Best Places to Escape to Near Melbourne This Spring

By: ellalist team, 03 March 2020

If you're dying to get out of the cold grey of the city, why not hit up some of these special spots for a bit of rest and relaxation? Stroll along the beach and get a good lungful of fresh, salty air, cosy up in the mountains with a fireplace, or just enjoy looking out of the window and seeing a completely different view for a bit.

Ready? Let's explore!

Wander Down To Phillip Island

There's so much to see and do on Phillip Island that it has the best of every world. You can go and have a whale of a time or you can just go to the beach every day and chill – it's got everything you need for any level of holiday motivation!

We love to stroll around the Phillip Island Nature Park, get a proper fill of sandy feet and rugged coastline views, check out what's new in the Art & Craft Community Gallery, and get over to Churchill Island Heritage Farm whenever we can (they have wine!). 

Less than two hours from Melbourne, along the South Gippsland Highway, your island adventure awaits!

Get Lost In Daylesford

Image: Visit Victoria


Have lunch at the Lakhouse, browse the Mill Markets (leave the teacups for me!), check out any number of wineries and cideries, be inspired at the multiple galleries, buy a pure wool jumper (you won't know yourself, really, they're amazing), and stay at a cosy B&B before waking up to do it all over again, with perhaps a side visit to the Wombat Hill Botanical Gardens. Glorious stuff.

Wine It Up In The Yarra Valley

Image: Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges Facebook


If you're looking for hearty wood fires, wine and cheese platters, homely country pubs, and green hills as far as the eye can see, it's the Yarra Valley you'll be wanting.

We love it for farmstays, wine tours, fresh air, mountain views, and the obligatory visit to the Yarra Valley Chocolaterie and Ice Creamery.

Step Back In Time To Historic Ballarat

Image: Visit Ballarat Facebook


We go to Ballarat often because it has everything. The beautiful old buildings, the wonderful lake to walk around (and nearby pubs to lunch in), playgrounds, shops, delis, markets, plenty of places to stay, and a visit to Buninyong and its shops and cafes is mandatory. It feels like a country town with every convenience of the city, and you can feel miles away from Melbourne when the reality is, you're practically a mere stone's throw.

Trees Adventure, Otway Park

Image Credit: Trees Adventure
Image: Trees Adventure


Do you have a little monkey who needs to get out of the house during school holidays? Trees Adventure Otway Park offers over 80 various challenges and ziplines at a height of between two to 25 metres. It has eight challenge courses for visitors, ranging in age from four years old and up. Varying ages have five colour-coded course levels to choose from and have the independence to choose which course they will traverse, depending on their skills. Each session lasts for two hours.

Main image: Friends of Phillip Island Facebook

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