Top 10 bucket list locations in Victoria: ultimate guide

2022 is the year to take a road trip in Victoria! Like the rest of Oz, Victoria is a stunningly beautiful state packed with spectacular locations, so it’s super easy to find destinations for to a Victorian road trip bucket list.

If you can’t narrow down your choices, or you need some inspiration, we’ve compiled a top 10 of bucket list locations in Victoria for 2021. Check out ourvans for hire in Victoria and get ready for an adventure!

1. Victorian Alpine Region

Surfing… then skiing? If your thoughts of outdoor sports in Victoria turn to hitting the beach with your board, think again. Victoria’s alpine region is a must-visit: think snowy peaks, swathes of gumtrees, and plenty of ski resorts all waiting for your skis or snowboard.

The Victorian Alpine Region is part of the Australian Alps range that also spans New South Wales and the ACT as well as Victoria; it’s reachable in about three hours’ drive (to Wangaratta) from Melbourne.

Our recommendations:

• Alpine National Park: the largest national park in Victoria and with 10 of its 11 highest mountains. Take your campervan or motorhome along the Great Alpine Road Touring Round… and leave plenty of time for photography stops.

• Mount Hotham : part of the alpine region’s High Country (see below), Mount Hotham is regarded as the snow sports capital of Australia. Skiing, snowboarding and tobogganing are all available, along with shops, restaurants and spa facilities.

2. High Country/Wonnangatta Station/Craig’s Hut

This is part of the Victorian Alpine Region and one of its most visited. The peak point of Australia’s Great Dividing Range, Victoria’s High Country to the state’s north-east is made up of lakes, national parks, vineyards and Victoria’s highest mountains. Most of the state’s ski and snow resorts are in this region of the “Victorian Alps” – Mount Buller, Mount Buffalo, Mount Hotham and Falls Creek are all popular destinations – and the region is also popular for bushwalking, fishing and cycling.

Among the many highlights are the riverside towns of Myrtleford and Bright (see below); the Murrindindi Shire towns of Yea and Alexandra; and gorgeous Lake Eildon with 500+ kilometres of shoreline.

Our recommendations:

• Wonnangatta Station: former cattle station in a remote valley, described as “the most isolated homestead in Victoria” while it was in operation.

• Craig’s Hut: built in the early 1980s as part of the film set for The Man from Snowy River, the hut was rebuilt in 2006 and opened to the public in 2008. Take the 1.2-kilometre track from the visitor centre for a walk among beautiful scenery.

3. Great Ocean Road

Possibly the most iconic drive in Victoria, the 243-kilometre Great Ocean Road meanders along the south-eastern Australian coastline from Torquay to Allansford. It’s an Australian National Heritage destination, built by returning World War I soldiers as a tourist attraction and war memorial.

Take at least a couple of days to see the road properly, stopping off at highlights such as the Loch Ard Gorge, Apollo Bay, Anglesea, the Grotto and the Shipwreck Coast, where you can gaze out on views over the Bass Strait and the Southern Ocean. The seaside town of Lorne is a good stopping point for food and a driving break.

Our recommendations:

• The Twelve Apostles : a series of limestone stacks off the shore of Port Campbell National Park, and part of the Twelve Apostles Marine National Park.

• Loch Ard Gorge : also part of the Twelve Apostles Marine National Park, just a few minutes’ drive from the Apostles. Allow plenty of time to explore here: this gorge is stunning (and one of our favourite destinations in Victoria).

• The Great Ocean Walk: park up nearby to hike part of these 104 kilometres of walking trails along the Great Ocean Road from Apollo Bay to the Apostles.

4. Yarra Valley

Vineyard tours are popular in the High Country, but the Yarra Valley is famous as the best-known vineyard region in Victoria and one of the best known in Australia. Set around the Yarra River flowing for about 240 kilometres from Melbourne’s CBD, the valley is home to thriving vineyards, many tourist attractions and the towns of Healesville, Warburton, Coldstream and Yarra Glen.

Take a trip to the Yarra Valley to visit the vineyards and pick up local wines and other souvenirs or to walk or cycle its peaceful scenic paths. If you’re road-tripping Victoria with kids, take them to family-friendly Yarra destinations such as Healesville Sanctuary or the Yarra Valley Chocolaterie & Ice Creamery. Grownups can check out Yarra Valley Racing, Bunjil Place and the Mont de Lancey Historic Homestead, among many more.

Our recommendations:

• Yarra Valley wine exploring :take your pick from wineries with tours, family- and pet- friendly days, wineries with food and accessible wineries.

• Lilydale – Warburton Rail Trail : this lush trail is suitable for walking, cycling or horse riding, along 36 scenic kilometres of the former Warburton railway line.

• Melba Estate, Coombe/Coombe Yarra Valley : take a day to explore this lavishly green and carefully managed estate, once home to Dame Nellie Melba. Guided garden walks, Devonshire teas and award-winning estate wines are all available.

5. Echuca and the Murray River

The Murray is Australia’s longest river at over 2,700 kilometres, rising in the Great Dividing Range to flow between the NSW and Victoria borders and into South Australia to end near Adelaide.

Sitting alongside the Murray is the township of Echuca Moama, the closest Murray River settlement to Melbourne. Visit here to see the largest paddle steamer fleet in the world, including the world’s oldest operating wooden-hulled steamer, the PS Adelaide (1866). After that, wander along the historic wharf then have drinks or dinner in one of the waterside restaurants.

Our recommendations:

• Murray River houseboat trip: if possible, tack a few days to the beginning or end of your Murray River campervan trip to hire a houseboat and sail along the river at your own pace.

• Murray River town-hopping trip : plan trip to allow for days in Swan Hill, Mildura and Albury Wodonga as well as Echuca.

• Waterskiing: get out onto the water at faster pace with a waterskiing session on the Murray or at the region’s Lake Mulwala or Lake Hume.

6. Bright

Another Victorian must-see, the town of Bright in the Alpine Shire has a population of under 2,500 but bags of character and colourful sights. It’s at the end of the Ovens Valley, set on the Ovens River with easy access to Morses Creek. Bright is known for its paragliding and hang gliding, and hosts regular paragliding events and competitions.

As with all our Victorian bucket-list recommendations, take as much time as possible to explore Bright and its surrounds: Mount Buffalo National Park is easily reached from here, as are Mount Bogong and Mount Feathertop, respectively Victoria’s highest and second-highest peak.

Our recommendations:

• Hero Mountain Biking Trail: hit the Mystic MTB Park to take this three-kilometre trail of downhill jumps, berms and features including a wallride. There’s heaps more too if you want a really challenging MTB day: Mystic has over 30km of trails.

• Paragliding : take to the skies by paraglider on a solo or tandem flight organised by a Bright & Surrounds paragliding company.

7. Mildura/ Sunset Country/ Hattah National Park

Drive from High Country and alpine Victoria in the state’s north-east to Sunset Country in its north-west, in the region taking in the town of Mildura as well as the Murray-Sunset and the Hattah - Kulkyne national parks. The landscapes around this part of Victoria are breathtaking and, as you’d expect from the name, the sunsets are pretty special too.

Start off or base your van in Mildura, the north-western Victorian city on the Murray River, for an epic bucket-list adventure around the Mildura region, the Murray River and the nearby Darling River. Wineries are in abundance around here too: Mildura produces 80% of Victoria’s grapes.

Our recommendations:

• Murray-Sunset National Park: Victoria’s second-biggest national park (after Alpine National Park) has over 1.5 million acres to explore. Spend time here to bushwalk around Lake Kenyon and Lake Crosbie or take the three-day Sunset walking track, looking out for some of the 300+ bird species that live here – most of the park is in the Murray-Sunset, Hattah and Annuello Important Bird Area (IBA), so there’s plenty to spot.

• Hattah – Kulkyne National Park : Also part of the Murray-Sunset, Hattah and Annuello IBA, and part of an Aboriginal cultural landscape, the Hattah – Kulkyne National Park covers around 120,000 acres of land by the Murray River. Hike the Hattah Nature Walk (1.2km), or the 2.5km Woodlands Walk with an optional link to the Camel Pad Track.

• Get arty in Mildura: visit the Barkindji Wiimpatya Murra Centre, showcasing Aboriginal art, or the Mildura Arts Centre and Rio Vista Historic House, an art gallery and performance theatre.

8. Border Track

Combine a Mildura road trip with one along the iconic Border Track running along the boundary of Victoria and South Australia on sandy tracks and in remote locations.

The full track should take three days to drive, stopping off at gorgeous highlights including the Big Desert Wilderness Park, the Murray-Sunset National Park, Wyperfield National Park and Lake Hindemarsh.

Our recommendation:

• Ngarkat Conservation Park: take an extra day if possible to explore the lush landscapes of Ngarkat Conservation Park, a wildlife haven home to emus, kangas and over 120 bird species.

9. Gippsland Lakes

Go boating, fishing, kayaking or just beach lazing at Victoria’s Gippsland Lakes, the lakes, lagoons and marshes in East Gippsland in the state’s south-east.

Home to Lake Wellington (the largest), Lake Victoria and Lake King, the Gippsland Lakes region is also known for the surfing of Ninety Mile Beach, Paynesville, nicknamed Victoria’s boating capital, and the little village of Metung, famous for its restaurants and galleries.

Our recommendations:

• Lakes Entrance: a seaside resort and fishing port near where the Gippsland Lakes connect to the Bass Strait. Have dinner in a Lakes Entrance floating restaurant, wander along the beach or use Lake Entrance as a base to reach other Gippsland Lakes towns such as Bairnsdale, Metung, Orbost, Swan Reach and Johnsonville.

• Raymond Island: accessible by chain ferry, Raymond Island is only six kilometres long by two kilometres wide, 200 metres off the coast from Paynesville. Walk the 20-minute Koala Trail to spot these well-known island inhabitants, then go fishing for bream, mullet, garfish or flathead. (You’ll need a recreational fishing licence to fish on Raymond Island – pick one up at the Coastcare Pharmacy at Paynesville or the Bairnsdale Visitor Information Centre.)

10. Halls Gap/Grampians National Park

Our final bucket list pick is a must-see destination on any Victorian road trip – the rugged beauty of the Grampians National Park. Covering over 410,000 acres, the Grampians is a land of sandstone mountain ranges, Aboriginal rock art sites, Heritage-listed animal and plant life, and walks and hikes among some of the most beautiful scenery in Victoria.

Explore the Grampians from its hiking trails, or climb up to Mount William, the Grampians’ highest point. Fishing, canoeing and kayaking are all available too, at Lake Bellfield, Lake Wartook or the Moora Moora Reservoir.

Our recommendations:

• Halls Gap: the main town in the Grampians, Halls Gap (population: 430) is a fab base for Grampian National Park outdoor activities. It’s in the Fyans Valley at the foot of the Mount William and Wonderland region and is home to Brambuk, the oldest Aboriginal cultural centre in Australia.

• Aboriginal rock art trip: the Grampians cover the traditional Gariweld region which has 90% of the surviving Aboriginal rock art in Victoria. Drop in to Brambuk – The National Park & Cultural Centre at Halls Gap to find out more and to arrange a guided tour.

• The Grampians Peak Trail : this three-day circuit hike from Halls Gap takes in the famous Grampians Grand Canyon and the Pinnacle lookout. For experienced walkers only; register your hike at the Brambuk centre where you can pick up the most up-to-date map.

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