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Day 01 Depart Melbourne for Yarra Valley and The Dandenongs
DISTANCE: 51KM, APPROX. TRAVEL TIME: 1HR
Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges are Melbourne's favourite retreats offering good food, fine wine, welcoming accommodation and unique attractions in natural surroundings.
Take the Burwood Highway to Belgrave where the Puffing Billy Steam Railway winds through the forests and fern gullies of the Dandenong Ranges National Park each day. Feed the crimson rosellas at Grants Picnic Grounds or visit the sculptures at William Ricketts Sanctuary.
Explore the quaint villages of Olinda and Sassafras for a wide array of local arts and crafts and not to be missed is lunch at The Cuckoo Restaurant followed by afternoon tea at Miss Marples Tearoom. During springtime from mid September to mid October, you can also join the Tesselaar Tulip Festival in Sullivan to take pictures of colourful tulips in full bloom. Follow Monbulk Road to Lilydale and then on to Yarra Glen via the Melba Highway, gateway to the Yarra Valley wineries. There are over 35 wineries to choose from including famous names such as Domaine Chandon, Eyton on Yarra, De Bortoli and Yering Station.
Overnight: Yarra Valley Wine Country
 Day 02 Yarra Valley - Phillip Island
DISTANCE: 130KM, APPROX. TRAVEL TIME: 2HR
Enjoy a sunrise hot air ballooning experience over the rolling vineyards and round off with a champagne breakfast. Visit the Yarra Valley Dairy and Yering Produce Store to sample freshly-made gourmet cheeses and a great variety of homemade produce like chutneys, sauces and jams. Continue your journey through the lush fern tree gullies onto the South Gippsland Highway then onto Bass Highway towards Phillip Island. Cross the bridge to Phillip Island and you are in another world, with much to see and do.
Phillip Island boasts of a natural playground, teeming with wildlife and adventure. It is a favourite destination for lovers of Australian wildlife, home to the Little Penguins that parade up Summerland Beach each night and a hot spot for Australian fur seals. Watch the seals cavort around the Nobbies up close on a 2hr seal watching cruise and view the large population of koalas at close range from treetop boardwalks at Koala Conservation Centre. To add to a dash of adventure, one can enjoy a go-kart ride around the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit or take to the air in an exhilarating helicopter ride over the island.
Not to be missed is the Phillip Island Chocolate Factory, a tempting treat that everyone finds hard to resist! For the young at heart, a trip to A Maze'N Things will stimulate their minds through interactive optical illusions, puzzles and mazes.
Overnight: Phillip Island
 Day 03 Phillp Island - Mornington Peninsula
DISTANCE: 125KM, APPROX. TRAVEL TIME: 2HR
Drive along Bass Highway onto South Gippsland Highway then Moorooduc Highway to arrive at the tip of the Mornington Peninsula.
Beautifully positioned on Port Phillip Bay, Bass Strait and Western Port Bay, this region boasts Mediterranean jewel-like bays, rugged surf beaches and lush bushland. With its style and sophistication, waterfront vistas and restaurants and cafes, olive groves, u-pick strawberry farms, the Peninsula's love affair with wine and food is obvious. This maritime cool climate wine region boasts of over fifty cellar doors, superb winery restaurants and over hundreds of vineyards.
Overnight: Mornington Peninsula
 Day 04 Mornington Peninsula
This picturesque destination offers fabulous winery and golfing tour experiences as well as great eco-tourism, adventure and wildlife. Swim with the dolphins, thrill on a horseback winery ride or dive on famous shipwrecks. Tee off on any of the 18 championship sand belt courses, many designed in traditional links style. Indulge yourself in the therapeutic hot springs at Peninsula Hot Springs. At dusk, you can also join a guided nocturnal tour at Moonlit Sanctuary to view up close unique Australian wildlife.
Overnight: Mornington Peninsula
Day 05 Mornington Peninsula to Apollo Bay
Take the passenger car ferry from Sorrento to Queenscliff across the Bellarine Peninsula and from Queenscliff, you can travel along the coastal drive. Breathtaking views of Port Phillip Bay can be seen from the "Rip" Lookout at Point Lonsdale and from here, a short drive to Torquay - the official start of the spectacular coastal drive along the Great Ocean Road. The Surfworld Museum at Torquay documents surfing history in the region and provides interpretative displays. Along with Bells Beach, Torquay is recognised among the world's premier surf locations.
Time permitting, you can learn to surf with the experts. Continue on through the townships of Anglesea and Aireys Inlet to Lorne , a resort-style town combining restaurants and shops with historic properties and natural attractions such as the Angahook-Lorne State Park.
Approaching Apollo Bay, the contrast between rugged coast and inland forest becomes more spectacular. The stretch between Lorne and Apollo Bay is considered by many to be the most picturesque section of the Great Ocean Road. The highway is carved into sheer cliffs that drop away into the ocean, offering commanding views of the waves swelling and crashing onto the rocks and beaches below. This small fishing and famring village is also an excellent base for exploring the waterfalls and rainforests in the Otway National Park whilst enjoying the fresh seafood and local produce. Not to be missed is dinner at award-wining Chris Beaconpoint Restaurant which overlooks Apollo Bay.
Overnight: Apollo Bay
Day 06 Apollo Bay to Warrnambool
DISTANCE: 169KM, APPROX. TRAVEL TIME: 2.5HR
Continue your journey west from Apollo Bay and walk through breathtaking wilderness. Explore secluded beaches or the forest canopy via the Otway Fly Tree Top Walk in the Otway National Park, before driving to Port Campbell National Park to witness nature's marvellous rock formations. This is the most famous section of the Great Ocean Road featuring an amazing collection of rock formations known as the Twelve Apostles - carved out of the headland by the fierce waves of the southern ocean. Spectacular shapes in the nearby cliffs, including Loch Ard Gorge, the Arch, the Blowhole and London Bridge as well as Wreck Beach are also not to be missed.
Adventurous sightseers can take the boardwalks that lead to lookouts and great views of the coastline, which is dotted with plaques and signs that mark the places where more than 160 ships floundered along the aptly named Shipwreck Coast.
An exhilarating helicopter experience over the coastline and rock formations will mark an unforgettable experience!
Day 07 Warrnambool - Melbourne (via Colac)
DISTANCE: 1265KM, APPROX. TRAVEL TIME: 3HR 30MIN
Head from Warrnambool to the quaint fishing township of Port Fairy for morning tea. Discover more about maritime history at Port Fairy, a busy fishing port and one of the state's earliest settled coastal villages. Take the time to explore the town's streets and over 50 nineteenth-century buildings classified by the National Trust. From here, travel via Colac and the Princess Highway back to cosmopolitan Melbourne. If time permits, you can also detour to Ballarat to visit Sovereign Hill, the goldrush town back in the 1850s and see Australian wilidlife at Ballarat Wildlife Park before returning to the scintillating setting of Melbourne by night.
For more information:
http://www.visitmelbourne.com
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