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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Exploring Melbourne – Southbank, Federation Square, Hosier Lane and yummy delights

6 May 2019  

We took an overnight flight to Melbourne on Qantas QF38, arriving on schedule at about 9.30 AM. Immigration clearance was fast and we took the Skybus from the airport to Southern Cross Station. Our “home” for the next 5 nights was an Airbnb studio apartment, located right across the station, along Spencer Street.

We managed to get the keys to our apartment to drop off our luggage at the apartment, although official check-in time was 2 PM.

We had nothing really planned for the first day of our 5-day stay in Melbourne city besides exploring the area around the CBD on foot and having dinner with my niece who is studying in Melbourne.

Melbourne was surprisingly chilly on this autumn day. It was good that we came well prepared. We walked down Spencer Street towards the Yarra River, searching for a good place to have breakfast or brunch.

The Hardware Société at 10 Katherine Place was where we went. Queues were normally expected at this extremely popular cafe, but we managed to get a table immediately at this newly opened and larger branch. Note: the original and smaller branch was located at 123 Hardware Street.

Their all-day French and Spanish inspired brunch menu was quite extensive. We ordered the highly rated baked eggs and lobster benedict, plus coffee to go with our brunch. There are a few options for the baked eggs that included one with vegetables, one with chorizo and one with scallops. We chose the scallops.

Baked Eggs with scallops and crispy jamon for AUD20.

The baked eggs did not disappoint. The eggs with runny yokes are served in a metal bowl, baked with perfectly cooked whole fresh scallops, cauliflower purée, leek and topped with crispy jamon.

Lobster Benedict with citrus hollandaise and 64-degree eggs on bun noir (charcoal bun) for AUD26.

The lobster benedict came with pieces of sweet lobster to balance the creamy soft boiled eggs with runny yokes. While the lobster benedict was delicious as well, I prefer the baked eggs.

I was surprised to see that they are even selling a cookbook “No Eggs On Toast”, containing recipes for the dishes in their menu for AUD 50. A good book to buy for aspiring MasterChef Australia contestants.

After brunch, we continued our walk down Flinders Street, heading to Federation Square. Federation Square is at the intersection of Flinders and Swanston Streets, built above busy railway lines and across the road from Flinders Street Station.

The best view of the magnificent facade of the Flinders Street Station is diagonally across from Federation Square.


Federation Square is home to the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) but the venue was closed for renovation.

 

Federation Square.



ACMI building at Federation Square.



View along the Yarra River.

We decided to do some sightseeing along the Yarra River and also the Southbank area of Melbourne. It was perfect weather for walking.

View of the Melbourne skyline from Sandridge Bridge.

We crossed to the south side of the Yarra via the Sandridge Bridge.

Sandridge Bridge across the Yarra River, Melbourne.

Sandridge Bridge was formerly a railway bridge. It was redeveloped into a pedestrian bridge and decorated with a series of giant steel sculptures, depicting the waves of immigrants who journeyed to make Melbourne their home. Glass panels on the bridge provide information of the immigrations from all corners of the world.

One of the glass panels on the Sandridge Bridge showing the number of Singaporeans who had migrated to Melbourne.


Autumn colours starting to show on some trees.

Beautiful views of the city skyline could be seen along the Southbank area of Melbourne. There are many cafes and restaurants along the Southbank and most of the restaurants are offering and serving lunch to the office crowd at this time.

View of Melbourne’s Central Business District (CBD) from the Art Center Melbourne.


View of Princes Bridge and the Melbourne’s CBD from the Art Center Melbourne.

One of the best spots for photos of the city is from the terrace of the Art Center Melbourne.
Southbank district of Melbourne.

View of the Yarra River from Princes Bridge.

Princes Bridge took us back across the Yarra River to the Flinders Street Station. This is also a good spot to view the scenic Melbourne riverfront.

Back to Flinders Street Station, it was time for some delicious gelato ice-cream. We went to the Pidapipó Gelateria branch located at 8 Degraves Street, just opposite the train station.

A scoop of salted caramel and a scoop of pistachio gelato for AUD 6.80. The pistachio flavoured gelato is the best I have tasted. Nutty and full of flavour.

We continued our walking tour of Melbourne at Saint Paul’s Cathedral, diagonally opposite of Flinders Street Station.

 

Saint Paul’s Cathedral, Melbourne built between 1880 and 1931.

Statue of Matthew Flinders RN (1774 – 1814).

A statue of Mathew Flinders stood next to the cathedral. Mathew Flinders was an English navigator and cartographer, who was the leader of the first circumnavigation of Australia and identified it as a continent.

A rest area with benches for ladies only!

From St Paul Cathedral, a few hundred meters down Flinders Street is Hosier Lane. Downtown Melbourne is home to some of the best graffiti or street art and Hosier Lane is possibly the most famous of all the graffiti alleyways in Melbourne.

Hosier Lane, famous for the street art.

We could see street artists at work while flocks of tourists (us included) admired the colourful walls of this alleyway and snapped photos and selfies.

Even the rubbish bins are not spared from the creative artwork. 

Another back alley with beautiful artwork located close to Hosier Lane is AC/DC Lane. AC/DC Lane was named back in 2004 to pay tribute to the Australian rock band. The street art features all kinds of musicians.

AC/DC Lane is less crowded than Hosier Lane.  The artwork on the walls of this alley was just as colourful and interesting. Just round the corner is Duckboard Place, also a lane with artwork on the walls.

Someone apparently thought hanging old sneakers and shoes across the street is art.

It was about 3 PM when we took the free tram within the Melbourne CBD back to our apartment for a hot shower and some rest before our dinner appointment with our niece at 5.30 PM.

We had selected Rice Paper Scissors, located at 19 Liverpool Street, based on recommendations from previous visitors to Melbourne. This is a very popular restaurant that does not take reservations and queues are expected. We arrived at 5.30 PM, just when they opened and managed to get a table in the almost fully occupied restaurant.

The restaurant offers fusion Asian-style food with flavours from Bangkok, Saigon and Singapore.  The menu is designed for sharing, where we could select 5 dishes for 2 or 3 people to share at AUD 34.50 per person for dinner.

These were the 5 mains we ordered:

Sea Bream sashimi with yuzu sauce, topped with sliced chilli, mango and caviar. This was a daily/weekly special, not found in the normal menu. It was a good appetizer dish as the portion was small.


Crispy Barramundi Salad- tapioca dusted barramundi with a green apple and roast cashew salad and nahm jim (hot, sour and tangy Thai salad dressing). 


Lamb Ribs – Mekhong whiskey marinated lamb ribs in a sticky special sauce. This was our favourite dish of the night. The lamb was so tender and the sauce was flavourful.


Pork Belly - twice cooked pork in a tamarind caramel sauce, topped with a fragrant herb salad. This dish was really good too.

Crying Tiger - char-grilled wagyu beef with a spicy citrus dipping sauce. It was served with fresh lettuce to wrap the beef and eat it - Korean style. I found the beef a bit too chewy. Not the best cut for grilling I think.


For drinks, we tried the Chiang Mai Bloody Mary which was hot and spicy for AUD18.


For dessert, it was the “Mom, I have dropped my Ice-cream”. Nicely plated condensed milk, yuzu sorbet, puffed rice crumble and white chocolate ganache for AUD12.

Overall, it was a wonderful first day in Melbourne. We saw quite a lot of interesting sights and sampled some of the best yummy delights in a city known for its fine cafes and restaurants.

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