Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
12
Victoria
by Marc Llewellyn
A
ustralia's southernmost mainland
state is astoundingly diverse. Within
its boundaries are 35 national parks,
encompassing every possible terrain,
from rainforest and mountain ranges
to sun-baked Outback desert and a
coast where waves crash dramatically
onto rugged sandstone outcroppings.
Melbourne (see chapter 11) may
be this rugged state's heart, but the
mighty Murray River, which separates
Victoria from New South Wales, is its
lifeblood, providing irrigation for vast
tracks of semidesert land.
Most visitors to Victoria start out
exploring Melbourne's cosmopolitan
streets, and then visit a few local winer-
ies, before heading for the gold fields
around the historic city of Ballarat.
Lots of them only experience a frac-
tion of Victoria, but this wonderful
and not overly touristed region is worth
a closer look.
Visitors with more time might head
inland to the mountains (perhaps for
skiing or bushwalking at Mt. Hotham
or Falls Creek), or seek out the wilder-
ness of Snowy River National Park.
Others head to the outback, to the
Grampians National Park, and Mil-
dura through open deserts and past
pink lakes and red sand dunes.
Lots of options await, and because
many of them are rural, you'll find
prices for accommodations very afford-
able. Whatever itinerary you choose,
you're sure to find adventure and dra-
matic scenery.
See “Side Trips from Melbourne,”
in chapter 11, for information on the
Dandenong Ranges, Yarra Valley,
Phillip Island, and the Mornington
Peninsula.
EXPLORING THE STATE
VISITOR INFORMATION
Pick up brochures and maps at the Victoria Vis-
itor Information Centre (see chapter 11, “Melbourne”), or call the
Victoria
Tourism Information Service
(
&
13 28 42
) from anywhere in Australia to talk
to a consultant about your plans. The service, open daily from 8am to 6pm, will
also send out brochures. If you need information along the way, look for blue
road signs with a white or yellow information symbol.
GETTING THERE V/Line
(
&
13 61 96
in Victoria, or 13 22 32 in New
South Wales) runs a limited network of trains to various places in Victoria, con-
tinuing trips to most major centers with connecting buses. Several bus compa-
nies connect Melbourne with regional areas of Victoria; the biggest operator is
McCafferty's
(
&
13 20 30
in Australia, or 03/9670 2533).
1 Ballarat: Gold-Rush City
™
113km (70 miles) W of Melbourne
Ballarat, Victoria's largest inland city (pop. 90,000), is all about gold. In 1851,
two prospectors found gold nuggets scattered on the ground at a place known
