Melbourne is Australia’s second largest city (after Sydney), but is second to none when it comes to fashion, festivals and Aussie Rules football.  Visitors come for its shopping, restaurants and nightlife.  Residents stay for its cultural diversity, passion for the arts and enviable sports calendar. 

While traveling in beautiful Melbourne, catch a tram to trendy Southgate, rub shoulders with locals at the Queen Victoria market or take in a show at the ornate Princess Theatre. For a break from the hustle and bustle, canoe down the lovely Yarra River or stroll through the Royal Botanic Gardens – considered to be among the finest in the world.

Discover an Australian family fun park within hours from Melbourne in Phillip Island. This is where rolling waves replace roller coasters and Ferris wheels make way for fairy penguins.  Phillip Island is host to a diverse range of landscapes and an impressive array of wildlife all of which is accessible within minutes of each other.  Cuddle up to a koala at the Koala Conservation Centre, or stare in wonder at more than 5,000 fur seals basking in the sun at Seal Rocks. Photograph Phillip Island’s most popular residents – the fairy penguins, as they waddle from the sea to their nests in neighboring dunes at sunset.  Never before has nature been so inviting.

One of the world’s great wine growing regions is only a stones throw away from Melbourne.  The one hour drive though ancient mountain ranges and fern-filled gullies is almost as tantalizing as the tastings of handcrafted wines from over 40 Australian wineries that await your arrival.  Nature buffs will appreciate the twisting trails and abundant birdlife, while kids will enjoy the thrill of getting close to dingoes and kangaroos at Healesville Sanctuary Wildlife Park.  Art lovers can wander amongst the clay sculptures of Aboriginal figures at William Rickett’s, or watch artists at work at the remarkable Monstsalvat artist’s colony and gallery.

A touching monument to those who died in World War I, Australia’s Great Ocean Road is one of the most dazzling drives in the world.  Drift past windswept beaches and towering eucalypt forests before stopping at a lookout to witness the sun setting over intriguing rock formations in Port Campbell National Park.  Lunch in laidback coastal towns, or travel to Port Fairy and discover the seaside settlement’s maritime past.  The experiences awaiting you are as varied as the landscapes with which you will become enamored.