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20 Must-Do Bucket List Experiences in Victoria to Explore in 2026
Taking you from the big smoke to Bass Strait and back again, these are Victoria’s bucket list experiences you need see to believe.
Victoria is a state that refuses to be put in a box. It’s a chameleon, shifting between moody coastal landscapes, sun-drenched vineyards, high-country hideaways and gritty urban charm. This is a place where you can spend the morning chasing waterfalls in a fern-covered rainforest, the afternoon sipping a Pinot Noir that could rival Burgundy and the evening in a dimly lit bar where the bartender remembers your drink before you ask.
For those with an insatiable hunger for experience, Victoria delivers in spades. These 19 bucket-list adventures are the ones that define the state — experiences that stay with you, etching themselves into memory like a well-worn passport stamp.
Savour a Soul-Stirring Weekend at the Royal Mail Hotel, Dunkeld
Stay in the Sturgeon Cottages, where Mount Sturgeon sits in soft silhouette each morning and emus patrol the paddocks like they’re running the place. Then lean into the Royal Mail Hotel’s full rhythm: garden tours that show just how close your dinner grew, wine tastings drawn from a cellar of near-mythic depth and a lunch at Wickens, where one dessert unlocked nostalgia so powerfully it had me crying happy-sad tears for a full ten minutes.
The dessert in question? A quince and acorn mousse with spiced sponge and a rotten leaf ice cream (that is not a typo). I can say with complete conviction that I will never feel this way about another dessert again. It was ridiculous. It was magnificent. In fact, the entire meal was astonishing — the best fine-dining experience I’ve ever had.
And while we’re talking all things food, Parker Street Project serves a warm, golden sourdough with Vegemite butter that is, honestly, iconic. The butter is rich, salty and gloriously glossy, melting into every crease of the bread in a way that feels almost indecent. True-blue as it gets, deeply delicious and the sort of thing I’d happily savour every single day if I could.
For me, this is the essential Victorian pilgrimage: a stay and a journey that captures the spirit of the land so completely it makes me proud to call Victoria home. And if that leans dramatic, I’m more than fine with it.
— Kelsey Harrington, Melbourne Editor
Wander the Pink Salt Lakes of Western Victoria
When the light hits just right, Victoria’s salt lakes look almost extraterrestrial — vast, shimmering plains that blur the boundary between land and sky. Lake Tyrrell is the jewel: a glassy, rose-tinted expanse where clouds reflect so cleanly they feel within reach. At sunrise and sunset, the whole landscape glows, turning soft pinks, mauves and milky blues. Walk across the crusted salt flats, listen to the quiet settle around you and watch the sky perform its slow, cinematic shifts. It’s one of the most surreal scenes in the state, a natural mirror that feels both infinite and intimate.
Wander the Wild & Artful Peace of WAMA
WAMA — Australia’s first art and nature precinct of its kind — sits just outside Halls Gap, where ecology, creativity and native landscape come together with rare intention. Wander through wetlands alive with birdcall, grasslands shaped by sculptural works and a botanic garden dedicated to Victorian flora. Inside the gallery, exhibitions recast the Gariwerd landscape through artists’ eyes. Quiet, imaginative and deeply grounding, it’s a must-do Grampians experience for anyone seeking connection and a renewed sense of place.
4000 Ararat-Halls Gap Road, Halls Gap
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Groove the Night Away on Queenscliff’s Blues Train
Part moving concert, part coastal adventure, the Blues Train is one of Victoria’s most unforgettable nights out. Departing from historic Queenscliff, this steam-powered journey rolls along the Bellarine Railway as four live blues acts take over four different carriages, each with its own energy. Step off at Suma Park for generous plates and a quick reset before swapping carriages and soundtracks. Joyful, unpretentious and wholly singular, it’s a seaside party on rails that stays with you long after the final note.
20 Symonds Street, Queenscliff
The Australian Open: Kick it Courtside
For two weeks every summer, Melbourne becomes the beating heart of the tennis world. The Australian Open is a brilliant spectacle, a sun-soaked celebration of sport, culture and revelry. Step into Melbourne Park and you’ll feel it — the electric buzz, the scent of sunscreen and Aperol Spritz, the mix of die-hard fans and day-trippers. Unlike Wimbledon’s formality or Roland Garros’ intensity, the AO is a festival with world-class tennis at its centre.
Rod Laver Arena hosts the main event, but beyond the court, live music, rooftop lounges and pop-up bars turn the precinct into a summer playground. The whole city feeds off the momentum; restaurants run late, Federation Square becomes a communal lounge room and Melbourne moves with the rhythm of the tournament. From five-set marathons to midnight matches under the stars, this is Melbourne at its most magnetic.
January 2026
Olympic Boulevard, Melbourne
Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix: Melbourne at Full Throttle
Every March, Melbourne revs up as the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix transforms Albert Park into a high-speed theatre. The city trades its laid-back ease for four days of roaring engines, champagne sprays and trackside colour. Die-hard fan or just there for the spectacle, the atmosphere is contagious — celebrity-studded paddocks, pop-up bars, a soundtrack of turbocharged adrenaline. Then the main event: 20 of the world’s quickest machines catapulting into the opening corner. When the chequered flag falls, Melbourne keeps the celebration rolling, making the Grand Prix feel far bigger than a race.
March 2026
Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne
Drive the Great Ocean Road
A cliché? Of course. But some places earn that status. The Great Ocean Road is more than a drive; it’s a salt-sprayed love letter to the Southern Ocean.
Start in Torquay, birthplace of Australian surf culture, where early risers chase the first break. Stop for a vanilla slice in Lorne before winding past cliffs carved by wind and time. Reach the Twelve Apostles — once twelve, now eight — best viewed at sunrise when the limestone glows honey-gold.
Seek more adventure? Take a helicopter flight over the coastline or tackle the Great Ocean Walk, a 100-kilometre trail skimming clifftops and secluded coves along this rugged stretch.
Hot Air Ballooning in the Yarra Valley
Watching the world wake from the sky feels wonderfully illicit, as if you’ve slipped into a quieter realm. In the Yarra Valley, hot air ballooning is practically a rite of passage.
As dawn softens the horizon, you drift above vineyards and rolling hills, mist curling gently across the landscape. After landing, a Champagne breakfast awaits — because if you’re rising this early, it may as well be indulgent.
Various prices
Book here
Balgownie Estate, 1309 Melba Highway, Yarra Glen, Victoria
Watch the Penguin Parade on Phillip Island
Each night, as the sky fades, tiny tuxedoed figures emerge from the surf at Phillip Island’s Summerland Beach. These little penguins — the smallest in the world — waddle ashore in their nightly return from the sea.
It’s heart-stirring and quietly amusing all at once; their flippers flick upward, their round bellies bob with determination. An ancient ritual, untouched and charming in its simplicity.
Summerland Beach, Phillip Island
Hike to The Pinnacle in the Grampians
Victoria’s High Country may not command the same fanfare as the coast, but those who make the journey understand its pull. The Pinnacle steals the show; a hike that challenges your calves and rewards you with a view that dissolves into the horizon.
The trail passes rock formations, mossy gullies, cascading water and ancient Aboriginal rock art. At the summit, the landscape unfurls — peaks, valleys and the shadow of a wedge-tailed eagle tracing circles overhead.
Indulge at Brae in Birregurra
If Victoria had a culinary pilgrimage, Brae would be the destination. Set in peaceful countryside near Birregurra, the restaurant is part fine dining, part creative expression. Dan Hunter’s menu responds to the rhythm of the garden; herbs clipped moments before service, potatoes still holding the warmth of the soil, seafood at its absolute prime.
It’s a meal that stays with you — a quiet, resonant reminder of what thoughtful cooking can be.
Sitchu Tip: Double up the wow factor by staying the night.
4285 Cape Otway Road, Birregurra
Ride the Victorian Goldfields Steam Railway Through Forested Valleys
History feels alive on the Goldfields Steam Railway, a heritage locomotive chugging through box-ironbark forest between Maldon and Castlemaine. The scent of woodsmoke, the rhythmic pull of the engine and the sweep of old gold-mining country combine to create something deeply nostalgic. Lean out the window (just enough), watch the bush roll past in greens and ambers and imagine the countless journeys once taken along this very line. It’s slow travel at its finest — meditative, and beautifully unhurried.
Explore Melbourne’s Laneways
Melbourne is a city that rewards curiosity. But forget the main streets; the city’s pulse is strongest in the laneways painted with shifting murals and ideas.
In Hosier Lane, art evolves overnight. In Centre Place, hole-in-the-wall cafes pour faultless flat whites. As night falls, unmarked doors reveal intimate cocktail bars where the lighting is soft and the hospitality sharp.
Melbourne’s laneways aren’t detours — they’re an identity.
Drive the Silo Art Trail
Across Victoria’s wheatbelt, giant grain silos have become canvases telling rural stories on a monumental scale. These murals celebrate history, community and country, each stop offering a fresh perspective.
The Silo Art Trail draws you through small towns where the landscape stretches wide and the art anchors its people. It’s a road trip that feels both grounding and expansive.
Chase Waterfalls in the Otway Ranges
When TLC said not to chase waterfalls, they clearly hadn’t been to the Otways. The Great Otway National Park is a showstopper — rugged coastlines, cool-climate rainforests and some of Victoria’s most photogenic cascades.
Hopetoun Falls is a standout; descend through ferns to the viewing platform for the most striking angle. Erskine Falls is another beauty, with a second lookout waiting at the base. Feeling adventurous? Continue along the river for seven and a half kilometres of lush, shifting scenery.
Otway Ranges, Victoria
Book an Romantic Stay at Daylesford’s Lake House
A place where time softens and indulgence takes the lead, Lake House is Victoria’s definitive retreat — part luxury escape, part culinary pilgrimage. Founded by Alla Wolf-Tasker, this lakeside haven brings together one of Australia’s most acclaimed restaurants, a serene spa and suites that radiate contemporary elegance. Wake to misted water views, dine on hyper-seasonal dishes and ease into mineral-rich springs before settling fireside with a glass of local Pinot. Nearby Dairy Flat Lodge & Farm completes the story, creating a seamless immersion in regional excellence.
4 King Street, Daylesford
Snap a Pic at the Brighton Beach Boxes
Brighton Beach is pure Melbourne nostalgia — a kaleidoscope of bathing boxes lining the bay. Built more than a century ago, these brightly painted huts have outlasted trends, storms and shifts in taste. Tourists flock for the classic snap, yet even locals can’t deny their charm. Love them or roll your eyes, they remain an undeniable icon.
Esplanade, Brighton
Feast Your Way through Queen Victoria Market
For 139 years, Queen Victoria Market has been Melbourne’s pantry — a place where heritage sheds brim with produce, stories and irresistible aroma. The deli hall is legendary; the fruit and veg traders bring a soul all their own. The essential stop? The Borek Shop. No-frills, all flavour, and entirely worth the queue.
Queen Street, Melbourne
Ski, Snowboard or Go Husky Sledding at Mount Buller
Australia may not be known for snow, but Mount Buller and Hotham hold their own. Buller offers polished ski runs, alpine chalets and lively après hours, while Hotham spans 320 hectares of dramatic terrain with night skiing and sweeping views.
For a true bucket-list moment, trade skis for a husky sled. Howling Huskys runs snow tours at Hotham, Dinner Plain and Baw Baw — from quick scenic runs to half-day journeys through crisp alpine wilderness led by an energetic team of huskies.
Mt Hotham, Dinner Plain and Mt Baw Baw
Get Lost in Cactus Country
Millennials, you’ll want to sit down for this one. Just three hours from Melbourne, Cactus Country is a surreal botanical playground and home to Australia’s largest cactus collection. Wander along eight trails across four hectares, discovering more than 4,000 species ready to inspire your next plant purchase. It’s quirky, bold and unexpectedly transportive.
Strathmerton, Victoria
This list is only a glimpse of Victoria’s bucket list experiences, but when you’re short on time, these are your must-dos. For those planning on staying a while, check out our top picks for winery stays, winter holiday destinations, national parks and more via our destinations page.
