Luxe Destination Dupes: Dream Holidays Found in Victoria That Feel Like An Overseas Escape

Aussies are deep in their destination-dupe era, and honestly, fair. TikTok is awash with local escapes being compared to Europe, with hidden-Aussie-gem videos attracting millions of views as travellers look for the Euro summer feeling without the long-haul flight, eye-watering exchange rate or passport admin.

The good news? Victoria understood the assignment. Across the state, wine regions, seaside villages, alpine towns and coastal drives are serving up holiday moods that feel deliciously far away: a little France in Eltham, a hit of Switzerland in the High Country, English countryside nostalgia in the Dandenongs and Mediterranean energy along the coast.

From the Yarra Valley and Mount Buller to Port Fairy, Daylesford, Belgrave, Montsalvat and the Great Ocean Road, these are the Victorian destination dupes worth adding to your weekend list.

Instead of France… visit Montsalvat, Eltham

Montsalvat is the rare destination dupe with receipts. Founded in 1934 by artist and architect Justus Jorgensen after years spent painting and studying across Europe, this Eltham artists’ colony still carries that old-world fever dream in its bones. There are stone buildings, arched windows, garden courtyards, the Great Hall, the Long Gallery, a chapel, studios and enough medieval mood to make suburban Melbourne feel wildly far away.

Spend a slow afternoon wandering the grounds, browsing the galleries and letting the whole place convince you you’ve stumbled into a French village with better coffee nearby. Pair it with a Yarra Valley lunch or a farmstay and you have the gentlest possible Euro escape, no plane snacks required.

Stay: At Yarra Fox Farm Cottage Farmstay, hidden within one of the Yarra Valley’s best wineries.

Instead of England… visit Belgrave, Dandenong Ranges

Belgrave is the Dandenong Ranges doing its best English storybook impression, only with taller trees and better gumleaf perfume. Just an hour from Melbourne, the village sits on Wurundjeri Country in the lush surrounds of Sherbrooke Forest, with Puffing Billy chuffing out of town like it has been personally hired to improve your winter mood.

Ride the heritage steam train over the famous trestle bridge, through eucalypts and fern gullies, then return to the village for bookshops, wholefood stores, cosy cafes and a properly good rummage. It has that old railway-town charm, but with enough forest, mist and hot-drink weather to make the England comparison feel very fair.

Stay: Add a tree-fringed stay at Forest Retreat and call it a countryside escape without the exchange rate.

Instead of Tuscany… Visit the King Valley

Tuscany has cypress-lined roads, old family wineries and long lunches built around the next glass. The King Valley brings the Italian wine-country feeling into Victoria’s High Country, with Prosecco Road, mountain views, family-run cellar doors and vineyards shaped by generations of Italian makers. This is the place for sparkling tastings, handmade pasta, salumi, sangiovese, nebbiolo and the kind of country hospitality that makes one cellar door very easily become three.

Sitchu Tip: Follow Prosecco Road through Dal Zotto, Pizzini, Chrismont and Brown Brothers, then stay the night nearby so nobody has to pretend one tasting was ever going to be enough.

Instead of the Napa Valley… Visit the Yarra Valley

Napa has vineyard roads, long lunches and the pleasing sense that wine can organise an entire weekend. The Yarra Valley does the same an hour from Melbourne, with cooler-climate pinot, chardonnay, cellar doors, produce-led dining and hill views that make the drive feel instantly worthwhile. The local details do the work: kangaroos between the vines, honey from nearby hives, cheese boards, bakeries, country pubs and chefs cooking with produce grown close to the table.

Sitchu Tip: Pair a tasting or gallery stop at TarraWarra with lunch at one of the valley’s winery restaurants, then stay the night if you’d rather not let the designated driver ruin the mood.

Instead of Zermatt… Visit Mount Buller

Zermatt has the Matterhorn, fondue and a village built for snow-boot wandering. Mount Buller answers with Victoria’s most convincing alpine mood: an on-mountain village at 1600 metres, ski lodges, après-ski bars, restaurants, day spa, cinema and enough snow-season bustle to make the comparison feel earned. In winter, it is all ski runs, snow gums, chairlifts, hot drinks and the happy exhaustion of a proper mountain weekend. Come summer, the same slopes shift into hiking, biking, wildflowers and long views across the High Country.

Instead of Bavaria… Visit Bright

Bavaria has mountain towns, beer gardens and roads that seem built for scenic detours. Bright brings the Victorian version: an Ovens River village wrapped in High Country peaks, with cycling trails, cellar doors, craft beer, old trees and easy access to the Great Alpine Road. It works year-round, from river swims and rail-trail rides to autumn colour, winter snow trips and long weekends built around food, wine and fresh mountain air.

Sitchu Tip: Settle in at Bright Brewery for riverside beers on the Ovens, then book Basils for dinner or post-adventure cocktails.

Instead of a European Fairytale Village… Visit Walhalla

Walhalla is what happens when a gold-rush town gets swallowed by forest and somehow keeps its nerve. Set deep in Gippsland’s hills, it has steep lanes, old miners’ cottages, a hillside cemetery, a historic railway and the feeling that the whole town might disappear back into the trees if you look away for too long. It is small, strange, beautiful and properly atmospheric without needing to cosplay as Europe.

Sitchu Tip: Take the Goldfields Railway through the valley, then make a side quest to Mushroom Rocks in Baw Baw National Park for mossy boulders, forest trails and full goblin-core satisfaction.

Instead of Cornwall… Visit Port Fairy

If windswept walks, moody skies, and historic cottages by the sea sound like your jam, Port Fairy is your Cornish dream reimagined. This charming seaside village on Victoria’s southwest coast is brimming with maritime magic, all stone cottages, bobbing boats in the harbour, and the wild drama of the Southern Ocean. Duck into art galleries, cosy up at a heritage inn, or simply wander the salt-kissed streets. Oh, and the seafood? Next level. With a name like Port Fairy, it was always going to be a little spellbinding.

Sitchu Tip: Book a chic stay at Oak & Anchor Hotel, reminiscent of an English countryside pub. Port Fairy also boasts so many great dining spots, but our current favourite has to be Coffin Sally, with its crispy prosciutto pizzas, cosy décor, and a fantastic drinks selection.

Instead of Stars Hollow… Visit Beechworth

If Stars Hollow had gold-rush buildings, better wine and a few more ghost stories, it would look a lot like Beechworth. The High Country town has all the small-town ingredients without tipping into twee: heritage shopfronts, old pubs, independent stores, a famous bakery, cellar doors nearby and enough local character to make a weekend feel quickly lived-in. It is warm, bookish, a little spooky and far too easy to romanticise after one good glass of local red.

Sitchu Tip: Book dinner at Tanswell’s Hotel, take the short drive to Stanley, then start the next morning with coffee from TINY or Beechworth Conservatory, the cafe-meets-plant-shop you’ll wish was down the road.

Instead of the Isles of Scilly… Visit Phillip Island

The Isles of Scilly are all white-sand beaches, rugged coastlines and end-of-the-map calm. Philip Island gives Victoria its own version of that salt-air escape, with wild beaches, headland walks, big skies and enough wildlife to make the comparison feel earned. Island-hopping is not the brief here; penguins, surf breaks, clifftop trails and long sunsets are.

Sitchu Tip: A pub stop is essential. Hotel Philip Island does the classics, plus a Sri Lankan curry that lands beautifully when the sea breeze rolls in.

Instead of Provence… Visit Daylesford

Lavender fields, fine wines and sun-washed stone villages define Provence. Just two hours from Melbourne, Daylesford offers its own take on that pastoral dream. Rolling hills and vineyards shape the landscape, threaded with an artisanal spirit and small-town warmth. At Lavandula Swiss Italian Farm, lavender unfurls in soft rows, ideal for picnics or an unhurried afternoon wander.

The town’s culinary scene comes alive with the same gourmand pleasures you’d find in Provence: boutique stores, farm-fresh markets, and elegant dining. For lavender-hued romance, Sault Restaurant pairs seasonal menus with views that could rival Gordes itself — sandstone walls, sweeping fields, and the soft glow of country light.

Sitchu Recommends: Bar Merenda, the ultimate Euro-style wine bar and bistro serving up refined, seasonal dishes that even a Frenchman would be hard-pressed to turn his nose up at. 

Instead of Big Sur & The Pacific Coast Highway… Visit the Great Ocean Road

Big Sur has cliff-hugging roads, Pacific drama and the kind of views that make everyone in the car go quiet for a second. The Great Ocean Road can hold its own. Starting in Torquay and winding past surf beaches, rainforest, seaside towns and limestone stacks, this is Victoria’s most famous coastal drive for good reason. One minute it is Bells Beach and Lorne, the next it is the Otways, Apollo Bay and the 12 Apostles rising out of the Southern Ocean.

Sitchu Tip: Start in Torquay with sandwiches from Mortadeli before the road takes over. The Continental is the safe order; anything involving mortadella, stracciatella and pistachio is worth pulling over for.

Instead of Sorrento… Visit Sorrento

Yes, the name does half the work here. Victoria’s Sorrento may not come with Amalfi cliffs or Vespa traffic, but it has limestone buildings, clear bay water, good food, old-money holiday energy and enough Italianate mood to justify the comparison. Spend the morning swimming at Sorrento Front Beach, wander Ocean Beach Road, then settle in for wood-fired pizza, focaccia and share plates at Sage.

Sitchu Tip: Check into Hotel Sorrento for the pool and long-lunch factor, then join the queue at The Vanilla Slice Cafe. Some clichés are worth the crumbs.

Instead of New Zealand… Visit Wilson’s Promontory

New Zealand has the valleys, peaks and that slightly unfair concentration of natural drama. Wilson’s Promontory answers with granite headlands, clear coves, wombats in the grass and walking tracks that make three hours from Melbourne feel like a much bigger departure. At the southernmost tip of mainland Australia, the Prom has range: surf beaches, tea-tree scrub, tidal rivers, boulder-strewn bays and views that arrive with very little warning.

Take the Darby River to Tongue Point walk for coastal views without committing your entire soul to the climb, or go harder with Mount Oberon for the classic Prom panorama. Either way, pack for all seasons. The weather likes to have opinions.

Sitchu Tip: Make time for Squeaky Beach, then head to Tidal River for the full Prom rite of passage: sand in everything, wombats nearby and absolutely no regrets.

Instead of Colorado… Visit Halls Gap

Colorado has big-sky drama, red-rock country and mountain-town energy. Halls Gap answers with sandstone ridges, eucalypt forest, waterfalls and kangaroos grazing close enough to make the international comparison feel a little unnecessary. Set inside Grampians/Gariwerd National Park, it is the kind of Victorian escape that earns the hiking boots without asking you to board a plane.

Walk to the Pinnacle for the view everyone talks about, chase spray at MacKenzie Falls, then settle back into town for a pub meal, local wine or a slow afternoon watching the escarpment change colour. The scale is smaller than the Rockies, but the payoff is very real.

Sitchu Tip: Time the Pinnacle walk for early morning or late afternoon, then reward yourself with a glass of Grampians shiraz back in town.

Instead of Cambridge… Visit Castlemaine

Cambridge has colleges, courtyards and centuries of academic pomp. Castlemaine has gold-rush architecture, serious bookshop energy and enough artists, makers and second-hand dealers to keep a weekend very happily occupied. Ninety minutes from Melbourne, the town trades spires for verandahs and manicured lawns for botanic gardens, with sandstone buildings, old pubs and galleries giving the whole place a learned, lived-in charm.

Start at Castlemaine Art Museum, rummage through The Mill and Tribe, then break for lunch at Melody, a bright Hargraves Street spot doing fresh salads, house-made falafel, pita and cold drink, or at Love Shack Brewery, for a pint and sticky date pudding. For dinner, Gornelly’s or Bar Midland make the strongest case for staying the night, with local produce, sharp cooking and a room that feels entirely of its town.

Sitchu Tip: Don’t leave without settling in for a pint at The Railway. It’s practically a Castlemaine rite of passage.

Loved reading about the best destination dupes in Victoria and want more travel content? Take a look at our guide to the Great Ocean Road, or venture out to one of the best wine regions in Victoria.

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