Victoria with Kids: A handy holiday guide
Victoria
Explore Victoria with your family
Victoria is Australia’s second-smallest state but what it lacks in size, it makes up for in family fun! Drive the rugged coastline along the Great Ocean Road, relive Gold Rush history at Sovereign Hill, and don’t miss Phillip Island’s tiny feathered residents, the fairy penguins.
Explore the creative city of Melbourne, see the world-famous 12 Apostles, go horseback or mountain bike riding and swim under magnificent waterfalls within the forests. From hiking in Mitchell River National Park to kayaking at Lakes Entrance, there’s plenty of family fun to be had throughout the Gippsland region, in Victoria’s south-east corner.
What would you like to do in Victoria?
Story of the month
Wild and wooly on Phillip Island
Phillip Island is paradise for animal lovers! From penguin parades to sheep shearing on a heritage farm, these are the must-do activities.
All Victoria Stories
Victoria's top family holiday destinations
Your Victoria family holiday guide
Phillip Island
Home of the little penguins and renowned for the nightly beach parade of these gorgeous creatures, Phillip Island really is a playground destination for families. It’s got surf, sand, seals and cliffs, as well as birds galore, all within a couple of hours’ drive of Melbourne.
Great Ocean Road
See the towering 12 Apostles rock formations on a road trip along Victoria’s iconic Great Ocean Road, which stretches for more than 240km along the south-eastern coast of Australia between Torquay and Allansford, near Warrnambool. Built by returned soldiers between 1919 and 1932, and dedicated to soldiers killed during World War I, the road is the world’s largest war memorial.
It travels via Anglesea, Lorne, Apollo Bay, and Port Campbell, and meanders along the coast near Geelong. Feast on magnificent views and local produce along the way, go bushwalking, surfing or mountain biking, or take the cultural route and visit museums, galleries and heritage attractions.
The appropriately named Otway Fly will have you soaring across the Otway Ranges from ‘cloud station’ to ‘cloud station’ with an expert guide.
Gippsland
One of the longest uninterrupted beaches in the world– Ninety Mile Beach – stretches all the way from Port Albert, two hours out of Melbourne, north to the famous seaside holiday destination of Lakes Entrance. The beach is actually a 94 mile spread of golden sand as far as the eye can see, separating the Gippsland Lakes from Bass Strait. Gippsland is also home to Wilsons Promontory National Park … affectionately known as ‘The Prom’, it is one of the state’s best-loved parks.
Discover a honeycomb of spectacular limestone formations, carved by an underground river almost 400 million years ago, at Buchan Caves; learn about the state’s history in the waterfront village of Port Albert, and head underground for a taste of what life was like as a miner at Wonthaggi State Coal Mine, which operated from 1909 to 1968.
Ballarat
Sovereign Hill open-air museum in Ballarat depicts the first ten years after the discovery of gold there in 1851, with more than 60 historically recreated buildings and costumed staff and volunteers, eager to answer questions and pose for photos. Main Street is a loose reconstruction of Main Street, Ballarat East, which was once the settlement’s central thoroughfare. You’ll also find machinery, carriages and antiques from the era on display.
Yarra Valley & Dandenong Ranges
The Yarra Valley is an easy drive with great scenery and charming towns to explore. Stop at farm gates and roadside stalls to buy seasonal local produce for a picnic at one of the national parks.
Follow the winding Dandenongs Tourist Road through tall forests and cool gullies – stopping for Devonshire tea at one of the villages along the way. Walk off your excesses in the gardens or among the trees at Sherbrooke Forest.
Table of Contents
Opening image: A whale fluke spotted off the coast of Phillip Island. © Wildlife Coast Cruises-Visit Victoria