The State of Victoria

Hugging the tip of the Australian east coast, Victoria is Australia's second-smallest state, covering 227,600 square kilometres - roughly the size of the British Isles.

Packed into such a compact area is a wealth of diverse regional areas and attractions, from national parks and forests teeming with wildlife to wineries, lakes and mountains offering skiing, climbing and hiking. Best of all, many of Victoria's unique and varied landscapes are easily accessible as day trips from Melbourne.

Observe kangaroos, emus and wombats, glow worms, Tasmanian devils, possums, platypus and more native Australian wildlife in its natural habitat parks and reserves in Victoria. With a huge variety of landscapes and an approachable capital city, coupled with a decidedly clement climate, Victoria can't fail to impress.

Great Ocean Road

One of the world's most spectacular coastal drives, the Great Ocean Road winds along beside quiet bays, pounding surf beaches, tranquil rainforests, caves, gorges and blowholes, and starkly beautiful columns of rock set in the ocean. Stretching for some 106 kilometres, the route also takes in historic shipwreck sites and plenty of wildlife.

The Great Ocean Road region stretches westwards from the regional city of Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula to the South Australian border. Along with striking ocean views, the region contains laidback coastal towns and maritime villages. There are plenty of opportunities for bushwalking, swimming, surfing, fishing and whale watching.

The Great Ocean Road hugs the contours of Victoria’s rugged south west coast, taking visitors on one of Australia’s greatest and most spectacular coastal drives. From Torquay to Nelson, almost 300 kilometres to the west, the road snakes past cliffs, scenic lookouts, waterfalls, rainforests and sunken ships.

Wineries

Victoria is Australia’s most diverse and compact wine state, boasting over 350 wineries in 22 distinct wine regions, four within an hour’s drive of Melbourne. Gateway to the regions and the country’s premier wine city, Melbourne is also recognised as one of the world’s great wine destinations, along with Bordeaux, San Francisco, Santiago, Porto and Florence.

Most wineries provide tastings and cellar door sales, and many offer winery tours. As well, more and more Victorian wineries are opening their own gourmet restaurants, where you can marry mouth-watering local fare with fine homegrown wines.

Every major wine style is produced in Victoria. The respective Yarra Valley, Grampians and Mornington Peninsula regions produce sleek chardonnays, full-flavoured cabernet sauvignons and tempting pinot noirs. Victoria’s northwest is ideal for producing robust rieslings, the state’s northeast is home to fortified tokays and muscats, while the central region encourages peppery shiraz.

The huge diversity of Victoria’s wine industry is almost matched by the number of ways you can experience it – by car, bus, train, tour, limousine, on the back of a Harley Davidson motorbike, even in the basket of a balloon.

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