Guides
Planning a day trip out of Melbourne
Distances, routes and honest trade-offs, written by people who drive them. No invented opening hours, and no promises about somebody else’s weather.
The Great Ocean Road, in order, from Melbourne
Most Great Ocean Road maps show you the coastline. Almost none show you the thing that decides your day: the drive back.
Read the guideGetting from Melbourne Airport to the city
Melbourne is the only major Australian capital with no train to its airport. That single fact decides how you should plan your arrival.
Read the guideDay trips from Melbourne in winter: what actually works
Winter is the season Melbourne day-trippers underrate. The alps open, the crowds thin, and the valleys are at their moodiest. Here is what works and what to plan around.
Read the guideMelbourne day trips with kids: what holds up in the real world
Any day trip works with children on paper. Far fewer survive contact with an actual four-year-old. These are the ones that do, and the planning rules that keep them working.
Read the guideHow far are the Twelve Apostles from Melbourne?
There are two roads to the Twelve Apostles and they are not the same length. Knowing which is which is the difference between a good day and a rushed one.
Read the guideCan you drive the Great Ocean Road in one day?
One day is enough for the Great Ocean Road, provided you accept up front that you are not seeing all of it. Choosing what to leave out is the whole plan.
Read the guidePuffing Billy Railway: how to visit from Melbourne
Australia's oldest steam railway is 40 kilometres from the city. The ride is the easy part; the planning question is which section you take and how you get back.
Read the guideSovereign Hill and Ballarat: planning the day
Sovereign Hill is an entire day on its own, which is the single most useful thing to know before you plan around it.
Read the guideWhat a Melbourne day tour actually costs
Per-person pricing and per-vehicle pricing cross over at a specific group size. Most families have no idea which side of it they are on.
Read the guideReady to plan the day itself?
Tell us the date, the group and the places you want to see. We check the route and the vehicle, then send a written total before anything is confirmed.