11 incredible wonders in Victoria to explore

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Australia is full of wonders, from icons to the lesser known. Here, we’ve curated 11 wonders from our 100 list that Victoria gets to call its very own.

This article is part of our 100 Australian Wonders series. Throughout the series, we explore our nation’s wonders across culture, nature, food, islands and many more. We hope it inspires your own exploration of Australia’s many wonders.

1. Great Ocean Road

Travelling with: Megan Arkinstall

As far as road trips go, Victoria’s Great Ocean Road has earned its icon status. The 240-kilometre stretch that follows the windswept Southern Ocean was built as a utilitarian memorial to First World War servicemen.

the rock stacks at the 12 Apostles
Marvel at the 12 Apostles limestone stacks off the coast of Port Campbell National Park. (Image: Tourism Australia)

Start your road trip in world-renowned surfing mecca Bells Beach, so the ocean is to your left for the best views. Take your time with stops in quaint towns such as Lorne and Apollo Bay. Add in detours to see the lush rainforest and waterfalls of the Otways, before reaching the star attraction, the 12 Apostles.

But don’t stop there: the charming fishing village of Port Fairy and historic Warrnambool on the western Shipwreck Coast are worth the extra kilometres.

an aerial view of the beach by the Great Ocean Road
Wind down the Great Ocean Road for the best views. (Image: Salty Wings)

2. Silo Art Trail

Travelling with: Carla Grossetti

Australia’s largest outdoor gallery bounces between silo towers in Brim all the way to Horsham in the Grampians/Gariwerd (itself prime road trip country). The scale of the structures alone makes the Silo Art Trail one of Victoria’s iconic attractions.

The murals provide visitors with a window into the Wimmera Mallee region. Driving from Melbourne, the trail starts in Rupanyup where Russian mural artist Julia Volchkova depicts youth culture in rural Victoria in a stunning artwork that wraps around the curved walls of concrete.

the youth mural of Julia Volchkova in rural Victoria
Russian mural artist Julia Volchkova depicts youth culture in rural Victoria. (Image: Anne Preston)

3. Prosecco Road

Travelling with: Jo Stewart

Fans of drinking Australian fizz would be familiar with the King Valley, the country’s home of prosecco.

two females wine tasting at Dal Zotto wines on Prosecco Road
Sample Dal Zotto wines on Prosecco Road. (Image: Tourism Australia)

Many of the nation’s most renowned and productive prosecco producers – including Brown Brothers , Dal Zotto and Pizzini Wines – are linked by a picturesque stretch known as ‘Prosecco Road’.

Use your car or hire an e-bike to experience tastings, pairing masterclasses, long lunches or even yoga in the vines in this welcoming corner of Victoria’s High Country, where you’ll be bowled over by cracking-good sparkling wines and old-fashioned Australian hospitality.

the winery exterior of Pizzini Wines
The family-owned Pizzini Wines specialises in Italian wines. (Image: Tourism Australia)

4. Bendigo’s art scene

Travelling with: Imogen Eveson

Five years ago, Bendigo was designated Australia’s first-ever UNESCO Creative City and Region of Gastronomy. In recent years, the old gold rush town has become an epicentre of art and design, thanks to Bendigo Art Gallery.

The regional art centre has carved a niche for itself by securing blockbuster fashion and design exhibitions including The Golden Age of Couture; Grace Kelly: Style Icon; Marilyn Monroe and Elvis: Direct from Graceland, with activations that percolate throughout town.

In 2024, the city is having a Paris moment. Paris: Impressions of Life 1880-1925 is exclusive to Bendigo Art Gallery and includes a French-inspired program of festivities and experiences, culminating in a Bastille Day celebration on 14 July.

a woman strolling inside the Bendigo Art Gallery
Blockbuster art and design exhibitions are a regular occurrence at Bendigo Art Gallery. (Image: Two Palms Australia)

5. Flinders Street Photo Booth

Travelling with: Jo Stewart

This Melbourne photographic institution has been capturing young love, late-night shenanigans, pet portraits and spontaneous solo shots long before selfies were a thing.

New owners have recently taken over the Flinders Street Photo Booth , previously run by the same man for five decades, to keep the candid, black-and-white print photography tradition alive in the digital age.

A documentary is in the works and an exhibition honouring the beloved booth is due to run at the Centre for Contemporary Photography in Fitzroy. Laying claim to being Melbourne’s oldest photo booth, this accidentally iconic time capsule even has its own Instagram account.

the Flinders Street Photo Booth in Vic
Capture a piece of history in the Flinders Street Photo Booth. (Image: Alamy Stock Photo/Henk Vrieselaar)

6. Melbourne’s laneways

Travelling with: Christine Aldred

Tucked away in Melbourne’s CBD, a myriad of lanes and alleyways overflows with hole-in-the-wall cafes, hidden bars, boutiques, quirky stores and great eats, from steaming dumplings to high-end dining.

These lanes are more than shortcuts, they’re pulsing urban hotspots and destinations in themselves. Living galleries too, their walls provide canvases for artists to make their mark or tell tales of the city’s history and culture: rock’n’roll stories in AC/DC Lane, graffiti scrawled in grungy cobblestoned Hosier Lane and ever-changing murals in Chinatown’s Croft Alley, just for starters.

And we haven’t even mentioned the historic glass-topped arcades. Explore on your own or let a local lead the way.

walking along Melbourne’s vibrant laneways filled with graffiti art on walls
Get lost in Melbourne’s vibrant laneways. (Image: Visit Victoria)

7. Little penguins of Phillip Island

Travelling with: Imogen Eveson

Every night at sunset, the Penguin Parade begins on Phillip Island. As the sun paints the sky and limited numbers of hopeful onlookers try not to make a noise, the largest colony of little penguins in the world starts to waddle their way from a day spent roaming the ocean back to their burrows on Summerland Beach.

a little penguin on Phillip Island, Vic
See a little penguin on Phillip Island. (Image: Phillip Island Nature Parks/ Visit Victoria)

An hour is quickly over as these tiny seabirds go about their nightly routine, a fun and adorable experience that also contributes to vital conservation, research and education programs that keep little penguins thriving.

a helicopter above Phillip Island
The wonders of Phillip Island can also be witnessed from above. (Image: Tourism Australia/ The View From Here)

8. Royal Exhibition Building Dome Promenade

Travelling with: Jo Stewart

Melbourne’s UNESCO Heritage-listed Royal Exhibition Building is often admired from afar. But visitors were finally welcomed to experience the incredible Dome Promenade and vistas of Melbourne’s skyline in 2022, a view unseen by most for 100 years.

Apart from being an architectural triumph, this grand landmark, completed in 1880, holds a wealth of significant stories crucial to Melbourne’s cultural and social history.

Book a tour to get a rare perspective of this enduring wonder that’s dominated inner Melbourne’s streetscape since its early days.

a woman standing inside Royal Exhibition Building Dome Promenade, Vic
Take in the grandeur and allure of the Royal Exhibition Building. (Image: Eugene Hyland/ Museums Victoria)

9. Australian Music Vault

Travelling with: Jo Stewart

You’ll find a compact celebration of Australian music in a quiet corner of the Arts Centre Melbourne . Home to a well-curated collection of instruments, clothing, posters, props and other ephemera, it’s free to enter this vault dedicated to the Aussie entertainers who have made their mark on the world.

the AustralianMusic Vault in Vic
Amplify your love of music at the Australian Music Vault. (Image: Arts Centre Melbourne)

From Nick Cave’s notebook to outfits worn by Kylie Minogue and a battered, old suitcase (complete with faded Ansett tags) that once belonged to multi-instrumentalist Warren Ellis, this nostalgic walk down memory lane will pull at  your heartstrings whether you’re a fan of grunge, pop, punk or pub rock.

a woman admiring the exhibition dedicated to Mushroom Records
Make some noise for the exhibition dedicated to Mushroom Records. (Image: Georgia Roberts)

10. Australian Open

Travelling with: Carla Grossetti

Sporting fans descend on the Victorian capital each year to watch the highest-ranking players of the game thwack the ball back and forth over the net.

But it’s not just about watching the sport’s superstars battle it out in centre court for the title of the Australian Open . There’s the Champagne. The fashion. The people-watching. The unlikely wild cards. The off-court culture. The ball boys kneeling by the net. And of course, the tension felt in the crowd as a hard-fought game reaches break point.

Expect style queen Zendaya’s new steamy rom-com film Challengers (about a prodigy turned pro) to lure even more fans to the annual event.

a crowded tennis venue at The Australian Open
The Australian Open is just the ticket for tennis fans. (Image: Morgan Hancock)

11. Budj Bim Cultural Landscape

Travelling with: Lara Picone

The Gunditjmara people of south-west Victoria could tell you a thing or two, not least about how to catch a kooyang (eel). With a shared cultural knowledge that stretches back for at least 30,000 years (but likely far more), their Country is home to the Budj Bim Cultural Landscape, listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage site that encompasses the areas of the Budj Bim volcano, Tae Rak (Lake Condah) and Tyrendarra and is recognised as one of the largest and oldest aquaculture systems in the world.

To take a misty morning walk through the intricate dams and channels that were devised to trap eels, back to a time when megafauna roamed the continent, is a mind-blowing rewind back to the Pleistocene. Astonishingly, despite centuries of being stomped by cattle, the restored site remains as proof of humanity’s extraordinary continuity.

a group of people taking a cultural tour at Budj Bim Cultural Landscape
Take an Indigenous-led cultural tour of Budj Bim Cultural Landscape.
Keep reading our 100 Australian Wonders series; from road trips, outback and cultural wonders to foodie wonders and many more.
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This luxe trawler tour is redefining Victoria’s seafood experience

    Chloe CannBy Chloe Cann
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    Victoria’s ‘mussel capital’ is the source of exceptional shellfish used by top chefs far and wide. Step aboard a beautifully refurbished trawler to see how these plump and juicy bivalves are sustainably cultivated.

    A curtain is slowly winched from the placid, teal waters just off Portarlington , like a floating garland beside our boat. The ropes heave with blue mussels, the star attraction of our tour. But as we reach to pluck our own, it’s quickly clear they’re not alone; a mass of weird and wonderful creatures has colonised the ropes, turning them into a living tapestry. ‘Fairy’ oysters, jelly-like sea squirts, and tiny, wriggling skeleton shrimp all inhabit this underwater ecosystem.

    We prize our bivalve bounty from the ropes, and minutes later the mussels arrive split on a platter. The plump orange morsels are served raw, ready to be spritzed with wedges of lemon and a lick of chilli as we gaze out over the bay. They’re briny, tender and faintly sweet. “This wasn’t originally part of the tour,” explains Connie Trathen, who doubles as the boat’s cook, deckhand and guide. “But a chef [who came onboard] wanted to taste the mussels raw first, and it’s now become one of the key features.”

    A humble trawler turned Hamptons-style dreamboat

    inspecting bivalve bounty from the ropes
    Inspecting the bounty. (Image: Visit Victoria/Hannyn Shiggins)

    It’s a crisp, calm winter’s day, and the sun is pouring down upon Valerie, a restored Huon pine workhorse that was first launched in January 1980. In a previous life she trawled the turbulent Bass Strait. These days she takes jaunts into Port Phillip Bay under the helm of Lance Wiffen, a fourth-generation Bellarine farmer, and the owner of Portarlington Mussel Tours . While Lance has been involved in the fishing industry for 30-plus years, the company’s tour boat only debuted in 2023.

    holding Portarlington mussels
    See how these plump and juicy bivalves are sustainably cultivated.

    It took more than three years to transform the former shark trawler into a dreamy, Hamptons-esque vessel, with little expense spared. Think muted green suede banquettes, white-washed walls, Breton-striped bench cushions, hardwood tables, bouquets of homegrown dahlias, and woollen blankets sourced from Waverley Mills, Australia’s oldest working textile mill. It’s intimate, too, welcoming 12 guests at most. And yet there’s nothing pretentious about the experience – just warm, down-to-earth Aussie hospitality.

    As we cruise out, we crack open a bottle of local bubbles and nibble on the most beautifully curated cheese platter, adorned with seashells and grey saltbush picked from the water’s edge that very morning. Australasian gannets soar overhead, and I’m told it’s not uncommon for guests to spot the odd seal, pod of dolphins, or even the occasional little penguin.

    The sustainable secret behind Victoria’s best mussels

    blue mussels off Portarlington
    Blue mussels sourced just off Portarlington.

    Connie and Lance both extol the virtues of mussels. They’re delicious. A lean source of protein and packed with omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B12, iron, selenium, and zinc. They’re cooked in a flash (Connie steams our fresh harvest with cider and onion jam). And they’re also widely regarded as one of the most sustainable foods in the world.

    Portarlington mussels with lemon and chilli
    Mussels served with lemon and chilli.

    “Aquaculture is [often] seen as destructive, so a lot of our guests are really surprised about how environmentally friendly and sustainable our industry is,” Lance says. “[Our mussels] would filter 1.4 billion litres of water a day,” he adds, explaining how mussels remove excess nitrogen and phosphorus from the water. “And through biomineralisation, we lock carbon into mussel shells.”

    a hand holding a Portarlington mussel
    Mussels are a sustainable food.

    Despite their glowing list of accolades, these molluscs have long been seen as the oysters’ poorer cousins. “It was a really slow start,” explains Lance, who says that in the early days of his career, “you could not sell mussels in Victoria”.

    But word has slowly caught on. Chefs as globally acclaimed as Attica’s Ben Shewry and even René Redzepi of Noma, Denmark, have travelled to these very waters just to try the shellfish at the source, sharing only the highest praise, and using Lance’s mussels in their restaurants.

    guests sampling Portarlington mussels onboard
    Sampling the goods onboard. (Image: Visit Victoria/Hannyn Shiggins)

    According to Lance there’s one obvious reason why the cool depths of Portarlington outshine other locations for mussel farming. “The water quality is second to none,” he says, noting how other regions are frequently rocked by harvest closures due to poor water quality. “We grow, without a doubt, some of the best shellfish in the world.” And with Lance’s bold claims backed up by some of the industry’s greatest names, perhaps it won’t be much longer until more Aussies uncover the appeal of Portarlington’s mussels.