laneway bars or take a walk on the wild side with a crime, gangster, and lolly shop tour.
Melbourne Street Art Tours
Melbourne is home to some of the best street art in the world. A Melbourne street art tour will have you exploring the laneways and streets to appreciate the talented artists whose artworks add a splash of colour and character to this vibrant city.
Click here for Melbourne Street Art Tours
Melbourne Foodie Walking Tours
Discover why Melbourne is the culinary capital of Australia when you visit the arcades and laneways of the city. Here you will learn the history of the buildings while sampling a range of delicious treats as you indulge in Melbourne’s famous food scene.
Melbourne Cruises
The Yarra River flows through the heart of Melbourne and is instantly recognised as the city’s most defining feature. See the city from a river perspective as you watch the sun set on a Yarra River dinner cruise or relax and enjoy the sites on a Yarra River day cruise.
Melbourne Balloon Flights & Melbourne Helicopter Tours
If you are looking for unique and unusual day trips from Melbourne, you can’t go past the breathtaking splendour of a sunrise balloon flight or scenic Melbourne helicopter ride.
These once in a lifetime experiences are the perfect choice for those memorable occasions when only the best will do.
Last Words On Best Day Trips From Melbourne Australia
Melbourne is such an exciting city, a place that you can visit time and time again. As you can see there is so much to discover, and we hope that this article has given you plenty of ideas on what to see when you take the best day trips from Melbourne Australia.
Have you been to Melbourne? What do you love about this city? Feel free to comment we would love to hear from you.
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