"Victoria" a State of Victoria Travel Page by leffe3

The smallest of the mainland states (only Tassie is smaller) and yet arguably the most diverse, both physically and socially.

Travel to Victoria and you will get spectacular coastline, mountain vistas, cool-temperate rainforests, sun-baked near-deserts (although you will not get the red, red dust that many believe typifies Australia).

One of the reasons for this is that Victoria (along with Tassie) experiences the 'worst' of Australian weather.There's 4 seasons (with the joke being that Melbourne frequently experiences all 4 in one day), with rain thoughout the year, but it can reach the high 30s, low 40s centigrade in the summer months.

First there's Melbourne, 2nd largest Australian city, the fomer capital (1901-27) when the Federation of Australia was declared and is now regarded as the cultural, culinary, sporting, shopping and fashion capital of the country. Its a vibrant 'European' city.

To the south is the spectacular coast, with the Great Ocean Rd one of the great drives of the world. Fantastic beaches, a surfers paradise (if a little cold due to the fact that the Southern Ocean is coming straight off Antarctica) typifies the whole coastline.

But just a few hours drive of Melbourne to the north-east are the Australian Alps and winter skiing opportunities: head north-west to the Mallee region and this is semi-arid wilderness country.

And there's everything else in between. And with 30+ National Parks, the state is geared towards visitors enjoying the State.

Add to the physical diversity the cultural diversity - Melbourne and Victoria grew extremely wealthy (and quickly) as a result of the massive goldfields discovered in the 1850s - and it will give you some idea of the influences and cultural development of the State.

As far as these pages are concerned, I have grouped the tips in relation to the Visit Victoria classification, using Melbourne as the centre.

1: Melbourne (see separate pages)

2: Macedon Ranges/Spa Country (includes Daylesford - approx 1 - 1.5 hours west of central Melbourne

3: Yarra Valley/Dandenongs (includes Healesville - approx 1 - 1.5 hours east of central Melbourne

4: Mornington Peninsula (includes Sorrento - approx 1 hour south east of Melbourne)

5: Phillip Island (2 - 2.5 hours south east of Melbourne)

6: Great Ocean Rd (includes Bellarine Peninsula - approx 1.5 - 5 hours south west of Melbourne: Victoria's western coastline to the South Australian border)

7: Goldfields (includes Ballarat & Bendigo - 1.5 - 4 hours north west of Melbourne)

8: Grampians (includes Ararat & Hamilton - 3 - 6 hours west of Melbourne)

9: Legends, Wine & High Country (includes Alps, Beechworth - 1.5 - 5 hours north east of
Melbourne)

10: Gippsland (includes Wilson's Prom NP and 90 Mile Beach - 1.5 - 6 hours from Melbourne: Victoria's eastern coastline to the New South Wales border)

11: The Murray (the course of the mighty river - 2.5 - 7 hours north/north east/north west from
Melbourne: forms the inland border between Victoria and NSW and Victoria and South Australia