Guides
Planning a day trip out of Melbourne
Distances, routes and honest trade-offs, written by the people who plan them. No invented opening hours, and no promises about somebody else’s weather.
Great Ocean Road map: every stop in order from Melbourne, with distances
Most Great Ocean Road maps show you the coastline. This one also shows the thing that decides your day: the drive back.
Read the guideGetting from Melbourne Airport to the city
Choose the journey for everyone travelling, not just the fare for one seat. Bags, child restraints and the final hotel address can change what works.
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 guidePuffing Billy Railway: how to visit from Melbourne
One of Australia's best-known heritage steam railways 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 guideWhat a Melbourne day tour actually costs
Per-person pricing and per-vehicle pricing behave differently as a group grows. Most families have never done the sum for their own numbers.
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.