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Just under an hour’s drive from Melbourne Airport, the Dandenongs are an excellent example of the lush, rainforests and rolling hills that Australia is so well-known for.

Part of an extinct volcano which was last active approximately 200 million years ago, the Dandenong Ranges are home to rainforests, Mountain Ash forestry, fern gullies and an amazing array of Australian wildlife.

From the lyrebird (with its beautiful song) to the cuddly koala and wombat, the Dandenongs are home to a variety of Australian birds and animals. Visitors to Healesville Sanctuary can also see how the animal hospital helps orphaned and sick animals recuperate and recover.

When you visit the Dandenongs, you can walk the 1,000 step Kokoda Walk, which commemorates the World War II Kokoda Trail in Papua New Guinea. Plaques along the path memorialise the lives of those who died during the war on the long and tortuous walk.

The original trail was taken by Australian soldiers in World War II and ran for 96 kilometres (60 miles) through the Owen Stanley Range in Papua New Guinea. It was the location for the battle between Japan and the Allied forces. Long, hot days, coupled with the threat of tropical diseases such as malaria, made the track particularly difficult to travel.

After a long walk, you might like to take a break on the Puffing Billy Steam Railway, which is still running on the same 25 kilometre track that it has been travelling across for over a century. Alternatively, you might like to sip on a glass of Australian wine, which you will find at one of the many wineries along the Yarra Valley.

For more information on what to do while you are visiting the Dandenong Ranges, stop off at the Visitors’ Centre at 1211 Burwood Highway.

This is widely viewed as the best coastal drive in Australia. If you want to truly experience Australia, a trip down the Great Ocean Road will provide you with stunning panoramic views and plenty of fun activities to enjoy along the way. 

Running from Torquay (just an hour’s drive from Melbourne) to Allansford, the Great Ocean Road was originally built between 1919 and 1932 by soldiers who had recently returned from war. The road hugs the coastline and travels alongside lush rainforests and towering cliffs of limestone.

Begin your trip with a surf on Bells Beach — it’s one of Australia’s most famous surf beaches, and holds the Rip Curl Pro surf competition at Easter, every year.

Great Otway National Park is home to the southernmost point of Victoria and some of the region’s most remote and beautiful rainforests. Get a glimpse of cuddly koalas, kangaroos, wallabies and some bright and colourful bird-life, all in their natural habitat.

Four hour’s drive down the Great Ocean Road, one of the country’s more famous attractions — the 12 Apostles — rises majestically from the Southern Ocean. Formed from the coastal erosion of the surrounding limestone cliffs, the 12 Apostles is a collection of eight limestone stacks (the remaining four have slowly eroded over time).

If you have always wanted to view a pod of whales in their natural habitat, carry on past Allansford to Warnambool’s Logans Beach. Between May and October, this is the perfect spot to see the Southern Right Whales return home to their nursery. Logans Beach has whale viewing platforms, located off Hopkins Point Road in Warnambool, from which you can see the mother whales and their calves playing together.

Although you could drive the whole road in a day, it isn’t recommended as you won’t get the chance as you will miss out on the full Ocean Road experience. Instead, you might like to book accommodation or camping grounds in advance.

If you’ve never seen a penguin parade before, you’ve probably never experienced ‘cuteness overload’. Visit Phillip Island and be entertained by the world’s smallest (and, dare we say it, cutest) penguins. On the island, you can expect to see Blue Penguins — lots of them —  waddling ashore after a long day of hunting and swimming.

Take your pick of viewing options. There’s an area at Summerland Beach (with a 180-degree elevated view of the parade), an up-close view from the Penguins Plus platform, an underground viewing window, or the penguin sky box (where you can watch from an elevated viewing tower).

Phillip Island isn’t just about penguins, however. You’ll also find some stunning surf beaches, and the opportunity to treat yourself at a spa and healing centre. There are tours and scenic flights. And wildlife viewing opportunities such as the Koala Conservation Centre, Churchill Island Heritage Farm and The Nobbies Centre, an ecotourism destination which looks out at Australia’s largest colony of fur seals, some 16,000 or more of them relaxing on the rocks and swimming about in the ocean.

Australia has a varied and interesting history which includes the Australian goldrush which took place in the mid-1800s. Soon after Victoria became a state of its own, separated from New South Wales, there was a goldrush and Ballarat quickly went from being a sheep station to the home of 20,000 migrants, all desperately looking for their piece of the golden pie.

Ballarat attracts over two million visitors a year thanks to places such as the award-winning open-air museum Sovereign Hill, a recreated gold-mining settlement where visitors go back in time to witness the life of a gold-mining family and learn the history of the region. The Gold Museum, Eureka Centre, Botanic Gardens, Tramway Museum and Ballarat Ghost Tours are also great draw cards for the curious and adventurous.

When you want to unwind in Ballarat, grab a wine or beer in one of the many cafes, bars and restaurants throughout the area or take in one or more of the many art galleries dotted across the city.

Ballarat is just over an hour’s drive from Melbourne along the National Highway M8. It makes for a great day-trip or weekend stayover, with plenty of family fun activities.