About the Victoria Region

Victoria's region is famous for its great diversity and beauty. It consists in several extraordinary things such as the world-class wineries of the Yarra Valley, the Spa Country, the several charming and picturesque coastal villages of the different peninsulas, the impressive mineral springs of Macedon Ranges, the Grampians and its beautiful walking tracks etc.

Victoria's region is also home to the wonderful and scenic Great Ocean Road which is one of the most beautiful coastal drive in the world; there people can enjoy the sceneries of the famous 12 Apostles, London Bridge, Loch Ard Gorge, and the world renowned Bells Beach. Finally, one of the main attraction in Victoria's region is its capital Melbourne, the second largest city in Australia, where many cultural and leisure activities are offered.

Culture

The cutting-edge architecture of the capital Melbourne is wonderful as well as the exceptional collection of museums and its impressive galleries, the several art exhibitions and the great and diverse festivals organised in the city. Moreover, In addition to its creative and flourishing culture scene, Melbourne and the whole Victoria's region also offer unique Aboriginal art and lots of public and private galleries where people can check out some of Australia's best contemporary works, and enjoy works of local artisans and craftspeople. With its great diversity and a lot of year-round events, Victoria is a really attractive state and has something interesting for everyone.

Wildlife

Victoria's region has a diverse range of native wildlife. Indeed, people may see both rare and common animals such as possums, wombats, emus, eastern grey kangaroos, wallabies, rosellas, and wedge-tailed eagles. It should be noted that all those animals are more likely to be found during the morning or around dusk.

Climate

Victoria has four seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. Melbourne's many parks and gardens make it a beautiful place to witness the changing of the seasons. Spring through summer is the vibrant outdoor season of festivals, water sports and al fresco dining. Winter and autumn are times for theatre, film and comedy festivals, football, restaurants and open fires. You will often hear the saying that dramatically within a short time frame, making it best to dress in layers and be prepared for anything.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do clients need to bring?
A sturdy pair of walking shoes (preferably ankle-high), swimming gear, a wide-brimmed hat, sunscreen, water bottle, insect repellent, torch, camera and lots of film, a sleeping bag (can be hired for a $15 cleaning fee) and a towel (not necessary for 'Safari in Style'). For touring around the Red Centre, warm clothing in the winter months between June and September.

CLIENTS MUST ALSO PRESENT A VALID VOUCHER FOR TRAVEL TO THE GUIDE ON THE MORNING OF TOUR DEPARTURE.

Are there fitness requirements?
Our tours are designed for active, independent travellers between 18-45, as a reasonable level of fitness and swimming ability is required (walks differ in duration and grade depending on the trip chosen). If you or your passenger has any doubts about their suitability for our tours, please check with our Reservations Department before making a booking.

Do clients have to participate?
With the exception of the 'Safari in Style' tour, everyone is expected to help, under the direction of the guide, with the preparation of meals, cleaning up of dishes and campsites and the gathering of wood. We rely on each passenger's participation and sense of adventure to make the tour a complete success!

How much luggage is allowed?
We ask that clients limit their luggage to a maximum of 15kgs in a backpack or soft overnight bag and include a small daypack to hand carry for easy access to camera etc.

Will passengers be picked up and dropped off at their accommodation?
Yes, but please make sure to advise us of passengers pick up point at time of booking.

What about special dietary requirements?
The meals we provide are largely BBQ and camp-oven cooking. We can cater for vegetarians or those that are gluten intolerant but if clients have very specific dietary requirements (e.g. vegan), they may need to provide their own food. Please advise us of your client's needs at time of booking.

How much water do clients need to drink?
Doctors advise that between 2 and 3 litres (10-12 glasses) of water per day is essential when travelling in Northern Australia. All vehicles carry adequate water supplies.

Do clients need to reconfirm their tour?
Yes, passengers must contact our Reservations Department on 1300 654 604 quoting their 6 digit booking number before 4pm the day prior to travel with both the name of their accommodation and room number.

FAILURE TO DO SO COULD RESULT IN THE CANCELLATION OF THEIR BOOKING.

Cancellations: In the event of a cancellation, fees will be charged as follows:
Between 30 days - 48 hours: 25% of fare
Between 48 hours - 24 hours: 50% of fare
Within 24 hours: 100% of fare

Safety: All the tours and activities that we do are approved by local authorities, National Parks & the NT Transport Department. We have a first class safety record and carry public liability of $20,000,000 and all other insurance required by law.

Insurance: Please consider it an important service to your clients to encourage them to purchase comprehensive travel insurance before leaving home. We strongly recommend that all passengers be fully covered by insurance.

Accommodation

For travellers who look for a backpacker accommodation we recommend:

MELBOURNE

•  Base Backpackers
•  YHA
•   Nomads Industry
•   Hotel Bakpak

Available facilities to go to the accommodation:
Airporter Shuttle Bus services are available - 15$AUD one-way / 24$AUD return.

Taxi fare from airport to :

- Base (St Kilda): about 56$ AUD.
- YHA: about 43$ AUD
- Nomads: about 37$ AUD
- Hotel Backpack: about 35$ AUD

- Check if free transfer buses are provided by the hotels.

Interest

Apollo Bay: situated at about 190 km from Melbourne, Apollo Bay is a charming and beautiful seaside resort town on the Great Ocean Road and offers many attractions like museums, art galleries etc.

Balconies lookout: The Balconies lookout is formed by two sandstone rocks and is also known as 'the Jaws of Death'.

Bay of Islands: the Bay of Islands offers spectacular ocean views along the coast and is surrounded by rare flora and fauna.

Bay of Martyrs: situated next to Peterborough, the Bay of Martyrs is quite similar to the famous Twelve Apostles insofar as it is composed of several sandstone outcrops.

Bells Beach: is one of the best surf beaches in the world and features in the movie Point Break. During Easter check out the International Surfing Championships and the Rip Curl Surf Classics.

Brambucks Aboriginal Cultural Centre: this cultural centre offers lots of very interesting activities like the opportunity to see the award winning film about the creation story of the Gariwerd, or walk through an educational and pleasant bush garden.

Gibson Steps: situated in Port Campbell National Park on the Great Ocean Road just few kilometres from the Twelve Apostles, Gibson steps is famous for its long staircase leading down to the beach where the scenery is impressive.

Grampians: or Gariwerd as the Aboriginal People know it, is the southern end of the Great Dividing Range, which runs inland down the east coast of Australia. The Grampians is famous for its rugged mountain ranges, superb scenery, wild life, bushwalks, waterfalls (particular McKenzie Falls), rock climbing, and abseiling as well as the wild flowers which bloom between August and November. Aboriginal paintings dot the park and can be found in the "Shelters" i.e. Ghost Shelter.

Great Ocean Road: winds its way around the rugged coast for 300kms between Torquay and Warrnambool. It was built in the 1920's with picks and shovels. It is flanked by the pounding surf on one side and the Ottway Ranges on the other, and is well known as one of the most awesomely beautiful stretches of road in the country.

Grotto: Grotto is a small cave formed by the water with razor blade sharp lime stone cliffs.

Hollow Mountain: this is an impressive eroded mountain on the northern end of the Grampians where several caves have been naturally formed in the rock.

Horsham: this is a small town of about 12 600 inhabitants located along the Wimmera river and surrounded by several lakes: a beautiful place ideal for picnics and barbeques.

Kanyaka Homestead: was founded in 1851 and housed at one time up to 70 families. After years of poor seasons and drought it was abandoned in 1888 but stands today of a poignant reminder of the life of the early explorers who at one time grazed 40 000 sheep in this area.

Loch Ard Gorge: Loch Ard Gorge is a mixture of beautiful scenery and tragic history. Composed of huge towering cliffs and a small sandy beach with blue-green sea, Loch and Gorge is also the place where 52 people died about 120 years ago in a tragic sailing ship accident.

London bridge: now called 'London Arch' after the natural bridge collapsed on 15 January 1990, London bridge is a spectacular and amazing natural rock formation that people absolutely must see when travelling around Port Campbell National Park.

Lorne: not far from Melbourne and situated along the wonderful Great Ocean Road, Lorne is known to be one of the best leisure resorts in Australia.

Mackenzie falls: located in MacKenzie River Gorge this is one of Victoria's largest waterfalls.

Otway fly: This elevated walk is unique in its kind insofar as it is one of the longest (more than 600 meters) and tallest (can reach about 40 meters high) on Earth.

Otway National Park: Otway National Park is a huge park of about 13,000 hectare and is one of the most beautiful and unspoiled park in Victoria.

Pinnacle lookout: this lookout offers a great view of the 'Grand Canyon' and the 'Elephant Hide' sandstone in the Grampians.

Reeds Lookout: this viewing site offers beautiful panoramic views of two main ranges that form the Grampians National Park and of the Victoria valley.

The 12 Apostles: The 12 Apostles are giant sandstone rocks which can reach about 45 metres high. This is one of Victoria's and Australia's most famous and spectacular coastal scenery.

Torquay: Torquay is one of the most popular towns on the Great Ocean Road and is situated about 8 km from the world known Bells Beach. If you love surf brands, Torquay should look like paradise for you insofar as many of the world's most famous surf companies have their home there.

Warrnambool: is the largest town on the shipwreck coast, it has good calm water and surf beaches. At Logans Beach, southern right whales come within view of the shoreline to give birth each year between June and October. Surf, rock, sea and river fishing are popular too. Because there's a uni campus here there's also a decent nightlife for the city.