Visas & entry
Australia requires a visa or electronic travel authority before travel for almost all non-citizens; there is no visa on arrival. New Zealand citizens are generally granted a Special Category Visa on arrival, while eligible passport holders commonly use an eVisitor (subclass 651) or ETA (subclass 601); check the Australian Department of Home Affairs before booking, as eligibility and conditions change.
Getting in
- Melbourne Airport (Tullamarine): Victoria’s main international and domestic gateway, about 20–25 km northwest of central Melbourne. Use it for Melbourne and virtually any self-drive itinerary; the SkyBus is the straightforward CBD link, while rental cars are best collected only when leaving the city.
- Avalon Airport: A smaller, largely domestic airport between Melbourne and Geelong. It is the convenient arrival point for Geelong, Bellarine, Surf Coast and the Great Ocean Road, but has far fewer flights and onward transport options than MEL.
- Southern Cross Station, Melbourne: The practical rail/coach hub for arrivals from Sydney, Adelaide, Canberra and regional Victoria. Interstate trains are scenic but slow and infrequent; it is useful if Melbourne is the destination, not a substitute for a car on the Great Ocean Road, Wilsons Prom or the High Country.
- Spirit of Tasmania terminal, Geelong: The ferry arrival from Devonport, Tasmania, now uses Geelong’s Corio Quay rather than central Melbourne. It is useful only if bringing a vehicle or continuing directly into the Bellarine, Surf Coast or western Victoria; pre-book vehicle space well ahead in peak periods.
Getting around
Melbourne works well without a car: trams, trains and buses cover the inner city, and a myki card is needed on most public transport. For regional Victoria, hire a car once you leave Melbourne—public transport can reach bigger centres such as Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo and some Gippsland towns, but is poor for winery hopping, national parks, the Great Ocean Road, Wilsons Prom and alpine areas. Keep Melbourne as a city base, then move to overnight bases rather than attempting long coastal or mountain drives as day trips; allow roughly 1½ hours to Torquay, 3 hours to Apollo Bay or Halls Gap, 3½ hours to Tidal River, and 3½–4 hours to Bright. In winter, alpine roads may require snow chains, and conditions can close or delay routes.
Money
Australia uses the Australian dollar (A$). Contactless card and phone payment are normal almost everywhere, including cafés and petrol stations, but carry a little cash for small rural stalls, markets and backup; tipping is optional rather than expected, with 10% reserved for notably good table service.
Daily budget · AUD (A$)
- Value
- A$140–220
- Mid-range
- A$260–420
- High-end
- A$550+
- Figures are per person per day, excluding international flights, and assume two people sharing a room and rental car; solo travellers pay noticeably more for both.
- Value travel means hostel dorms or a basic shared motel room, self-catering plus inexpensive cafés, and selective paid attractions.
- A comfortable mid-range trip covers a decent motel, apartment or boutique room share, a rental car, café breakfasts, pub/casual dinners, winery tastings and a few paid experiences.
- High-end spending rises quickly with Melbourne design hotels, coastal summer accommodation, winery lunches, hot springs, guided experiences and premium dining.
- December–January, Easter and major Melbourne event weeks push rates up sharply. Great Ocean Road, Mornington Peninsula, Phillip Island, Wilsons Prom and alpine resorts are the biggest regional accommodation traps.
- Save money by staying two nights rather than moving daily, booking coastal rooms early, using Melbourne public transport before collecting a car, and avoiding driving after winery tastings.
Eating well
- In Melbourne, eat beyond the CBD: inner neighbourhoods such as Carlton, Fitzroy, Collingwood, Richmond and St Kilda are where the city’s food identity is most obvious.
- Reserve notable Melbourne restaurants, winery lunches and weekend regional tables ahead; event weeks, long weekends and summer coastal periods tighten availability quickly.
- Do not plan a winery day around driving yourself after tastings. In the Yarra Valley especially, arrange a designated driver, tour or taxi plan first.
- Use regional markets, bakeries, farm gates and seafood co-ops as meals rather than merely souvenir stops.
- Coastal towns can be busy and expensive in summer, while smaller places may run limited midweek hours in winter; check opening days before building a drive around a specific lunch.
- Truffle-focused menus are a winter proposition, particularly on the Mornington Peninsula and in the Otways.
Book before you land
Phillip Island Penguin Parade, especially summer, school holidays and MotoGP weekends · Wilsons Promontory Tidal River camping and park accommodation for summer, long weekends and school holidays · Grampians Peaks Trail overnight hikes and designated campsites · Mt Buller, Falls Creek and Mt Hotham accommodation, ski lessons and rental gear for winter school-holiday and weekend dates · Australian Open and Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix tickets if visiting during those events
- Do not collect a rental car for a Melbourne-only stay: parking, tolls and one-way streets make it an expensive nuisance. Pick it up when leaving for the regions.
- The Great Ocean Road is slow by design. Treat Torquay–Apollo Bay–Port Campbell as a multi-night route, not a Melbourne day trip built around the 12 Apostles.
- Use a designated driver, private driver or winery tour in the Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula, Bellarine and King Valley. Cellar doors are spread out and drink-driving laws are strictly enforced.
- Check Parks Victoria alerts, weather and fire danger ratings on the day of a hike or long drive. Heat, wind, floods, storm damage and planned burns can close tracks, roads and parks with little practical workaround.
- Fuel up before remote park approaches and alpine driving: there is no fuel at Tidal River in Wilsons Prom, and services become sparse outside larger towns. Download offline maps; mobile coverage is patchy in the Otways, Gariwerd and the High Country.
- Summer coastal parking, campsites and accommodation are constrained by school holidays. Arrive early at popular beaches and trailheads, and avoid assuming that a late-afternoon drive will find an empty car park.
Entry rules change — verify visa requirements for your passport before booking this region.
Season by season
December–February (summer)
Melbourne usually reaches about 24–26°C in January and February, coasts are cooler and windier, northern Victoria can be fiercely hot, and daylight runs to roughly 14–15 hours.
Beaches and swimmingCoastal road tripsOutdoor dining and festivalsCricket and surf
This is peak school-holiday season: coastal accommodation, Wilsons Prom campsites and popular attractions fill early; expect traffic, crowded lookouts, heatwaves, bushfire risk and occasional park closures.
March–May (autumn)
March and April are generally warm and settled for touring and wine country, while Melbourne cools from about 24°C in March to around 17°C by May.
Food and wine regionsGreat Ocean Road drivingMelbourne cultureHigh Country and Bright touring
Melbourne’s major event weeks, Easter and Labour Day weekends push up room rates and restaurant demand; late autumn brings shorter days and more unsettled weather on the west coast.
June–August (winter)
Melbourne is cool rather than severe at roughly 14°C by day and 6–7°C overnight, but the Otways, Gippsland and Great Ocean Road can feel much colder in wind and rain.
Restaurants, bars and arts in MelbourneDaylesford spasTruffle seasonSkiing and snowboardingSouthwest-coast whale watching
Days are short, rain can wipe out coastal views, smaller towns may be quiet midweek, and alpine accommodation, rentals and lessons sell out on school-holiday weekends; snow cover is never guaranteed.
September–November (spring)
Landscapes turn green, waterfalls are usually stronger after winter rain and walking conditions improve, but sun, wind and rain can all arrive on the same day; October is Melbourne’s wettest average month.
WildflowersHiking and cyclingWaterfalls and gardensWhale watchingLower-crowd regional touring
Weather is highly changeable, and storm damage, track closures or fire-management works can affect walks; Melbourne Cup and Phillip Island MotoGP periods raise rates and crowd roads.
Events worth planning around
Australian Open · Usually mid-to-late January; in 2027, January 11–31. · Melbourne
Central Melbourne hotels rise sharply and are often booked well ahead; restaurant reservations and transport around Melbourne Park are tighter than usual.
Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix · Usually March or early April. · Albert Park, Melbourne
One of the year’s biggest accommodation spikes in Melbourne; book central rooms early and expect busy restaurants, flights and city transport.
Melbourne Food & Wine Festival and Melbourne International Comedy Festival · Usually March–April. · Melbourne
Together with the Grand Prix period, these can make central accommodation poor value and popular restaurants difficult to book.
Melbourne Cup Carnival · Late October to early November. · Melbourne
Hotel rates climb across Melbourne, especially around the Cup public holiday; book city accommodation early if dates overlap.
Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix · Usually spring, with dates varying annually. · Phillip Island
Phillip Island accommodation fills and roads become congested; reserve an overnight stay and event transport early rather than attempting a casual day trip.
What to eat
Eat in Victoria by treating Melbourne as the serious dining city and regional drives as ingredient country: coffee and immigrant cooking in the city, then cool-climate wine, dairy, produce and seafood outside it. Book destination restaurants and winery lunches on weekends, but leave room for bakeries, markets, farm gates and a good pub meal; the state is at its best when you do both.
Espresso-led café culture: proper coffee, breakfast and bakery stops are part of the daily rhythm, not a sightseeing extra.Melbourne’s migrant-built dining: Italian, Greek, Vietnamese, Chinese, Lebanese and Malaysian cooking, alongside newer diaspora restaurants.Cool-climate pinot noir and chardonnay, especially from the Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula and other southern belts.Sparkling wine, cellar-door lunches and regional cheese/dairy.Seasonal regional produce: apples, berries, mushrooms, truffles, olives and olive oil.Coastal seafood, plus Victorian beef and lamb.
Melbourne/Narrm: Espresso and café breakfasts · Italian, Greek, Vietnamese, Chinese, Lebanese and Malaysian food · Bakeries, wine bars and market eating
Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges: Pinot noir, chardonnay and sparkling wine · Cellar-door lunches · Farm-gate produce
Mornington Peninsula: Red Hill wine, particularly cool-climate styles · Seasonal produce · Winter truffles
Geelong, Bellarine and the Surf Coast: Bellarine wineries · Relaxed coastal dining · Seafood around the coast
Gippsland and Wilsons Promontory: Dairy products and farm gates · Seafood co-ops and coastal seafood · Quiet-country produce stops
Daylesford, Macedon Ranges and Ballarat: Cool-weather café and restaurant meals · Regional wine · Spa-country long lunches
High Country: Bright, Beechworth, King Valley and alpine resorts: King Valley’s Italian-influenced wine culture · Regional food in heritage towns · Seasonal mountain-country dining