Trip Overview and itinerary - 5 days in Melbourne city and a 7-days Road Trip to Phillip Island, Dandenong, Grampians and Great Ocean Road

My family had visited Australia many times when the children were younger. Places and cities we visited include Perth, Albany, Sydney, Brisbane and the Gold Coast, Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef, Port Douglas and the Daintree Rainforest, Fraser Island, Daydream Island and Atherton Tablelands with fishing at Lake Tinaroo. These were places we visited before I started this travel blog.

But we have missed out Melbourne, one of the world’s most liveable city!

Lured by what we saw in the MasterChef Australia TV show, we planned a 12-days trip to Melbourne in May (late autumn) 2019.

After 5 days at Melbourne seeing the sights and savouring the food, we embarked on a road trip from Melbourne to Phillip Island, Dandenong Ranges National Park, Grampians National Park and ending with 3 days along the scenic Great Ocean Road before heading to the airport for our flight home.

The Great Ocean Road, one of the world's most scenic coastal drives, extends over 200 km between Torquay and Allansford near Warrnambool.

We chose to drive the Great Ocean Road starting from Warrnambool and proceed down south and east towards Torquay, with overnight stays in Port Campbell and Lorne before heading to the Melbourne International Airport on the 3rd day for our flight home.

By going the reverse direction from Warrnambool to Torquay, we succeeded in avoiding the bus tours at the popular attractions along the route.

This is the overview of our trip:

Day 1 (6 May 2019)  – Arrival Day in Melbourne City

We flew from home to Melbourne Airport via Qantas arriving in the early morning and took the Skybus to Southern Cross Station. Our “home” for the next 5 nights was an Airbnb studio apartment, located right across the Southern Cross Station, along Spencer Street.

We did a walking tour of Melbourne, checking out places like Federation Square, Yarra River and the Southbank, Saint Paul Cathedral and the street art at Hosier Lane and AC/Dc Lane.

Melbourne is well known for the street art.

We also checked out the Melbourne food scene with brunch at Hardware Société, ate gelato at Pidapipó Gelateria and fusion food at Rice Paper Scissors.

Trip report: Exploring Melbourne – Southbank, Federation Square, Hosier Lane and yummy delights.

Day 2 (7 May 2019)  –  Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance and Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria

A sunny day was forecasted for our second day in Melbourne. This was ideal weather for a visit to Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance and Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria located next to it.

Trip Report: Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance

Trip Report: A walk through Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria

Day 3 (8 May 2019)  – South Melbourne Market, Brighton Beach and St Kilda Beach

We spent the morning enjoying the food at South Melbourne Market.

This market is a lively indoor market with stalls for local produce, meat and seafood. Most important for us, there are cafes serving local and global fare.

Must try:  freshly shucked oysters and the freshly baked croissants.

Brighton Beach

First time visitors to Melbourne should include a visit to Brighton Beach to see the iconic and colourful wooden beach huts, or “bathing boxes” lining the beach. Not commonly seen in other countries, the colourful boxes make quite nice travel photos.

Wild fairy penguins could be observed after sunset at the breakwater in St Kilda Pier.

We ended the day at St Kilda Beach and saw the cute little fairy penguins at the pier.

Trip Report: Morning at the South Melbourne Market.

Trip Report: Brighton Beach Bathing Boxes and penguins at St Kilda Beach.

Day 4 (9 May 2019)  – Yarra Valley 

We did a day trip to Yarra Valley, Victoria's oldest wine region dating back to 1838. The Yarra Valley is about a one-hour drive north-east of Melbourne. There is no public transport to the Yarra Valley, so the best way to get there is on an organised tour or by self-drive car.

We decided to join a wine tour to Yarra Valley since we wanted to do wine tasting at the vineyards.

Trip Report: Wine tasting at Yarra Valley with a wine tour.

Day 5 (10 May 2019)  –  Queen Victoria Market, shopping malls, arcades in the Melbourne CBD area and also the State Library Victoria

A rainy day was forecasted. We visited the more famous and larger Queen Victoria Market (QVM) with plenty of yummy food stalls in the morning. 

Must try: Steamed mussels and the freshly baked doughnuts from a food-truck.

State Library Victoria.

We spent the afternoon exploring the shopping malls, arcades in the Melbourne CBD area and also the State Library Victoria.

Note: QVM is closed on Monday and Wednesday. On Friday, many shops in the CBD and suburban shopping centres remain open until 9:00 PM.

Trip report: Morning at Queen Victoria Market.

Trip report: Exploring Melbourne on a Rainy Day – Shopping malls, Arcades and the State Library Victoria.

Day 6 (11 May 2019)  –  Road trip to Phillip Island

This was the start of our 7-day road trip to visit Phillip Island, Dandenong Ranges, Grampians National Park and the Great Ocean Road.

We collected our rental car from Avis at the Southern Cross Station.

Daily pelican feeding at San Remo.

We drove to San Remo (2 hours journey) to see the pelican feeding that takes place on the beach next to the San Remo pier daily at noon.

Hiking at Cape Woolamai, Phillip Island.

Thereafter, we did a 4 km hike to the Pinnacles Lookout at Cape Woolamai on Phillip Island, followed by an easy walk at the Nobbies Boardwalk before ending the day at Cowes.

We skipped the famous Phillip Island Penguin Parade!

Where we stayed:

We stayed at the Seahorse Motel, a clean and well maintained motel located in Cowes, Phillip Island.

Trip report: Melbourne Road Trip Day 1 – Phillip Island

Day 7 (12 May 2019)  –  Road trip to Dandenong Ranges

Day 2 of road trip started with an easy 120 km drive to the Dandenong Range National Park from Phillip Island.

Interesting clay figures in the forest at William Ricketts Sanctuary, Dandenong Ranges.

We had tea at the famous Miss Maple’s Tearoom in Sassafras, visited William Ricketts Sanctuary and Dandenong Ranges Botanical Garden at Olinda.

Autumn foliage at Dandenong Ranges Botanic Garden.

Where we stayed:

Nightcap at Ferntree Gully Hotel Motel, located along Burwood Highway, is a 2-minutes drive from the Dandenong Ranges National Park. This is a convenient place for an overnight stay for visitors to the park. There are eateries onsite and within 5-minutes drive from the hotel.

Trip report: Melbourne Road Trip Day 2 – Dandenong Range National Park.

Day 8 (13 May 2019)  –  Road trip to  Grampians National Park with visits to Mackenzie Falls, Reeds Lookout, The Balconies and Boroka Lookout

Renowned for rugged mountain ranges, rich cultural heritage and breath-taking views, the Grampians National Park is one of Victoria's most popular destinations. We planned to spend 2 days at the National Park to do some hiking and be close to nature.

The drive from Dandenong to Grampians took about 4 hours, excluding a stopover for lunch and some shopping at Ballarat.

We arrived at Halls Gap, the village located in the heart of Grampians National Park, at about 2 PM.

View from one of the lookout points in Grampians.

We spent the rest of the day exploring the sights in Grampians:

• Mackenzie Falls
• Reeds Lookout
• The Balconies
• Boroka Lookout.
  

Where we stayed:

The best place to stay when visiting the Grampians National Park is at Halls Gap, the village at heart of the park. We stayed at the Kookaburra Motor Lodge.

Trip report: Melbourne Road Trip Day 3 – Grampians National Park with visits to Mackenzie Falls, Reeds Lookout, The Balconies and Boroka Lookout.

Day 9 (14 May 2019)  –  Hike to The Pinnacle in the Grampians

The Pinnacle at Grampians.

We hiked to The Pinnacle from the Wonderland car park on our second day in the park. The Pinnacle at Grampians is one of the most spectacular vantage points in the Grampians National Park.

The hike took about 3 hours, covered a distance of 4 km return.

Plenty of kangaroos at Halls Gap.

We spent the afternoon strolling around the village of Halls Gap. Halls Gap is a quiet place during the weekday afternoon in May.

There were quite a lot of wildlife to be seen and photographed. This included a field full of kangaroos, emus, deer and lots of birds.

Trip report: Melbourne Road Trip Day 4 – Hike to The Pinnacle in the Grampians.

Trip report: Melbourne Road Trip Day 4 – Free and easy in Halls Gap.

Day 10 (15 May 2019)  –  Driving the Great Ocean Road near Port Campbell

Leaving Halls Gap after breakfast, we arrived at Warrnambool for early lunch before seeing the sights along the Great Ocean Road around Port Campbell.

Bay of Islands, along Great Ocean Road.

Places visited are

• Bay of Islands
• The Grotto
• The Arch
• The London Bridge
• 12 Apostles.
  

Where we stayed: 

Port Campbell is a small coastal town along the Great Ocean Road. It is an excellent location to explore the nearby attractions along the Great Ocean Road, namely Bay of Islands, Grotto, The Arch, London Bridge, Loch Ard Gorge, Tom and Eva Lookout, 12 Apostles and Gibson Steps. We stayed at Port Campbell Motor Inn.

Trip report: Melbourne Road Trip Day 5 – Driving the Great Ocean Road near Port Campbell.

Day 11 (16 May 2019)  –  Driving the Great Ocean Road from Port Campbell to Lorne

The famous Twelve Apostles, along Great Ocean Road.

On the second day of our drive along the Great Ocean Road, we visited:

• Loch Ard Gorge
• 12 Apostles
• Gibson Steps
• Otway Lighthouse
• Apollo Bay
• Kennett River

We spent the night at Lorne.

Besides awesome seascape and landscape along the scenic drive, see wild koalas and birds at Kennett River.

Wild koalas spotted at Kennett River.

Where we stayed:

We stayed at the Chatby Lane Lorne. This luxurious condo hotel offers studio rooms with a spa bath. We even had cockatoos visiting us at the terrace in front of our room.

Trip report: Driving the Great Ocean Road from Port Campbell to Lorne.

Day 12 (17 May 2019)  –  Driving the Great Ocean Road from Lorne to Torquay

This would be the 3rd day of our road trip along the Great Ocean Road. It was also our last day touring Melbourne and the surrounding attractions.

We had to be at the airport by 2.15 PM to return our rental car, do the flight check-in and have lunch. We had the whole morning to complete our Great Ocean Road drive from Lorne to Torquay before heading to the airport, about 1.5 hour driving time from Torquay.

View from Teddy’s Lookout.

We visited:

• Teddy’s Lookout
• Memorial Arch
• Split Point Lighthouse
• Bells Beach.
  

Trip report: Melbourne Road Trip Day 7 – Driving the Great Ocean Road from Lorne to Torquay.

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Melbourne Road Trip Day 3 – Grampians National Park with visits to Mackenzie Falls, Reeds Lookout, The Balconies and Boroka Lookout

12 May 2019

Renowned for rugged mountain ranges, rich cultural heritage and breath-taking views, the Grampians National Park is one of Victoria's most popular destinations. We planned to spend 2 days at the National Park to do some hiking and be close to nature.

Drive from Dandenong to Grampians

After breakfast at a cafe near our hotel in Ferntree Gully, we started on our estimated 4 hours road trip. The drive included a section on the CityLink toll road (M1 – Monash Freeway) to Melbourne. There are no toll booths on Melbourne's toll roads. At each toll point, vehicles pass under a gantry which is fitted with both communication scanners and cameras and the toll is collected electronically using an e-tag fitted on the vehicle.

Our rental vehicle from Avis is fitted with such devices, so we have no worries about unpaid tolls. Tolls would be included into our bill when we returned the vehicle.

There were a few crisscrossing motorways surrounding Melbourne and the GPS on our mobile phones became extremely helpful. The navigation became easy once we got onto the M8 motorway towards Ballarat.

After about 2 hours of driving, we arrived at Ballarat. Ballarat is a large town located somewhat at the midpoint of our journey. An ideal rest stop to fill our stomach and fill up our car. We also bought some provisions from a large Woolworths supermarket.

It was another 2 hours of driving through A8 and C222 before we entered into the Grampians National Park. I enjoy driving on the country roads like the C222 as it offers some good views and changing landscape.

On the C222, between the town of Ararat and Grampians National Park.

Yellow warning signs with silhouette of a hopping kangaroos could be seen regularly along the road. This is a sign that we took seriously and slowed down since a collision with a kangaroo would be disastrous. We actually spotted a large grey kangaroo grazing by the road.

We arrived at Halls Gap, the village located in the heart of Grampians National Park, at about 2 PM.

The sun sets at about 5.30 PM in May at the Grampians. Instead of checking into our hotel at Halls Gap, we headed straight to Mackenzie Falls which was about another 25 minutes driving time from Halls Gap along Mt Victory Road (also marked as C222 on the map).

Mackenzie Falls

The iconic and spectacular MacKenzie Falls is a must do for all visitors to Grampians National Park. MacKenzie Falls is one of the largest waterfalls in Victoria.

To see the falls, one could take the easy, one-kilometre path to the viewing platform at the Bluff or the steep trail to the base of the falls (Distance: 2 km return and duration: 1 hour 30 minutes return).

We chose to hike to the base of the waterfall as the views at the end of this steep trail are spectacular.

Upper MacKenzie Falls – a not-so-impressive fall that we saw on the way down.

Trail leading down to the base of the MacKenzie Falls.

Close up view of the falls.

Spectacular MacKenzie Falls as viewed at the base.

A series of well-placed stones allowed us to cross the river at the base of the waterfall. The views were spectacular as promised.

A hiking trail continues down river beyond the falls. We followed this trail for a short distance enjoying the views of the river canyon and some solitude.

Trail at the river canyon of Mackenzie Falls.

We enjoyed some moments of peace until a large group from a tour descended down to the falls. This was a signal for us to leave and huff and puff our way back up.

Reeds Lookout

Reeds Lookout is along the route from MacKenzie Falls back towards Halls Gap. From the car park, it was just a short walk to the viewing point.

The summit of Reeds Lookout offers stunning views over the entire Victoria Valley, Victoria Range, Serra Range, Lake Wartook and the Mt Difficult Range. 

Reeds Lookout.

The Balconies

From the same car park as Reeds Lookout, we walked the relatively easy trail (Distance: 2 km round trip) to The Balconies for panoramic views of Victoria Valley and the surrounding ranges.

On the trail to the Balconies.

The hike offers some good landscape as well. To the left of the walking track are a series of gorgeous stone platforms. The unusual rock formations that stick out of the mountain make this spot particularly unique.

We arrived at the Balconies lookout point to find that access to the “Jaws of Death” had been fenced off for safety purposes. Apparently, it is called the “Jaws of Death” for a reason.

 

The Balconies - used to be called the Jaws of Death.

There is a safe viewing platform for us to see the Balconies and the panoramic views of Victoria Valley and the surrounding ranges.

Panoramic views of Victoria Valley and the surrounding ranges. Quite similar to the view we saw at Reeds Lookout.

Boroka Lookout

Boroka is another lookout that offers the best panoramic views of the Grampians. It was a longer drive on a narrow paved Mt Difficult Road, off Mt Victory Road, to the car park next to the lookout point. It was getting dark on this forest road. It is unwise to drive on the pitch dark mountain roads at night. But we knew we had time before the sun sets at 5.30 PM.

From the car park, it was just a very short walk to two viewing platforms with excellent views over the valley below and some great rock formations.

Boroka Lookout provides panoramic views over Halls Gap and the east of the Grampians.

We saw some people climbing over the safety barriers to get to the ledge shown in photo above. I think it is not wise risking one’s life just to get a photo to post on Instagram.

Dinner at Spirit of Punjab

We made it back to Halls Gap and checked into our hotel before dark. We went to the Indian restaurant (Spirit of Punjab) recommended by the lady who checked us in at the Kookaburra Motor Lodge.

We had to drive on the dark roads with no street lamps, within Halls Gap, to get to the restaurant. Shadowy figures of kangaroos could be seen by the road as we made our way slowly to our destination. There was almost no other traffic on the roads.

This restaurant was well patronised since it is probably one of the better restaurants in the village. We ordered Chicken Makhani (AUD 18.50) and Lamb Rogan Josh (AUD 19.50), with two pieces of garlic naan (AUD 3 each). The Chicken Makhani, also known as butter chicken, is Tandoori chicken cooked in tomato and cashew based sauce. Lamb Rogan Josh is Indian lamb curry cooked in onion and tomato based sauce.

Chicken Makhani (Butter chicken) (left), Lamb Rogan Josh (right) and Garlic Naan (top).

The menu at the Spirit of Punjab provided diners with a choice of how spicy you want the food to be – mild (no chilli), mild-medium (1 chilli rating), medium (2 chillis rating), medium hot (3 chillis rating), HOT and VOLCANO HOT!

Since we are used to spicy food, we asked for medium hot (3-chillis rating) but the waitress advised us that we should reduce to medium (2-chillis rating).

Thank goodness we heed her advice! The curry lamb rogan josh was very spicy, even with a 2-chillis rating. The curry lamb was delicious but the spiciness made me perspired like George Calombaris, one of the judges from MasterChef Australia, when he tasted spicy food.

Nevertheless, we enjoyed our spicy Indian food and evening at this excellent restaurant.

Where we stayed in Grampians

The best place to stay when visiting the Grampians National Park is at Halls Gap, the village at heart of the park. It is best to book the accommodation in Halls Gap early, especially during the peak summer period.

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Melbourne Road Trip Day 4 – Hike to The Pinnacle in the Grampians

14 May 2019

We came to Grampians National Park to do some hiking and we hiked to The Pinnacle on our second day in the park.

We had already done a hike to a Pinnacles Lookout earlier in our trip. Unlike the Pinnacles Lookout at Cape Woolamai on Phillip Island, the Pinnacle at Grampians is one of the most spectacular vantage points in the Grampians National Park.

The Pinnacle Lookout at Grampians National Park.

Ways to get to The Pinnacle

According to the Grampians travel guide, there are a few ways to get to The Pinnacle.

1. Walk from the Sundial car park.

Distance: 4.2 km return

Time: 2 hours

Difficulty: Moderate

Points of interest: Pretty views along the walk, Pinnacle Lookout

Easiest walk to reach The Pinnacle, best option if bringing children

Sundial car park has picnic tables and toilets

2. Walk from the Wonderland car park.

Distance: 4 km return

Time: 3 hours

Difficulty: Moderate / hard - steep, rocky areas

Points of interest: Grand Canyon, Cool Chamber, Bridal Veil Falls, Silent Street, Pinnacle Lookout

More challenging walk to reach The Pinnacle

Wonderland car park has toilets

3. Walk from the Halls Gap Botanical Garden.

Distance: 9.4 km return

Time: 5 hours

Starting point: Halls Gap Botanical Garden (Venus Baths walk)

Difficulty: Moderate / hard - long walk, steep, rocky areas

Points of interest: Botanical Gardens, Stoney Creek, Venus Baths, Splitters Falls, Grand Canyon, Cool Chamber, Bridal Veil Falls, Silent Street, Pinnacle Lookout

Most challenging walk to reach the Pinnacle

From Wonderland Car Park to the Grand Canyon

We chose to start our hike from the Wonderland car park since this is the most popular and interesting route. It was 10 AM when we started out, with perfect weather for our hike.

A signboard at the starting point informed us that the distance is 5.5 km return with an elevation gain of 280 m (almost equivalent to climbing a 90 storey building).

Interesting rock formation seen near the starting point.

About 200 metres into the walk, we arrived at the entrance to the Grand Canyon, the first point of interest along this trail.

Hiking through the “Grand Canyon”

We followed a stream and cross a footbridge into the Grand Canyon. This is not the famous Grand Canyon in USA but nevertheless is still a rocky canyon with interesting landscape and hiking trail.

Skipping over rocks to cross a stream.

Towering rock faces in the Grand Canyon.

We saw a group of local school children with their teachers in the canyon on a rock climbing expedition. We stopped to watch two boys scaled up the almost vertical canyon wall while their mates cheer them on. These local kids are tough. 

We continued our ascend along the Grand Canyon. The trek up involves some rock steps, slippery rocks surfaces and some rock hopping.

 

Safety railings and hand-holds are provided at some tricky parts of the trail.

We had to pass beneath these two large rocks leaning on each other….

…and go up some steep metal staircases.

Rocky steps leading out of the Grand Canyon.

We took a flight of rocky steps up and left the Grand Canyon.

We entered into a stretch of open rocky terrain. We followed yellow triangular markers painted on the rock surfaces.

From “Grand Canyon” to “Silent Street"

We passed two of the “attractions” on this trail called the Cool Chamber and Bridal Veil Falls.

The Cool Chamber offers some shade and is supposed to be a cool place on a hot day. 


Bridal Veil Falls - just a trickle.


Some open rock terrain. Good rubber sole shoes needed. These rocks would be slippery when wet.

Some other hikers on the same trail.

 

 

Hiking through the “Silent Street”

The next point of interest along the trail is a narrow gorge called the “Silent Street”. A flight of metal stairs led down to the very narrow gorge.

Entrance to the “Silent Street”.

At some places, the gorge is only wide enough for one person to pass through at a time.

I enjoyed walking through this part of the trail. As times, it almost felt like we were creeping through a cave or crack in the cliffs.

Emerging from Silent Street.

The Pinnacle Lookout

After emerging from the “Silent Street”, there were more rock hopping and steep climbs. We knew we were nearing the top when we felt the chilly winds.

Heading towards the sounds of excited voices, we soon arrived at The Pinnacle’s viewing point. 

Making my way to the Pinnacle viewing platform. It is a rocky spur jutting out from the jagged cliff faces.

Even though I am safely behind the metal barriers, my heart was pounding as I made up way to the tip of the rock spur jutting out of the steep rock cliffs. I am not sure if it was from the exertions getting to the top or my fear of heights or both.

The views from viewing platform were stunning. It is one of the very best vantage points in the Grampians National Park for terrific scenic views over a vast expanse of western Victoria.

View of Halls Gap below the steep cliff.

View to Lake Bellfield which is a local water supply source and is about 5km from Halls Gap.

The steps leading the Pinnacle viewing platform.

Once again, we saw people risking lives just to get a photo to show off to their friends.

We seek shelter from the cold wind behind a large rock and ate our rations of Snickers and water. There were many groups of hikers around the Pinnacle.  Most was enjoying the views, taking photos or getting a well-earned rest.

Was the views worth the effort?

Definitely yes for us. We enjoyed the journey to the top as well.

Returning to the Wonderland Car Park

We returned via the way we came. Going down was easier on the lungs but not our aging knees.

Somewhere near the Bridal Veil Falls, my wife realised that her Ray-ban sunglasses was not with her. We reckoned it was dropped while we were resting at the peak. We reckoned that chances of finding it would be slim, even if we made our way back up to the top.

It was a good thing we stopped to watch a man doing rock-climbing.

Soon thereafter, a couple on their way down caught up with us and asked if we had dropped a pair of sunglasses. They told us they had been checking with everyone they met on their way down.

Hurrah!

The sunglasses was reunited with the owner. My wife was the most relieved and could not thank the kind couple enough.

We ended our hike at the Wonderland car park and spend the rest of the day in a happy mood at Halls Gap. 

Where we stayed in Grampians

The best place to stay when visiting the Grampians National Park is at Halls Gap, the village at heart of the park. It is best to book the accommodation in Halls Gap early, especially during the peak summer period.

Continue Reading »