Alvina ChanHoliday season has rolled around once again, and you’re looking for some inspiration for your next getaway. If you’re someone who wants to escape the city grind but yet unwilling to give up everyday creature comforts, why not consider a week-long retreat to Melbourne? In addition to stunning landscapes, the opportunity to experience simpler lifestyles (fancy being a milkmaid or strawberry-picker, anyone?) and chances to get up close and personal with wildlife, you’ll also get to enjoy a myriad of cosy accommodations.
Enjoy an amalgamation of mineral springs, modern architecture and lush greenery all in one trip with the following itinerary. If you’re not keen to go on a self-drive free and easy vacation, Dynasty Travel has put together a 7D5N Best of Melbourne package from only S$2,288 to take lazy planners on the adventure of a lifetime. Read on to see what the Most Liveable City for the seventh year running has to offer!
Day 1: Geelong charms
Image credit: Fudoc
Your first day Down Under doesn’t begin in Melbourne, but in Victoria’s second-largest city – Geelong. Cast away visions of towering skyscrapers, for dear Geelong exudes more town-like, old-fashioned charms more than anything else, with its population of laid-back locals, rambunctious bars on Malop Street and unspoilt scenery.
Kickstart your morning with a hearty breakfast by immersing yourself in Geelong’s thriving cafe culture, teeming with fresh local produce and excellent coffee. When you’re ready, travel down to Bellarine Peninsula, where you’ll find the Bellarine Rail Trail. This 32-km walking and cycling track is a lovely scenic adventure to embark on away from traffic, and it’s the perfect way to take in the sights of the peaceful countryside and waterside views at Swan Bay. If you happen to be visiting between June and October, try to spot the Southern Right Whales which frequent the waves as you cycle past!
Back at Geelong, the National Wool Museum awaits you, filled with inviting exhibits of machinery, wool, and history. Revel in the fantastic stories and interesting facts about Geelong and take your time to make your way to its adorable gift shop. If you’re not into museums, embark on a beer tour at Little Creatures Brewery, where you’ll be treated to an informative session about the whole process of beer-making. Don’t forget about the brewery’s smashing menu, too!
Enjoy alfresco seafood dining at Le Parisien for dinner as you soak in the gorgeous views of the Geelong waterfront. Don’t forget to snap some photos with the colourful bollards that line the area too! Next, join the Geelong Gaols’ ghost tour and gallows visit at 8pm, where you’ll be immersed in the stories of former convicts, murderers and lunatics who were once incarcerated inside this maximum security prison. A truly fascinating experience like no other!
Day 2: Chocolate, wildlife and fresh fruit
Ready to start your day with guilty pleasures? Move out of Geelong and find yourself amongst gorgeous hills in the Yarra Valley Chocolaterie & Ice Creamery. Watch acclaimed Belgian and French chocolatiers work their magic to create over 150 different chocolate varieties, and indulge in the tasting session of your life for free. If you’re feeling peckish for some ice cream, we recommend picnicking out front on the sprawling lawn for your daily dose of vitamin D as well. Feel free to buy boxes of your favourites home for your loved ones – or if you prefer to smell like a walking sweet treat yourself, you could also grab the chocolate-scented beauty products and soaps available there.
Image credit: Gabriel Garcia Marengo
With your chocolate cravings satisfied, it’s time to pay a visit to Healesville Sanctuary. Literally get up close and personal with Australia’s wildlife including koalas, kangaroos, dingoes, emus, wombats, platypuses and more in their natural habitat! Feed the parrots, catch the well-loved Spirits of the Sky bird show and soak up every interesting fact about the animals that the knowledgeable zookeepers have to offer.
Image credit: (left) Rayner’s Orchard, cherryhill (top right, bottom right)
Ready to inject some colour into your diets? Hop on a tractor fruit-tasting tour through the thick groves of stone fruit trees in Rayners Orchard. A friendly guide will tag along and you’ll be able to get your hands on the luscious flesh of heavy peaches, plums and nectarines. And if cherries are in season (mid-November to mid-January), a trip to Cherry Hill Orchards to pick your very own bag of fresh cherries is also in order.
 Image credit: yarravalleylodge Dynasty Travel’s 7D5N itinerary also includes a stay at the countryside comforts of Yarra Valley Lodge come nightfall, with access to the Heritage Gold & Country Club’s two 18-hole championship golf courses. Check out more information about this tour package here. |
Day 3: Scenic train rides and adorable penguins
Image credit: Puffing Billy Railway FB
It’s day 3! Pack your bags and say your goodbyes to the wonderful hospitality of Yarra Valley; and hop aboard the Puffing Billy Railway on Phillip Island. Puffing Billy still runs on the original 25km mountain track from Belgrave to Gembrook, where it chugs through lush forests, cultivated farmlands and the fern gullies of the Dandenong Ranges.
Dangle your feet out of the train’s iconic open-sided carriages and feel the breeze on your skin as the locomotive whooshes through the mountain range, or if you’re feeling fancy, have a lavish time in one of Puffing Billy’s first class dining carriages.
If your ideal retirement plans involve living in a farmhouse and tending to your own livestock, the Warrook Farm Tour is going to be the highlight of your trip. Milk a cow by hand, bottle-feed baby Friesian calves, or watch sheep shearing in the vintage-esque 1887 shearing shed. You’ll even get to feed other animals such as alpacas, miniature donkeys and other exotic bird aviaries if you spare some time for the Warrook Fauna Park too.
Challenge your perception of reality with the next stop at A Maze’N Things, where the world of baffling optical illusions, quirky mazes and intriguing puzzles will keep you captive for hours. Roam between illusion rooms, the mirror maze, a rotating room and a slew of other exciting attractions. We recommend making time for the Look Out Slide, a colossal indoor vertical slide, and the Magic Manor, where an amazing range of interactive magic displays, illusions, flying chandeliers, scare rooms, magic rabbits and more are housed.
Image credit: (left) visitphillipisland, (right) Wildvik
Always wanted to visit Antarctica but not a fan of its frigid weather? The Nobbies ‘Antarctic Journey’ is going to sweep you right off your feet with its immersive virtual exhibition of the Southern Ocean and Antarctica itself. Feel the brief blast of the Freeze as you walk into Antarctica’s ‘Chill Zone’, or stand on an ice floe and feel as if you could reach out to stroke a penguin, seal or even a whale just a couple of metres away from you.
And you’ll be pleased to know that Phillip Island is home to a sizeable population of adorable penguins! With the Penguin Parade Plus, you’ll gain access to the new viewing platform which boasts uninterrupted views of the penguins making their way back to their sand burrows in the evening, just a few metres away from you.
Day 4: Vibrant colours and gorgeous gardens
Image credit: visitmorningtonpeninsula
Did you know that strawberries are the first fruit to ripen in spring? Get your hands on juicy strawberries at the Sunny Ridge Strawberry Farm. Simply choose a punnet of a size you’re comfortable with, pay for it, and then go to town picking ripe fruit off the plants with your loved ones. When you’re ready, the in-house cafe awaits with delectable strawberry ice cream, fluffy waffles and massive, warm scones. No tea-time will ever be as charming as this one!
Image credit: The 3B’s (top left, top right), Adam Selwood (bottom left), Arthur’s Seat Eagle (bottom right)
Once you’ve had your fill of strawberries, soar over the state forest to the highest point of the Mornington Peninsula aboard Arthur’s Seat Eagle, a state-of-the-art unique gondola experience. Drink in the spectacular beauty before the next stop at Enchanted Adventure Garden, a nature wonderland featuring three hedge mazes, four giant tube slides, 20 (yes, you read that right) themed gardens, an outdoor sculpture park and an indoor three-dimensional maze.
Keep your cameras at the ready if you can make it to the Brighton Bathing Boxes before sundown – the backdrop of 82 distinctive bathing boxes on the foreshore of Brighton Beach makes for some iconic photos. After all, you can’t really say you’ve been to Melbourne without a shot of yourself featuring a bathing box that best complements your personality, can you?
| If you’re worried about not being able to catch all of the spectacular sights in one day due to your unfamiliarity with Melbourne’s public transport and roads in general, why not leave it in the hands of Dynasty Travel? From only S$2,288 (+S$165 tax), you’ll be able to recline in the comfort of your coach bus in between destinations without having to navigate on your own, and focus on enjoying your vacation to the fullest.
Check out Dynasty Travel’s exciting 7D5N Best of Melbourne package for more information! |
Day 5: Day-trippin’ to Daylesford
Image credit: (top) Warrick Wynne, (bottom left) Lake House Daylesford, (bottom right) Friends of Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens Daylesford
All that running around for the past few days is bound to put some strain on your muscles, so we’ve selected the perfect place for a mid-trip retreat. Enter Daylesford, home to a whopping 80% of the country’s mineral springs, making this destination perfect for pampering yourself.
Start off with a well-deserved soak at Hepburn Bathhouse and Spa, set in a picturesque valley with a wide range of easily accessible walking options for nature lovers to explore, such as Sailors Falls, Central Springs Reserve and Mount Franklin Reserve. Recline on a massage chair submerged in bubbling water, float away in warm relaxation pools or have a dip in the new outdoor creekside spa.
We recommend a stay at the Lake House, where you can wake up to a luxurious rustic bedroom that looks out to the Daylesford lake, and picnic at the lakeside. Take your time to rejuvenate and discover the quaint beauty of Daylesford, for it has much to offer – an extinct volcano atop Wombat Hill Botanical Gardens, a 19th-century mansion-turned-convent-gallery, pretty wineries and a spa country railway that winds through the farmland and surrounding forest.
Day 6: Melbourne city life and shopping
Image credit: (left) Rexness, (right) freeaussiestock
Having explored the outskirts of Victoria, it’s time to spend a day revelling in the dynamic concrete jungle. Spend the day hopping between eclectic cafes and small shops, and explore iconic places such as the State Parliament buildings, Shrine of Remembrance, Federation Square, Arts Centre, Yarra River, Fitzroy Garden and St Patrick’s Cathedral. Take advantage of the free tram service around the City Circle loop to get around!
Image credit: (left) Crisco 1492, (right) Ryk Neethling
The best place to get a taste of good Melbourne chow would be at Queen Victoria Market. Meander through the meat, seafood and dairy food halls to pick up goods such as artisanal cheese, seasonal fruit and unique takeaway food, as well as knick-knacks from the many merchandise stalls also set up. Note that the open-air market is closed every Monday and Wednesday, so plan your visits accordingly.
No city visit would be complete without a hearty bout of shopping. Head over to South Wharf DFO Outlet, a sprawling mall home to over 100 leading Australian and International brands that offer unbelievable discounts off their usual retail prices.
Day 7: Great Ocean Road Drive
Image credit: (top right) Travellers travel photobook
Conclude your epic week in Melbourne with a bang – the iconic Great Ocean Road tour. Book a full day coach tour to the Great Ocean Road to witness its dramatic coastal scenery, including the iconic Twelve Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge, The Arch, Gibson Steps and more.
If you’re feeling adventurous and want to embark on your own road trip, by all means rent your own car and make the drive. Be warned, however: hook turns along the Great Ocean Road are notoriously tricky, as are some legs of the journey, so you’ll have to be travelling with experienced and confident drivers.
And there you have it – a full week’s itinerary in the World’s Most Liveable City, with a well-balanced blend of wildlife, breathtaking scenery, modern city life and ambrosial foods that’ll have Melbourne as one of your top must-return cities after you’ve been there.
Take heart in the existence of all-inclusive tours. And let someone else do the dirty work of booking your accommodations, buying attraction tickets and settling your meals when you travel with Dynasty Travel on their 7D5N Best Of Melbourne package from just S$2,288!
And if you’re looking to explore more than just Melbourne alone – Dynasty Travel offers a whole host of other holiday packages for exciting trips all over Australia, including New South Wales, Western Australia and Tasmania.
Book your next hassle-free adventure here today!
Brought to you by Dynasty Travel.
