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Western Victoria Touring Route​

This Signature small group personalised tour takes you to the must see places of western Victoria. Along your journey of discovery, you will experience the Great Ocean Road, one of the best coastal drives in the world, the Victorian Volcanic plains, the Grampians National Park, with its rugged mountains and wildlife, the Pyrenees with its wineries and the gold rush history of Ballarat.

4 Days Touring from Melbourne to the Great Ocean Road, Volcanic Plains, Grampians, Pyrenees and Ballarat.

4 Day Tour Western Victoria Tour

Join us on an unforgettable 4-day tour led by an Ecotourism Green Travel Leader certified by Ecotourism Australia. Prepare to embark on an incredible journey through some of Victoria’s most breathtaking destinations.

We begin our adventure by traveling along the world-renowned Great Ocean Road, an iconic coastal drive with spectacular views and unforgettable experiences.

Explore the vibrant surf coast towns, starting with Torquay, the surfing capital of Victoria. Continue to Lorne, where you’ll witness stunning lookout points and learn about the history of the Great Ocean Road. Then, immerse yourself in the surf coast and Otway Ranges beauty of Apollo Bay.

Climb to the top of Cape Otway Lighthouse, the oldest lighthouse on mainland Australia, and take in panoramic views of the coastline. Experience the awe-inspiring Otway Fly Tree Walk, Australia’s highest and longest tree walk, as you venture through the lush rainforests of the Otway Ranges.

Discover the Shipwreck Coast and learn about the fascinating stories of the ships lost along this treacherous coastline. Marvel at the famous 12 Apostles, a must-see tourism icon of Australia, and explore the captivating Loch Ard Gorge, Razorback, Twin Islands, and the weathered rock formation is known as London Bridge.

Witness the natural beauty of the Bay of Islands, where stunning rock stacks rise from the ocean. Explore the coastal city of Warrnambool on a city tour and visit the Maritime Museum to delve into its rich maritime history.

Cross the largest volcanic plain in Australia, the Volcanic Plains, and immerse yourself in its unique landscape. Discover the awe-inspiring Grampians National Park, with its panoramic lookouts, enchanting waterfalls, and diverse native flora and fauna.

Experience the wine delights of the Great Western and the Pyrenees region, sampling some of Victoria’s best wines.

In Ballarat, soak in the charm of the gold rush era as you admire the beautiful gold rush-era buildings, visit Lake Wendouree, and explore the gardens. Take a tour of Sovereign Hill, an immersive living museum that showcases the gold rush era, and visit the Eureka Centre to learn about the Eureka Rebellion.

Prepare for a journey filled with natural wonders, cultural heritage, and unforgettable experiences. Book your 4-day tour today, and let us guide you through the best of Victoria’s stunning landscapes and captivating history.

This in an Ecotourism Certified tour.

Ecotourism is ecologically sustainable tourism with a primary focus on experiencing natural areas that fosters environmental and cultural understanding, appreciation and conservation
(Ecotourism Australia)

Eco Tourism Certified

Highlights

  • Ecotourism Green Travel Leader, certified by Ecotourism Australia.
  • Great Ocean Road.
  • Surf Coast Towns – Torquay, Apollo Bay, Warrnambool 
  • Cape Otway Lighthouse
  • Otway Fly Tree Walk
  • Otway Ranges rainforests
  • Shipwreck Coast
  • 12 Apostles
  • Loch Ard Gorge
  • London Bridge
  • Bay of Islands.
  • Volcanic Plains
  • Grampians National Park
  • Great Western
  • Pyrenees region 
  • Ballarat – Lake Wendouree, Sovereign Hill and the Eureka Centre.

Notes:

  1. The price includes all taxes, entrance fees, meals (B,MT,D) and commissions.
  2. The tour is available all year, except over Easter period and the last 2 weeks of December.
  3. *The tour can depart from Ballarat and Geelong. If you wish to depart from Ballarat or Geelong, contact us and we can make arrangements for you.
  4. We are Free, Independent Traveller (Solo) friendly. You wont be paying any surcharge and there are no minimum numbers.
  5. Small Group Personalised Tour, group size 1 to 5 pers. If you have a larger group, contact us to make arrangements.
  6. You will be departing and returning to Melbourne by fast train. This reduces the Carbon Footprint & Climate Change impact. 
Price & Departures

2024 Departure Dates.
Departs on Wednesday 

January 
31  

February
14 & 28

March
13 & 27

April
10 & 24

May
08 & 29

June
12 & 26

July
10 & 31

August
14 & 28

September
11 & 25

October
09 & 30

November
13 & 27

December
18

 

Please refer to our Terms and Conditions prior to booking

Day 1 Melbourne - Great Ocean Road - Apollo Bay

In the morning you will be met at *Southern Cross Railway Station, Melbourne, by your Golden Nugget Discovery Tours Eco Guide. The adventure begins as we travel on our fast train to Geelong.
Today you discover the Great Ocean Road, one of the icons of Victoria. The Great Ocean Road is broken up into 3 sections, Surf Coast, Otway Ranges and Shipwreck Coast.

After we drive out of Geelong, we begin our adventure at the start of the Great Ocean Road in Torquay, where we visit the Surf World Surfing Museum, as Torquay is the surfing capital of Australia.

As we drive along the Great Ocean Road, we stop at Southside, which overlooks the famous surf beach of Bells Beach and at Urquhart Bluff, which overlooks long sandy beaches and drive through the towns of Anglesea and Airys Inlet. Our next stop is Lorne to see views of the Great Ocean Road, and to learn of the soldiers & sailors that built the road. Driving further down the Surf Coast, we see coastal views of rocky headlands and sandy beaches before stopping at Cape Patton Lookout.

We stop in Apollo Bay for lunch, this town marks the end of the Surf Coast and the beginning of the Otway Ranges.

After lunch we drive up into the Great Otway National Park, with the road lined with soft-tree ferns and mountain ash (Eucalyptus) trees, the tallest tree in Australia.

We stop and explore the Cape Otway Lighthouse on the most southern cape of western Victoria, Cape Otway.

We travel back to Apollo Bay for our overnight accommodation.

 

Day 1 Summary

Inclusions/Exclusions

  • Rail Ticket Melbourne to Geelong
  • Surf World Surfing Museum
  • Cape Otway Lighthouse
  • Great Otway National Park

Day 2 Apollo Bay - Port Campbell - Great Ocean Road - Warrnambool - Port Fairy - Victorian Volcanic Plains - Grampians

This morning, we go into the heart of the Great Otway National Park to the Otway Fly Tree Walk, the highest tree walk in Australia.

Driving to the coast, we leave the tall forests behind us and drive through dairy farms before passing the town of Princetown, the beginning of the Shipwreck Coast, our first stop, which you have been waiting for – 12 Apostles.
Next stop is Loch Ard Gorge, the site of a shipwreck and other coastal views of the cliffs dropping into the sea below.

We continue along the Shipwreck Coast, stopping along the way to see coastal scenery such as London Bridge, Grotto, Peterborough, and Bay of Islands before leaving the Great Ocean Road.

On entering the city of Warrnambool, you have a city highlights tour and visit the Maritime Museum to learn about the ship Loch Ard and other ships that were lost on the coast and wander around the re-created port before having lunch.

After lunch, we continue along the Southern Ocean coast, stopping at Tower Hill. Tower Hill is an extinct volcano crater, which is now a nature reserve; you can see kangaroos, koalas, emus and maybe an echidna. There is a good display of Aboriginal culture as well.

The next place we go to along the coast is the small fishing town of Port Fairy, where we have a town tour.

Heading inland, we cross the Victorian Volcanic plains, the world’s third largest volcanic plain, dotted with extinct volcanoes and lakes.

At Penshurst, we go to the top of an extinct volcano, Mt Rouse, to view the crater and excellent views of the plains.

We continue across the plains to Dunkeld for our overnight accommodation at the southern entrance to the Grampians National Park,

Day 2 Summary

Inclusions/Exclusions

  • Port Campbell National Park
  • 12 Apostles
  • Bay of Island Coastal Park
  • Tower Hill Wildlife Reserve
  • Maritime Museum.
  • Port Fairy
  • Victorian Volcanic Plains

Day 3 Grampians - Great Western wineries - Ararat - Avoca

This morning we enter the Grampians National Park and drive through the park, passing cliff-lined mountains and arriving in Halls Gap, where we climb up out of the valley to be amongst the rugged cliffs of the park.  Our first stop is Boroka lookout which overlooks Halls Gap and the surrounding countryside.

Next, we travel to the largest of the waterfalls in the park, Mackenzie Falls, where you can view the falls from the top or bottom. On our way back to Halls Gap, we stop at Reid’s Lookout & the Balconies to see stunning views of the Victoria Valley.

On leaving the Grampians National Park, we travel to the gold mining town of Stawell for morning tea.

Then to the wine town of Great Western, where we stop at Best Wines for a wine tasting and tour of the cellars, then into Great Western for lunch before going to Seppelts Great Western for a wine tasting and tour of the largest cellar drives in Australia.

Departing Great Western, we travel to Ararat, which was once a rich gold field founded by Chinese gold miners. We go to the top of One Tree Hill to have fantastic 360 views of the surrounding mountains and countryside. 

We now leave the Grampians region and travel to Avoca in the Pyrenees region for your overnight accommodation. 

Day 3 Summary

Inclusions/Exclusions

  • Grampians National Park
  • Seppelts Cellar Drives tour
  • Gum San Chinese Heritage Centre.

Day 4 Avoca - Ballarat - Melbourne

After breakfast, we travel up into the Pyrenees ranges to see wildflowers in season, wildlife and to a lookout that gives panoramic views of the vineyards and the surrounding countryside. Travelling back to Avoca, we stop at a winery for a wine tasting of the fabulous wines from the Pyrenees region.

Leaving the Pyrenees region, we travel over the Great Dividing Range to the gold rush city of Ballarat.
In Ballarat, we have a walk in the Botanical Gardens & see Lake Wendouree before heading to the city for a short walk in the city along Lydiard Street and morning tea in the famous Craigs Royal Hotel. Then to the Eureka Centre, the battle site of the Eureka Rebellion of 1854, to learn of the struggles of the gold miners against the authorities of the Victorian Government.

The afternoon is spent in the outdoor museum of Sovereign Hill, where you step back in time to the 1850’s gold rush; you can pan for gold, ride on a stagecoach, shop on Main Street or go down a gold mine.

At the end of the day, we catch our fast train to Melbourne, arriving at Southern Cross Railway Station, where we say goodbye.

Day 4 Summary

Inclusions/Exclusions

  • Pyrenees Ranges
  • Ballarat
  • Eureka Centre
  • Sovereign Hill
  • Rail Ticket Ballarat to Melbourne.
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