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The Best Holiday Spots in Victoria for Your Next Weekend Trip
From the coast to the country, book your next holiday in one of these stunning towns and regions in Victoria.
Victoria rewards short getaways with an outsized variety. In a single weekend, you can swap city streets for surf beaches, vineyard lunches, forest walks or alpine air, all within a few hours’ drive.
Whether you’re chasing long lunches and boutique stays or wide-open landscapes and time outside, these are the Victorian towns and regions worth building your next escape around.
Nagambie
Just 90 minutes north of Melbourne, Nagambie offers a polished escape shaped by water, wine and unhurried days. Lake Nagambie sets the rhythm, from early walks along the foreshore to long lunches by the water’s edge. Michelton Estate anchors the region in style, pairing a Hecker Guthrie–designed hotel with a destination cellar door, elegant dining at The Muse and relaxed mornings at The Provedore. Nearby, Tahbilk’s historic vineyards deliver old-world gravitas, while Nagambie Brewery and Distillery adds a contemporary edge.
Reserve a table at Eighteen Sixty for modern Australian dining that champions local produce, and settle into a weekend that feels considered, generous and quietly luxurious.
Milawa and The King Valley
Milawa and the King Valley offer a richly layered escape shaped by food, wine and a strong sense of place. In Milawa, artisan producers, bakeries and cellar doors invite slow wandering, while the King Valley’s alpine slopes produce some of Australia’s most compelling Italian varieties. Make time for Pizzini, Dal Zotto and Brown Brothers, each revealing a different expression of the region. Dining is a highlight, with Ava’s and Henley’s delivering thoughtful, produce-driven menus that reward long lunches.
For accommodation, lean into vineyard-framed luxury at Lancemore Milawa, where the pace feels deliberate and deeply restorative.
High Country
In summer, Victoria’s High Country opens up into a landscape built for movement and long days outdoors. Alpine valleys glow green, rivers run clear and cycling trails wind through mountain air that feels cooler by the kilometre. Bright becomes the natural base, buzzing with river swims, early market stops and an increasingly confident food and drinks scene. Days are spent bushwalking beneath towering gums, riding rail trails through open country or picnicking by alpine streams. As the sun drops, Bright’s wine bars, breweries and relaxed restaurants come into their own, delivering local pours and produce-led menus that suit sun-tired appetites. It’s a region made for active days and easy evenings, where summer stretches generously from morning to night.
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Echuca & Surrounds
Set along the Murray River, Echuca and its surrounds are shaped by water, heritage and a slower way of moving through the day. Life revolves around the river, from paddle steamer cruises and kayaking to quiet swims beneath red gums. The Port of Echuca anchors the town, while neighbouring Moama adds a contemporary edge with Wildergreen, a multi-venue precinct just over the bridge. Settle into EMBR for wood-fired Italian and pizzas straight from the flames. With thoughtful restaurants, relaxed pubs and Murray Darling producers coming into focus, this is a region best taken one long day at a time.
Mornington Peninsula
Recently crowned Melbourne’s favourite weekend getaway in the Sitchu Awards, the Mornington Peninsula delivers a rare mix: surf and salt air on one side, vineyards and long lunches on the other. Close to Melbourne yet worlds away, it’s built for golf days, cellar doors, boutique stays and destination dining, with plenty of coastline in between. Spend mornings on wide sandy beaches, afternoons in national parks, then finish with a glass of something local as the light shifts.
Daylesford and Hepburn Springs
Daylesford and Hepburn Springs are Victoria’s spa heartland, defined by mineral-rich waters and a pace that invites a proper exhale. Start with a soak at Hepburn Bathhouse & Spa, then book in at Mineral Spa for treatments that leave you loose-limbed and glowing. Between dips, drift through galleries and stores, then make time for long lunches and produce-led dinners. We’re forever chasing a Bar Merenda moment, and its new, bigger home on Vincent Street is firmly on our list this summer. Plus, there are so many stunning stays to choose from!
Great Ocean Road
No list of Victorian getaways is complete without the Great Ocean Road, a 243-kilometre ribbon of coastline running from Torquay to Allansford, near Warrnambool. The drive delivers constant scene changes: surf beaches and seaside villages, rainforest pockets through the Otways, then sheer cliffs where the Southern Ocean does its dramatic work. The Twelve Apostles remain the headline moment, best seen at golden hour, while Lorne’s dining and arts scene adds a stylish counterpoint to the salt-and-spray grandeur.
Wilsons Promontory
Wilsons Promontory, fondly known as the Prom, is a vast national park of granite headlands, white-sand bays and scrubby bushland meeting the Southern Ocean. Spend days walking coastal tracks, fishing, swimming or surfing, then climb Pillar Point for island views or tackle the Mount Oberon Summit for a sweeping look across the park. Accommodation ranges from classic camping to cabins and glamping, so you can dial up or down the adventure.
Gippsland Lakes
The Gippsland Lakes are a vast web of waterways where days are shaped by boats, bait and long horizons. With hundreds of kilometres of shoreline, the region is dotted with waterfront towns, including Metung, almost encircled by Lake King and Bancroft Bay. Charter a boat and spend the day cruising calm channels with a line in the water. Back on land, tackle the Boxes Creek Walking Trail, unwind at Metung Hot Springs, then follow the Bataluk Cultural Trail to learn more about local Aboriginal history.
Bendigo
Bendigo wears its gold-rush history lightly, trading pick-and-shovel legends for a city that’s all architecture, creativity and great eating. Grand streetscapes, public art and a strong performing arts scene set the pace, with galleries, exhibitions and festivals keeping the calendar busy while the Bendigo Art Gallery undergoes its redevelopment. Add long lunches, regional wines and smart bars, and you’ve got a weekend that feels properly packed. Families are well covered too, with the Alice-in-Wonderland playspace in the Botanic Gardens and underground adventures at Central Deborah Gold Mine.
Bellarine Peninsula
The Bellarine Peninsula is a quick escape that still feels like a reset, folding cellar doors, salt air and old-school coastal towns into one easy stretch. Days move between long beaches, clear-water swims and lazy lunches, with winery stops slotted in as the mood takes you. Queenscliff is the jewel, all Victorian-era grace, harbour views and jetties made for dusk. Settle in at TARRA or the Esplanade Hotel for dinner, then let the night carry on.
The Grampians
Gariwerd, the Grampians, has a way of sharpening the senses. Sandstone ridgelines cut clean lines against a vast sky, waterfalls thread through ferny gullies, and the light turns honeyed as it slips across the escarpments. Spend the day on foot, from MacKenzie Falls to the lookouts at Reed and The Balconies, then return to Dunkeld for the Royal Mail Hotel, where Wickens delivers unmatched precision, and Parker St Project keeps things relaxed, all backed by a serious cellar and kitchen-garden produce. It’s wilderness and refinement, beautifully aligned.
Phillip Island
Phillip Island is a quick escape from Melbourne with coastline, wildlife and a food-and-wine scene that’s better than most people realise. Spend the day on the beach at Ventnor, then time your evening for the Penguin Parade, when little penguins return to their burrows at dusk. Between it all, settle into long lunches and local pours at Phillip Island Winery, or keep things simple with fish and chips and salty air.
Now that you’ve chosen your destination, it’s time to lock in where you’ll stay. We’ve rounded up the best accommodation in Lorne, Daylesford and the Mornington Peninsula, along with standout luxury stays and winery accommodation across Victoria, so you can book with confidence.
