Lose yourself in nature and wildlife

Begin your journey in the capital, where Melbourne Zoo continues to introduce exciting new attractions. The latest is the orang-utan sanctuary, which allows visitors to take an elevated boardwalk into the treetop world of these primates.

Penguin parade
Just a Stone’s Throw from the city is Phillip Island – best known for its penguins, but there is an abundance of other wildlife to be encountered. Seal Rocks is home to an enormous colony of Australian fur seals, whose antics can be seen from the newly reopened Nobbies Centre.

Swim with the dolphins
Continue onto Port Phillip Bay, where cruises from both the Mornington and Bellarine peninsulas go in search of bottlenose dolphins. Moonraker Dolphin Swims, based in Sorrento, allows passengers to go for a swim with these extraordinary creatures. Sea All Dolphin Swims operates from the other side of the bay, at Queenscliff and has itineraries that include snorkelling at the Pope’s Eye Marine National Park.

Meet the animals
Travel on to Ballarat where local personality Greg Parker established the Ballarat Wildlife Park in 1987. Visitors can marvel at the reptile house, enjoy the glass-enclosed viewing platform at the koala enclosure and observe joeys in the koala nursery.

Further afield, Healesville Sanctuary in the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges is another place where interactivity is the norm. Perhaps the most thrilling is the Birds of Prey show. Meet the Keeper presentations are another crowd favourite, while the Behind the Scenes tour visits the Australian Wildlife Health Centre. 

A winery is not normally where you would expect to make memorable wildlife encounters, but Tahbilk at Nagambie is a notable exception. Not only does the winery have possibly Australia’s most evocative and historic cellar door, it also boasts the Tahbilk Wetlands and Wildlife Reserve in its backyard.

Round off your journey at the infamous Hanging Rock that has an almost mythical status thanks to Joan Lindsay’s novel and Peter Weir’s 1975 film ‘Picnic at Hanging Rock’.