Looking for Suggestions for things to see/do in Victoria

[TimberNut]

We are planning a 2-3 week trip to Victoria in Jan/Feb and are looking for suggestions for things to see/do that would interest a Woodie.
I'm specifically interested in any good woodwork galleries, or rural towns with a forrestry/timber milling focus.
Also, cheese/chocolate factories (or other food-related, but non-expensive activities), rural towns worth seeing, etc.

We are travelling with the family (including a 4 and 2 year old) so any suggestions for things that might interest young ones, would be awesome.

So far the list is:
1. Great Ocean Road
2. Victorian High Country
3. No idea......

Any local Victorians out there (or frequent travellers to Vic) that know of some interesting things worth visiting?

I'm willing to travel into Melbourne if there is anything in there worth seeing, but as I come from Sydney, I'm a bit over major towns, and would rather spend the time travelling around more rural areas. It all depends on what is worth seeing.
All suggestions welcome!

TN.

[Chesand]

Sovereign Hill at Ballarat.
Penquins at Phillip Island - kids would like this but a good 2 hours drive from Melb although you would go near 's place so that might be a good excuse to head that way.

[dabbler]

We did Nepean, Great Ocean Rd, Ballarat-Daylesford April-May 2011
Did't do the woodie things though

+1 for penguins. They're a dusk-early evening thing so factor that into the 2 and 4 yo bedtimes. Check arrival and start times too as it can be a longish event for the end of the day. Chocolate factory on the way there (didn't care for it really).

"boutique" choc factories outside Daylesford and Great Ocean Rd but not cheap if you just want something sweet. Great Ocean one (can't recall exact details) had a nice homey-rural feel and would really appeal to kids. Daylesford one was slicker operation but good.

4yo might like mazes too. They're all around the place.

Went to a couple of cheese places but again, can't really remember locations.

We spent a couple of nights in a Lorne B&B family room that would be great for littlies (mine is now a biggie, but still enjoys littlie-type activities). Only issue was the heels walking in the rooms above us. It worth thinking about were you are to be on Fri and Sat nights so you aren't competing with Melb weekend trippers.

I can check the name of the Lorne accom place if you want.

[shedbound]

Gippsland has plenty, coal creek historical village, Walhalla golfields, Moe historical park gippsland lakes system and Lakes Entrance + more:U

[groeneaj]

Hey mate,
Are you driving or flying down?
If your driving down I highly recommend stopping by Bungendore woodwork gallery. From memory it's about 30 minutes off the Hume Hwy and it's well worth the extra drive.
I've been there a few times and plan to go again on my way down to Melbourne at Christmas time.

Andy

[RETIRED]

Now lets see, hmm, within one hour of me.

Pelican feeding at Phillip Island at 12.00 every day at San Remo. Free.

Penguins at Phillip Island. Personally I feel that you see more after they come in (and it is late at this time of year) and wander through the car park. Free too.

Coal Creek at Korumburra. Not sure of price. Historical village.

Warook cattle farm has farm tours where in some cases you get to milk a cow. Not sure of price. Great for city kids.

Pleasant drives through temperate rain forests in the Strezleckies via the Grand Ridge road.

Drive the tourist route from Cape Patterson to Inverloch along the coast.

Wineries if you are into that sort of thing.

You can also visit me.:D:cool: Maybe even have lunch.

Coal mine at Wonthaggi.

Phillip Island in general.

As for Woodie things, not a lot.

Closer to the city: Mathews Timber in Nunawading.

If you could give us a clue as to which side of the city you are coming to it would help.

What mode of travel and accommodation?

[Kev Y.]

What about Wilson's Prom, Tara Valley/Bulga Park on the Grand Ridge Road. Healesville sanctuary and the Yarra Valley. Then there is Bright, Beechworth ( ghost tour at the old mental hospital is good) Wangarratta, and Brown Brothers Winery.

if you are down on the Mornington Peninsula there is a Maze at the top of the hill near the old Arthur's seat chair lift.

Echuca up on the Murray River is worth a day or two, There is a place there to purchase some river red gum timber.

[TimberNut]

Hey Guys,

that's awesome info!!! thanks! It really gives us something to start to investigate when planning our itinerary.

We are travelling by car (not 4wd so have to stick to sealed roads predominantly). We had considered going down the coast from Sydney, but that would just add days to our travel, and I want to spend most of it travelling around Vic, not NSW, so we'd be heading down the highway and then heading west around to Albury, to Shepparton, Bendigo, Ballarat, and south to the coast.

Having said that, we'd based that purely by looking at Google Maps, and aiming for the Great Ocean Road, bypassing Melbourne. We hadn't investigated if there was anything of interest in those towns, hence this post. I'm entirely open to whatever suggestions you guys have, and will revise our travel directions around those.

Accommodation-wise - we usually stay in on-site cabins in carvan parks (keeping it cost-effective), or farm-stays, or sometimes B&B's (but haven't done B&Bs since the kids were born). We're no 5 star family, that's for sure. We want to see things of interest in Vic, and have 2-3 weeks to get there and back from Sydney (3 weeks tops), and the more reasonable the accomodation cost, the longer we can be on holidays seeing cool stuff, so no resort hotels for us! ;-)

Andy - yep, always stop into Bungendore Gallery when I'm anywhere down Canberra way. If I can't get a decent woodworking fix in Vic, I'll probably drop in, on the way back to Sydney.

Oh yeah - dates are fluid at this point in time, so if you know of any specific event late Jan, or Feb (at latest early March), that I should plan to be there to see, let me know.

Any more ideas guys?

[ian]

Hi TN

are you looking for suggestions or a full itinery?

In January, I think the wood school at Sturt in Mittagong so suggest down the Hume to Goulburn
Turn-off at Goulburn and take teh Braidwood road to Tarago, then head to Bunendore
there you'll find the great wood gallery Andy mentioned, plus a fantastic lolly shop for the kids, a couple of really nice cafes for lunch, one inside the gallery -- I believe the pub is also good but haven't tried it -- plus other shops that might keep the missus interested


Plan on night one in Canberra
take the rug rats around some of the sights -- the 4 yo might enjoy questicon, but the 2 yo might get bored.

then head into Victoria via Cooma
either use the Alpine Way (towards Kancoban, Corryong, Woodonga) which will take you into the Kiewa Valley, and My Beauty, Bright very nice scenary -- bakery at Beechworth is rated a must visit -- you drive beside an old rail line for much of the way -- stop and admire some of the old timber bridges
you can work your way down to teh eastern side of Melbourne and only have to travel a few kms on the Hume
or
use the Monaro and Cann Valley Highways. You'll end up at Orbost -- mouth of the Snowy River
then head into Melbourne on the Princes Hwy, perhaps visiting Phillip Island before you get to the big smoke

I think there's a car ferry across Port Phillip heads which would get you to Geelong, from where you could do the Great Ocean Road and Ballarrat + the trams in Bendigo before heading back up the Hume.
The submarine in Holbrook is a must stop as is the bakery.


that enough?

[ian]

some links taht may interest you

Family events, Victoria, Australia (http://www.visitvictoria.com/Events/Family.aspx)

High Country, Victoria, Australia (http://www.visitvictoria.com/Regions/High-Country.aspx)

Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges, Victoria, Australia (http://www.visitvictoria.com/Regions/Yarra-Valley-and-Dandenong-Ranges.aspx)
Puffing Billy Steam Railway, Attraction, Yarra Valley & Dandenong Ranges, Victoria, Australia (http://www.visitvictoria.com/regions/Yarra-Valley-and-Dandenong-Ranges/Activities-and-attractions/History-and-heritage/Puffing-Billy-Steam-Railway.aspx)

Goldfields, Victoria, Australia (http://www.visitvictoria.com/Regions/Goldfields.aspx)

Grampians, Victoria, Australia (http://www.visitvictoria.com/Regions/Grampians.aspx)

Great Ocean Road, Victoria, Australia (http://www.visitvictoria.com/Regions/Great-Ocean-Road.aspx)

March is likley to be more pleasant, weather wise, than January/February

[sjm]

Victoria has everything - deserts, rainforests, alpine areas, coastal beaches. There aren't too many places in the world where you can surf an ocean wave in the morning, drive through a tropical rainforest, then ski down a snowy mountain in the afternoon. We certainly are the lucky state.

In the south western area, I'd suggest a loop including Ballarat, the Grampians, and the Great Ocean Road. That'll take a week with kids.
Summer is too hot to see any of the desert areas, so forget the North West.
In the east, try the Prom and the High Country - a loop around Bright, Hotham, Omeo, Falls Creek - it'll be 20 degrees cooler up there.
Accommodation at the Prom will be all booked out by now, so it'll have to be a day trip.

[TimberNut]

thanks Guys,

Ian - all info greatfully accepted. No, I'm not looking for a full intinerary, just hoping some locals will respond with '....you won't see this on Vic Tourism website, but make sure you visit.......'

once I've got a list of locations worth visiting, I can do more investigations to see which sound interesting to my family, and then work out the intinerary myself from there.

TN.

[sjm]

Well, the port of Echuca has paddle steamers and a fudge shop for the kids, plus an old belt-driven lathe with turning demos for yourself. And there is a small train for the kids just over the border in Moama - runs through the bush along the river.

[TimberNut]

thanks SJM. they sound like some interesting suggestions. I will check them out.

TN.