Victoria

Food and wine lovers know the state for its array of superb restaurants to the citrus fruits of Mildura and the fresh seafood at Lakes Entrance, Victoria is a food lover’s paradise.

Victoria also serves up lashings of history. In its earliest days, this was a state besotted with gold. By the mid-19th century, tens of thousands of prospectors had travelled to Victoria’s goldfields with their picks and prospecting pans. Now, these towns have become lively modern cities, balancing stunning period architecture with art galleries, cosmopolitan cafés and luxury retreats.

At Phillip Island Nature Park, visitors can meet koalas and watch the Little Penguins as they waddle out of the ocean at sunset. Try Logans Beach near Warrnambool to see Southern Right Whales as they return to the waters to calve. Moving inland, Daylesford is the spa capital of Victoria, where visitors can sample the rejuvenating mineral waters.

Elsewhere, natural wonders like the rugged Grampians provide archetypal Victorian bushland: ancient yet beautiful. The Great Ocean Road, with its scenic coastline, is another unforgettable icon of regional Victoria. The majestic Murray River, with its breathtaking sunsets, stretches across the top of the state, while the Great Alpine Road offers endless views of snow-tipped mountains, fields of wildflowers and rustic country towns, before arriving at the spectacular Gippsland Lakes, Australia’s largest inland lake system.