Must-see attractions in Victoria

  • Melbourne Royal Botanical Gardens on a clear summer's day in Victoria, Australia

    Royal Botanic Gardens

    Melbourne

    Considered one of the finest examples of Victorian-era landscaping in the world, Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens draw over two million visitors a year…

  • In this photo taken on March 24, 2015, waves crash into the base of natural limestone structures known as the Twelve Apostles off the shore of the Port Campbell National Park, by the Great Ocean road in Victoria. The close proximity of the collection of limestone stacks to one another has made the site a popular tourist attraction.  AFP PHOTO / INDRANIL MUKHERJEE        (Photo credit should read INDRANIL MUKHERJEE/AFP/Getty Images)

    Twelve Apostles

    Great Ocean Road

    The most iconic sight and enduring image for most visitors to the Great Ocean Road, the Twelve Apostles provide a fitting climax to the journey. Jutting…

  • Melbourne, Australia - March 22, 2014: people walking past graffiti wall in Hosier Lane in Melbourne

    Hosier Lane

    Melbourne

    Melbourne's most-celebrated laneway for street art, Hosier Lane's cobbled length draws camera-wielding crowds to its colorful canvas of graffiti, stencils…

  • December 25, 2017: Shrine of Remembrance, now a memorial to all Australians who have served in war.

    Shrine of Remembrance

    Melbourne

    One of Melbourne's icons, the Shrine of Remembrance is a commanding memorial to Victorians who have served in war and peacekeeping, especially those…

  • MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - MAY 30: Melbourne's famous skyline with Melbourne Cricket Ground stadium in the foreground on a cool autumn morning in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on May 30th 2018.

    Melbourne Cricket Ground

    Melbourne

    With a capacity of 100,000 people, the "G" is one of the world’s great sporting venues, hosting cricket in summer and AFL (Australian Football League,…

  • Melbourne, Australia: April 12, 2018: Customers buy pastries and other food goods from a stall in Queen Victoria Market.

    Queen Victoria Market

    Melbourne

    With more than 600 traders, 'Vic Market' is a large open-air market brimming with food, shopping and cultural experiences. Early mornings are best for…

  • St. Kilda Pier, Melbourne, Australia

    St Kilda Foreshore

    St Kilda, Elwood & Elsternwick

    With a palm-fringed promenade, sandy beach and eclectic architecture, St Kilda’s seaside appeal lands somewhere between Brighton in England and Venice…

  • Penguin parade, Phillip Island, Melbourne. - stock photo
Australia

    Penguin Parade

    Phillip Island

    One of Victoria's major tourist draws, this evening parade of little penguins (Eudyptula minor) showcases the world’s smallest, and probably cutest,…

  • Aboriginal Exhibitions Gallery

    Victorian High Country

    Opened in late 2017, this Indigenous gallery at Rutherglen Estates presents an ongoing and evolving showcase of work by some of Australia's leading…

  • Gallery of Aboriginal Art

    Victoria

    Celebrating its location in Taungurung country, Mitchelton's Gallery of Aboriginal Art is one of Australia's finest Indigenous art collections. Works on…

  • Sovereign Hill

    Victoria

    You’ll need to set aside at least half a day to visit this fascinating re-creation of Ballarat's 1860s gold-mining township. The site was mined in the…

  • NGV International entrance with water fountain.

    NGV International

    Melbourne

    Housed in a vast, brutally beautiful, bunker-like building, the international branch of the NGV has an expansive collection, from ancient artefacts to the…

  • Ornithoptera euphorion

    Melbourne Zoo

    Melbourne

    Established in 1862, this compact zoo remains one of the city’s most popular attractions and continues to innovate, having become the world's first carbon…

  • Cape Otway Lighthouse - Winter Sunset

    Cape Otway Lightstation

    Great Ocean Road

    The oldest surviving lighthouse in mainland Australia, Cape Otway Lightstation was built in 1848 without mortar by more than 40 stonemasons. There are…

  • Australia, Melbourne - September 2018 - People sitting on beanbags and chairs in front of main stage at Federation Square

    Federation Square

    Melbourne

    One of the city's newest public spaces and an urban focal point, Federation Sq is a place to meet, celebrate, protest, watch major sporting events or…

  • Point Nepean National Park

    Victoria

    Commanding expansive ocean views, this windswept national park on the peninsula’s western tip was a seasonal base of its traditional owners, the Boon…

  • Brambuk Cultural Centre

    Victoria

    Don't leave Halls Gap without visiting the superb cultural centre at Brambuk, 2.5km south of town. Run by five Koorie communities (including the…

  • Old Castlemaine Gaol.

    Old Castlemaine Gaol

    Victoria

    Looming from its commanding hilltop location, the Old Castlemaine Gaol is the town's most notable historical landmark; dating from 1861, it closed its…

  • Royal Exhibition Building Melbourne

    Royal Exhibition Building

    Melbourne

    Built for the 1880 International Exhibition, this Victorian edifice in Carlton Gardens symbolises the glory days of 19th-century Melbourne's economic…

  • Ceremonial dragon in Golden Dragon Museum.

    Golden Dragon Museum & Gardens

    Victoria

    Bendigo’s Chinese heritage sets it apart from other goldfields towns, and this fantastic museum is the place to experience it. Walk through a huge wooden…

  • art gallery, Castlemaine, Victoria, Australia

    Castlemaine Art Museum

    Victoria

    Housed in a superb art deco building, this gallery (established in 1913) features colonial and contemporary Australian art, including works by such well…

  • Historic Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village in Warrnambool. The village is modelled on an early Australian coastal port of the early 1800's.

    Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village

    Warrnambool

    The world-class Flagstaff Hill precinct is of equal interest for its shipwreck museum, heritage-listed lighthouses and garrison as for its reproduction of…

  • The Australian Koala at Healesville Sanctuary, the name koala, comes from the Aboriginal saying

    Healesville Sanctuary

    Yarra Valley

    One of the best places in southern Australia to see native fauna, this wildlife park is home to kangaroos, wallabies, dingoes, Tasmanian devils, echidnas,…

  • People taking guided tour of the lighthouse.

    Split Point Lighthouse

    Great Ocean Road

    Scale the 136 steps to the top of the beautiful 'White Queen' lighthouse for sensational 360-degree views. Built in 1891, the 34m-high lighthouse is still…

  • Hanging Rock

    Melbourne Region

    An ancient and evocative feature in the landscape, the extinct volcano formation known as Hanging Rock is a sacred site for its traditional owners, the…

  • Krowathunkooloong Keeping Place

    Victoria

    A stirring and well-curated cultural exhibition space, Krowathunkooloong Keeping Place offers a fascinating insight into the history and traditions of the…

  • Mornington Peninsula National Park

    Victoria

    Stretching from Portsea along a long sliver of coastline to Cape Schanck and then inland to the Greens Bush area, this national park showcases the…

  • Raymond Island

    Victoria

    Home to a colony of around 250 koalas, Raymond Island offers pretty much guaranteed sightings of the cute marsupials in the wild. Directly across from…

  • Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia

    Melbourne

    The National Gallery of Victoria's impressive Fed Sq offshoot was set up to showcase its extraordinary collection of Australian works. Set over three…

  • Pt. Leo Estate

    Victoria

    One of the largest vineyards on the peninsula, Pt. Leo Estate has a magnificent setting overlooking Western Port Bay. Its winery complex is state of the…

  • Silo Art Trail

    Victoria

    This 200km trail runs through the remote Wimmera–Mallee region, leading to a series of giant murals on disused grain silos that depict local identities…

  • Buchan Caves

    Victoria

    Since they were unveiled to Melburnians as a blockbuster sight in the early 1900s the Buchan Caves have been dazzling visitors with their fantasy world of…

  • Abbotsford Convent

    Fitzroy, Collingwood & Abbotsford

    This former convent, dating back to 1863, is a rambling collection of ecclesiastical architecture that's home to a thriving arts community of galleries,…

  • Coombe

    Yarra Valley

    The home of Australian opera singer Nellie Melba (1871–1931) has been reimagined as a thriving winery, restaurant and events facility by her descendants…

  • Point Hicks Lighthouse

    Victoria

    Climb 162 stairs that spiral to the top of this remote lighthouse (1890) for dizzying coastal views and plenty of interesting stories. Note that there's…

  • Timboon Railway Shed Distillery

    Great Ocean Road

    One of the main reasons to stop at TImboon is this historic railway shed that's been converted into a vibrant whisky distillery and cafe. Inspired by…

  • Mitchelton Wines

    Victoria

    Mitchelton Wines is set in a lovely location on the Goulburn River, 13km southwest of Nagambie. Its contemporary buildings and airport-style tower make…

  • Ned Kelly Vault

    Victorian High Country

    Within the original subtreasury building (c 1858) where gold was stored is this exhibition space dedicated to Australia's most infamous bushranger, Ned…

  • Warrnambool Art Gallery

    Warrnambool

    One of Australia's oldest art galleries (established 1886), WAG has a stellar collection of works by prominent Australian painters. Its most famous piece…

  • Bunurong Marine & Coastal Park

    Victoria

    A stunning, cliff-hugging drive between Inverloch and Cape Paterson, this beautiful stretch of coast offers some fantastic views, secluded beaches and…