101 Best Sights in Victoria, Australia

Phillip Island's marine wildlife attraction is just 3 km (2 miles) from the Penguin Parade, perched on the very edge of Point Grant on the island's far west end. It's an ultramodern interpretative center, with an interactive, multimedia Antarctic Journey, which includes a freezing "chill zone." Outside, a series of wooden boardwalks wind around the rocky headland to the nearby blowhole, with fantastic views of Nobbies headland and Seal Rocks beyond it.

At 195 km (121 miles) from Melbourne, you'll find one of Victoria's most popular holiday beaches. Protected by a working fishing harbor and Point Bunbury, the waves are gentler toward the southern end of the bay: care must be taken with an undertow that gets stronger as you go north. The local surf lifesaving club patrols between flags at the southern end. The 3-km (almost 2-mile) beach runs parallel to the Great Ocean Road (also called Collingwood Street within the town), and there's a reserve with shady trees, a barbecue, playground, and a picnic area near the main shopping area. Behind the street is a row of shops and cafés, and on most Saturdays, the Apollo Bay market sees stall holders lining the foreshore path to sell local produce and crafts. Behind the town, the green hills of the Otways provide a change of scenery. Walk up the pathway to Marriners Lookout for idyllic views, though a sunken steamship lurks beneath the waters. If you want to get closer to the sea, Apollo Bay Surf and Kayak runs kayaking tours to see the local seal colony, as well as providing surfing and paddleboarding lessons. The Seaview Motel and Apartments are near the beach, and some rooms have balconies looking over the view. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards (in summer); parking (free); toilets; showers. Best for: surfing; swimming; walking.

This impressive art museum has a large collection of Australian art, from 19th-century works to contemporary pieces. Keep an eye out for its paintings by landscape artist Eugene von Guerard, who captured Ballarat as it appeared in the raucous early gold rush days.

Sweeping views of the surrounding countryside can be seen from this park, taking in Port Phillip Bay, Port Phillip Heads, and—on a clear day—the city skyline, the You Yangs, and Mt. Macedon. The mountain, which gives Arthurs Seat State Park its name, is the highest point on the Mornington Peninsula and named after Arthurs Seat in Edinburgh. A marked scenic drive snakes its way up to the summit, and walking tracks meander through the park's stands of eucalyptus. Seawinds, a public garden established by a local gardener in the 1940s, also forms part of the park and is a 10-minute walk or about 500 yards away. The road from Mornington is open at all times, so you can enjoy the spectacular mountaintop view by day or at night to see the lights.

Check out the world's first circular rose maze, a Cypress-hedge maze, a lavender labyrinth, and a "legendary" Great Gnome Hunt at this attraction, handily located east of T'Gallant Winery. Open 9–5 daily.

On the shores of Lake Wendouree, the Ballarat Botanical Gardens are identifiable by the brilliant blooms and classical statuary. At the rear of the gardens, the Conservatory hosts events during the town's Begonia Festival held each March, with other events taking place near the lake.

All sorts of native animals, including kangaroos and emus (which roam free), saltwater crocodiles, snakes, Tasmanian devils, wombats, tree kangaroos, and echidnas can be found at this wildlife sanctuary. Daily tours of the park are led at 11, with a koala show at 2 and a wombat show at 2:30. Sunday at 3 is "crunch time," when Crunch the crocodile gets a feed. If you're also hungry, the park has a café and picnic areas.

An active place of worship on the outskirts of the city, this small temple was built by Chinese miners in 1871, during the gold rush days. At the height of the boom in the 1850s and 1860s, about a quarter of Bendigo's miners were Chinese. These men were usually dispatched from villages on the Chinese mainland, and they were expected to work hard and return as quickly as possible with their fortunes. Sadly, tensions with white miners were a feature of that era, along with anti-Chinese riots. Luckily this attractive element of their presence has endured from those turbulent times. 

Australia's oldest working pottery workshop turns out distinctive brown-and-cream pieces that many Australians have in their kitchens. Founded in 1858, the historic workshop hosts demonstrations. You can even get your hands dirty creating your own clay piece during an affordable wheel-throwing lesson (bookings essential during school holidays); there's also a clay play area for small children. Impressive beehive brick kilns, which you can step inside, are star exhibits in the museum. It's 6½ km (4 miles) northeast of Bendigo on the way to Echuca, and there is a small café also on the premises.

The 1920s temperance movement helped to turn this brewery's focus to the brewing of nonalcoholic cordials. The cordials are produced using old-time recipes and seasonal flavors, such as Sicilian blood orange, using the area's natural spring water. Temperance is no longer an issue, and Billson's also creates a range of craft beers, whiskey, its own gin, and even a coffee liqueur. Their range of premixed drinks still uses the original cordials: try the full range, including the popular vodka with portello (grape and berry cola flavor). The brewery has several venues and serves a simple menu of pub grub, including burgers and steak sandwiches. Choose from the Tasting Room, the dog-friendly beer garden, and the more upmarket Speakeasy, where you can sip a cocktail and order a grazing board of local olives, meats, and cheeses. On the same site is the Beechworth Carriage Museum, a collection of 20 horse-drawn vehicles and Australian Light Horse Infantry memorabilia from World War I. Open daily 10–5, A$1. Tastings are free.

Once a run-down area of Richmond, this street is now a bargain shopper's paradise. Track down factory outlets selling fashion and leather goods, refuel at independent brewery Burnley Brewing or Oster Italian osteria. Take Tram 48 or 75 from the city.

Along with Lygon Street in nearby Carlton, Brunswick Street is one of Melbourne's favorite places to dine. You might want to step into a simple kebab shop serving tender meats for less than A$12, or opt for dinner at one of the stylish, highly regarded bar-restaurants. The street also has many galleries, bookstores, bars, arts-and-crafts shops, and clothes shops (vintage fashion is a feature).

This 160-year-old museum takes its name from Robert O'Hara Burke who, with William Wills, became one of the first European explorers to cross Australia from south to north in 1861. Burke served as superintendent of police in Beechworth from 1856 to 1859. The museum also displays a reconstructed streetscape of Beechworth in the 1880s, a section dedicated to the Chinese population during the gold rush years, and a natural history collection of taxidermy animals, including a rare thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger, extinct since 1936.

Wines have been made here by five generations of the Campbell family, dating back to 1870. Brothers Colin and Malcolm Campbell, the winemaker and viticulturist respectively, have been at the helm for the past 40 years, and Colin's daughter Julie joins him as winemaker. Famed for its award-winning Bobbie Burns Shiraz and Merchant Prince Rare Rutherglen Muscat, the property covers a picturesque 160 acres. You can wander freely through the winery on a self-guided tour and taste wines at the cellar door, including rare and aged vintages. Vintage Reserve wines are available only at the cellar door. Private tastings and guided tours can be booked. The winery does not have a restaurant but sells baskets of local gourmet goodies. The winery also takes part in the annual Tastes of Rutherglen wine festival, when food and music are on the agenda.

Phillip Island's only surf lifesaving club is based on this long, exposed stretch of prime surfing beach, recognised as a National Surfing Reserve. The hazardous 4.2-km (2.6-mile) beach has strong undertows, so it's for experienced surfers and swimmers only, and only between the safety flags when lifeguards are on patrol, from December to mid-April: check the surf lifesaving club's website for patrol times. Walkers can take in the views here on a ramble to The Pinnacles. The Woolamai Beach Road runs off Phillip Island Road and is 14 km (9 miles) from Cowes. The nearest accommodation is generally cottage-style; Black Dolphin has a luxury penthouse and a cottage on the Cape, on Corona Road. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (free); restrooms; showers. Best for: surfing; swimming; walking.

Sixty-four acres of tree-lined paths, artificial lakes, and flower beds in this English-style 19th-century park are the backdrop for the outstanding Melbourne Museum, and the World Heritage–listed Royal Exhibition Building, erected in 1880.

On the banks of the Merri Creek in East Brunswick, this award-winning sustainability center is home to a permaculture and bush-food nursery. Buy local produce and crafts here, eat at the Merri Table Cafe, and explore the green technology displays. The Merri Creek bike path passes CERES.

Established in the 1850s, this is one of Australia's heavyweight producers of fortified wines. Stephen Chambers's Muscats are legendary, with blending stocks that go back more than a century. Stephen, a sixth-generation winemaker, runs a very relaxed winery, which is genuinely rustic, being just a few corrugated iron sheds in an off-the-beaten-track road. The cellar door is renowned for great value and plenty of tastings; you can take home reasonably priced red and white wine and a full range of fortified wines—from the clean-skin variety (no-label stock) to big two-liter flagons. There's no restaurant, just a cellar door, which also sells homemade jams and condiments.

Perched on a hillside overlooking Daylesford, this gallery occupies a former 19th-century nunnery that has been restored to its lovely Victorian-era state. It houses three levels of fine art and a nun-related museum, and occasionally stages live arts performances. At the front of the gallery is Bad Habits, a sunny café that serves light lunches and snacks, while Altar Bar is a hip place for a drink. The second-story penthouse suite is the ultimate in decadence, with its own hydrotherapy bath and a boudoir-style bedroom. For groups, the 1920s Monastiraki guesthouse lets you sleep among yet more art from the Convent's owner, Tina Banitska, which displays a wicked sense of humor, or the two-bedroom art house, "Love and Madness," opposite the Convent Gallery.

Once the on-leave residence of the Pacific navigator Captain James Cook, this modest two-story home, built in 1755 by Cook senior, was transported stone by stone from Great Ayton in Yorkshire, England, and rebuilt in the lush Fitzroy Gardens in 1934. It's believed that Cook lived in the cottage between his many voyages. The interior is simple, a suitable domestic realm for a man who spent much of his life in cramped quarters aboard sailing ships.

The seaside town of Cowes is the hub of Phillip Island; the pier is where you can board sightseeing cruises and the passenger ferry that travels across Western Port to French Island and Stony Point on the Mornington Peninsula. It has a lively café scene and several quality gift shops interspersed with the traditionally cheaper tourist fare. Restaurant and hotel bookings are essential in the busy summer months.

One of the region's most picturesque wineries with a lovely lakeside setting, Crittenden Estate produces Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Grigio, and some Spanish and Italian styles. The flagship Crittenden Estate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are made from vines that are among the oldest on the peninsula. The cellar door is open for tastings daily, and winery tours can be arranged by appointment. The restaurant, Stillwater at Crittenden ($$$), is lovely year-round, and when the weather is fine, diners sit out on a terrace under shady umbrellas while enjoying views over the lake. It is open weekends for dinner and daily for lunch, except in winter when it closes Monday and Tuesday. Want to linger awhile? The estate has three stylish overwater bungalows, a minute's amble along the lake's edge from the cellar door and restaurant.

A family-owned winery for four generations, De Bortoli was established (in New South Wales) in 1928, four years after the founder, Vittorio De Bortoli, and his wife, Giuseppina, migrated to Australia from northern Italy. Today, this Yarra Valley winery specializes in Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Shiraz, along with a changing array of less famous wines including Gamay, Pinot Blanc, and Nebbiolo. Wine tastings start from A$10 and can include the famous Noble One Botrytis Semillon, De Bortoli’s most awarded wine since its release in 1982. Choose from Trophy Room premium wine tastings or cheese and wine tastings (for a minimum of two people) with prices on application. The restaurant, which has stunning views of the surrounding vines, landscaped gardens, and mountains, serves Italian dishes using Yarra Valley produce; the fixed-price two-course lunch is A$70 a head and the three-course option is A$85.

Find your way through a traditional hedge maze or test your navigational skills in the indoor 3-D maze at this delightful attraction. The property also has "tree surfing," in which participants make their way through an aboveground obstacle course and a 200-meter (655-foot) zipline.

Named after the goldfields uprising of 1854, the Eureka Tower (which houses the 88th-level Eureka Skydeck) is the highest public vantage point in the southern hemisphere. The funky-shape blue-glass building with an impressive gold cap is the place to get a bird's-eye view of Melbourne and overcome your fear of heights, especially on the Skydeck. An enclosed all-glass cube, known as the Edge (A$12 additional charge), projects about 10 feet out from the viewing platform—here you can stand, seemingly suspended, over the city on a clear glass floor.

Encompassing a whole city block, the bold, abstract-style landmark was designed to be Melbourne's official meeting place, with a variety of attractions and restaurants within it. The square incorporates the second branch of the National Gallery of Victoria (Ian Potter Centre), which exhibits Aboriginal and modern Australian art, as well as the Australian Centre for the Moving Image; the Edge amphitheater, a contemporary music and theater performance venue; and the Koorie Heritage Trust, which runs exhibitions and programs relating to Aboriginal Melbourne, and sells Victorian Aboriginal products and designs. Regular events are held in the square and along the path beside the Yarra River. Crowds often gather to watch live performances and events televised on the giant "Fed TV" in the center of the square.

This 64-acre expanse of European trees, manicured lawns, garden beds, statuary, and sweeping walks is Melbourne's most popular central park. Among its highlights is its 90-year-old Conservatory and the Avenue of Elms, a majestic stand of 130-year-old trees, one of the few in the world that has not been devastated by Dutch elm disease.

Much more than just a train station, Flinders Street Station is a Melbourne icon and a popular meeting place. The term "meet me under the clocks" is widely used, indicating the timepieces on the front of this grand Edwardian hub of Melbourne's suburban rail network. When it was proposed to replace them with television screens, an uproar ensued. Today there are both clocks and screens.

A stroll along Ford Street is the best way to absorb the historic character and charm of Beechworth. Between fabulous cafés, housewares shops, and the town's signature Beechworth Honey business (stop in for free tastings and to sample the honey-based hand creams), the distinguished buildings are Tanswell's Commercial Hotel, the Town Hall, and the Courthouse. It was in the latter that the committal hearing for the famous bushranger Ned Kelly took place in August 1880. His feisty mother, Ellen Kelly, was also sentenced to three years in jail at this court. The town bustles on Saturday mornings, especially when the excellent farmers' market is held on the grounds of the Christ Church Anglican Church, on the first Saturday of the month.

Azaleas, camellias, and hydrangeas spill down the hillsides in this 6-acre, English-style garden. While at its most colorful in spring, when the flowers are in bloom, and in autumn, when the trees turn gold and yellow, it is also beautiful in winter with a touch of snow. It's located just 8 km (5 miles) north of Belgrave in the little forest settlement of Sherbrooke, where whipbird calls echo through the trees.