Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
WERRIBEE & AROUND
Those en route to the Great Ocean Road, or looking for a short trip outside Melbourne, should consider
Werribee
, a 30-minute drive down the Princes Hwy heading over the Westgate Bridge.
Most people visit for
Werribee Open Range Zoo
( 03-9731 9600;
www.zoo.org.au/werribee
; K Rd; adult/
child $30/13.20, children free weekends & holidays; 9am-5pm, last entry 3.30pm), an African-safari-style
experience run by Melbourne Zoo. It's set over 225 hectares; admission includes a 45-minutes safari tour where
you'll see grazing rhino, giraffe, antelope and zebra on savannah-like plains. The walking trail has enclosures for
lowland gorillas, lions, hippos, cheetah and meerkats, among others. Add-ons include behind-the-scenes tours, or
you can stay overnight (adult/child from $300/145) in luxury en suite tents with outlooks over the plains. If you
don't have your own car, catch the train from Melbourne to Werribee train station, then bus 439 to the zoo.
Also a part of the Werribee Park complex is
Shadowfax Winery
( 03-9731 4420;
www.shadowfax.com.au
;
K Rd; kitchen noon-3pm, tastings 11am-5pm) (a five-minute drive from the zoo), with wine tastings and
wood-fired pizzas. The
Werribee Mansion
( 03-8734 5100;
www.parkweb.vic.gov.au
; Gate 2, K Rd; adult/
child/family $9/6.50/28.60; 10am-5pm) is another highlight. Today serving as a museum, it was built in 1877
by prosperous farm owners and brims with colonial arriviste ambition with its Italianate edifice and Victorian
period features. If you want to stay the night, the lavish
Mansion Hotel & Spa
( 03-9731 4000;
www.lancemore.com.au/mansion
;
rooms from $229; spa 9am-5pm Mon-Thu, to 7pm Fri & Sat, from 10am
Sun; ) manages to be both stylish and modern, and has a leisurely country-house ambience. Its spa is
a great place to indulge with relaxation and beauty therapies.
Down the road is
Point Cook
, birthplace of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). It's now home to the
RAAF Museum
(
www.airforce.gov.au/raafmuseum/
;
Point Cook Rd, Point Cook; 10am-3pm Tue-Fri, to
5pm Sat & Sun) , an essential visit for aviation fans and war buffs. There's plenty of awesome aircraft on
display to enthral kids and adults alike, from flimsy box-kite planes to sleek F-111 fighters. There's also a com-
prehensive display on Australia at war, featuring memorabilia such as shrapnel from the Red Baron's German
plane, shot down by Australians in WWI. Aim to visit 1pm Sunday, Tuesday or Thursday for flight demonstra-
tions; though there's a good chance of seeing activity on its airfield at other times, too. It's located at the RAAF
Williams base, so you'll need to bring ID.
If you don't have a car,
Werribee Park Shuttle
( 03-9748 5094;
www.werribeeparkshuttle.com.au
; per
person $25 return) departs from NGV International in Melbourne at 9.20am, heading to all the above sights
(though if you're doing the RAAF Museum you'll only have time for one other sight) and returning to Mel-
bourme around 2.30pm. Bookings are essential.
South Melbourne, Port Melbourne & Albert Park
There's something boastful about these suburbs, and it runs along the lines of being close
to Melbourne's watery highlights: the bay, the beach and expansive Albert Park Lake.
These are upmarket suburbs rejoicing in their peaceful environment (though come Grand
Prix time, the noise is ramped up big-time).
