Melbourne is a fantastic city but sometimes you just need to get out into nature and luckily it’s surrounded by some pretty spectacular places. There are so many beautiful spots close to Melbourne from pristine beaches, award winning wineries, hot springs, dramatic mountains and forests teeming with wildlife.

Whether you’re a beach lover, hiker or someone who just likes to relax in the wilds there is something for you on this list.

The best Melbourne weekend getaways for nature lovers

Mornington Peninsula

Distance from Melbourne: 80km - one hour (to Mornington beach boxes)

If you’re looking for pristine beaches, great hiking trails, wineries or wildlife watching, the Mornington Peninsula has it all. You could easily spend a whole week holidaying on the Peninsula but you’ll also be surprised just how much you can pack into one weekend getaway.

We’d recommend stopping at Mornington Beach to check out the colourful beach boxes (with far less crowds than at the more famous Brighton Beach in the city). After Mornington head for the Cape Schanck area for a walk and some seriously good views from the lighthouse.

For a short trail, park at the lighthouse and take the boardwalk to Pebble Beach which offers some pretty special views and a great spot to sit and watch the waves on the ginormous pebbles.

For a longer walk we loved the Bushrangers Bay Track which takes you through Green Bush - a great place to spot wild kangaroos - and along a quiet trail with spectacular sea views before you reach the lighthouse.

If all that exploring has you ready to unwind you can visit the Peninsula Hot Springs which has a variety of pools with countryside views. You can opt for public or private bathing. We’ve been meaning to try it forever but haven’t yet managed to get there, my sister visited though and she loved it!

On day two you can spend time relaxing at some of the areas best beaches such as Bridgewater Bay (good for swimming), Koonya Ocean Beach (good for surfing) and Sorrento Back Beach (good for rock pools). Once you’ve had your fill of the ocean you can visit one of the regions many wineries.

Yarra Valley

Distance from Melbourne: depends on which part but 54 km - one hour to Chandon

The Yarra is Victoria’s premier wine country and a visit to some of the many vineyards makes a really easy weekend trip from Melbourne. The Yarra Valley has one of our favourite wineries in the whole country, Chandon (of Moet and Chandon fame). For something a bit different give the sparkling red a try! As well as tastings there’s a restaurant onsite with fabulous views. You pay for a tasting flight which is discounted from a bottle if you buy, meaning there’s no pressure to make a purchase.

The whole valley area is gorgeous and you can happily spend a day driving between vineyards and stopping wherever takes your fancy.

Yarra Valley - Weekends away from Melbourne

If you’re looking for something extra special you can take a sunrise hot air balloon ride over the wineries - we haven’t done it yet but it’s on our bucket list!

If you are looking for something a little more active there are many cycling trails amongst the wineries and you won’t need a designated driver!

On day two we’d recommend an adventure on the Warby Trail one of our favourite activities near Melbourne. Seriously you don’t need to be an avid walker or cyclist to enjoy this trail, it’s perfect for those who just like the occasional ride too.

Warby Trail

Distance from Melbourne: 42km - 50 minutes

Technically the Warburton Rail Trail is in both the Yarra Valley and the Dandenong Ranges but we had to put it somewhere! This 40km trail can be walked or cycled (we opted for cycling because that’s a loooong walk) and the beauty is that as it follows a disused railway line the trail is almost entirely flat.

It’s a spectacular ride with so much changing scenery from farmland to forest and lots of opportunities for wildlife watching. It’s one of the best cycle rides we’ve ever done and such a relaxing way to spend the day (technically you could cycle it all in three hours but who’s rushing?!).

There are lots of places to stop off for refreshments and we chose the disused railway carriage cafe at Seville for the novelty factor. You eat in the 100 year old carriages and the food was actually really good, it’s around halfway along the trail which makes it an ideal lunch stop.

Unless you are super keen you don’t have to ride the whole way back to your car again, you can pop your bike into the hold underneath the bus which is what we chose to do and the bus driver was super helpful.

If you don’t have a car you can take the train from Melbourne to Lillydale and rent your bike there (we started at Warburton but it doesn’t really make any difference).

Dandenong Ranges

Distance from Melbourne: 44km - 55 minutes

The Dandenongs are best known for their beautiful forest walking trails but you don’t need to be a hiker to enjoy this special area close to the city. Even getting to the Dandenongs will take you on some pretty spectacular forest roads. You don’t have to go far into the forest to experience the unique sights and sounds of the Aussie bush.

The short 2.4km return trail to Sherbrooke Falls is an easy walk which is perfect for getting a taste of the forest without working up a sweat. If you want something more adventurous take the trail up the 1000 steps Kokoda Memorial Track.

There are lots of interesting information boards along the way to break up the climb! It sounds like a lot of steps but it actually does’t take that long and the foliage means that a lot of the track is shaded.

After your stroll head to the small village of Sassafras. We stumbled upon it by accident and were so glad we did. It’s such a picturesque little street lined with cafes and craft shops. You’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes to lunch, we opted for the Proserpina bakery which offered a large menu of homemade treats.

There are lots of lovely places to stay in the area and just soak up the rural peace and tranquility with a good book and a glass of wine. The Dandenongs are the perfect Melbourne weekend getaway when you don’t want to drive too far to soak up those relaxed escape from the city vibes.

The Otways

Distance from Melbourne: 175km - 2 hours 10

For something completely different in Victoria, head to the Otways which form part of the interior section of the Great Ocean Road. Whilst Victoria has plenty of bushland, the Otways feel almost tropical. You can walk through lush and dense forest, with magnificent trees ferns, rivers and there’s even the chance of spotting platypus.

There are several amazing waterfalls to check out, including the stunning Hopetoun and Beachamp Falls. You can also visit the glow worms at Melba Gully for a truly magical night time experience if you don’t mind driving back in the dark.

However, this area always keeps you guessing as in the middle of this jungle like landscape is also a huge grove of redwoods! If you haven’t seen the Californian giants before this has to be a stop on your Otways weekend away.

For wildlife lovers you can’t go past Lake Elizabeth which has the opportunity to spot both wild koalas and wild platypus (we saw both!), you can read more about it in our blog on the best things to do in the Otways.

Lorne

Distance from Melbourne: 142km - two hours

By the time we were planning a visit to Lorne we’d seen hundreds of beautiful Aussie beaches and in honesty we didn’t expect Lorne to be up there. As it turns out Lorne beach is completely spectacular, with sparkling turquoise and indigo water and a large sweep of golden sand.

It was so much more beautiful than we were imagining and if a lazy beach day is what you’re looking for it’s the perfect spot. There are several restaurants and cafes right by the water as well as St Annes Winery where you can wine taste with a view!

When you’ve had your fill of lazing by the water you can visit the nearby Erskine Waterfall, one of the best on the Great Ocean Road.

If the surf is up stop at Bell’s Beach on your way back to the city which has huuuge waves and is where the annual RipCurl Pro surf competition is held.

If you plan to have a really action packed weekend here’s more of the best things to do in Lorne.

Wilsons Prom

Distance from Melbourne: 225km - 2 hours 50

The Prom is not just one of our favourite places in Victoria, it’s also one of the best in Australia. This beautiful area is famous for its beaches which are known for their pure white sand as well its bushland.

On one of the many hiking trails you can combine hilltops and forests, with empty picturesque beaches, and even a few animals too. You will probably see kangaroos and wallabies, maybe a few wombats and hopefully even an emu.

For hikers we’d recommend taking on the hike to Tongue Point, the Squeaky Beach to Whiskey Bay trail or make an overnighter of it with the 20km Sealers Cove hike.

If you’re more of a beach bum The Prom also has you covered with some of the whitest sand beaches we have seen in the whole country! Seriously these beaches are incredible and have to be seen to be believed. Squeaky Beach and Norman Beach were our faves for sand colour and accessibility, but for that glorious out in the wilds feeling you really can’t beat Fairy Cove.

Port Campbell

Distance from Melbourne: 229km - 2 hours 45

Port Campbell is the end of the Great Ocean Road and our favourite place along the whole route. This is where you’ll find the famous 12 Apostles, Lorch Ard Gorge, London Bridge and Gibson’s Steps. The scenery here really is some of the very best in the whole state, particularly if you stay around for sunset when the light is just spectacular.

You could see all the formations in the area in just a few hours but they are the kind of spots that have you lingering for a long time at each one so a whole weekend is ideal.

Our personal favourites are the view from the Twelve Apostles which you always have to share with a large crowd but it’s worth it, and also the beach at the bottom of Gibson’s Steps which allows you to get right up close to some of the sea stacks you can see from the Twelve Apostles.

Whilst the first section of beach you come to at the bottom of the steps can be busy, if you walk to the far end of the beach in the direction of the sea stacks it completely empties out. It’s definitely one of our favourite beaches on the entire Great Ocean Road.

With a whole weekend you can escape the crowds and venture out to some of the more off the beaten track spots further along the Great Ocean Road towards Warrnambool.

Top tip: Make a stop at Kennett River on your way to Port Campbell for one of the best wild koala spotting opportunities in Australia.

Grampians

Distance from Melbourne: 255km - 3 hours (to Halls Gap)

The Grampians are a hikers paradise and so good we’ve been several times despite living in Sydney! They have some of our favourite hiking trails in the whole of Victoria.

If you’re a first time visitor you can’t miss the just over 4km Pinnacle track which takes you through some gorgeous canyons and to a stunning lookout on top of a rocky plateau.

We’re pretty fanatical about hiking in the Grampians and have a whole blog dedicated to the best walks there.

For non hikers there is still plenty to keep you busy with some picturesque lookouts which make for amazing photography spots, the most famous of which is definitely the breathtaking view from The Balconies, home of that Insta famous spot the Jaw of the Grampians.

We also love Boroka Lookout which has a fabulous view with no walking whatsoever required, go at sunrise or sunset for the prettiest light (sunrise is best).

The Grampians are also great for wildlife watching and we were lucky enough to see 11 emus in the wild, as well as huge mobs of kangaroos.

A great stop to refuel in the afternoon is the Bushfoods Cafe at the Brambuk Aboriginal Cultural Centre which offers the chance to try an indigenous afternoon tea. We loved the lemon myrtle scones!

If you have more time, here are some further suggestions for things to do in the Grampians.

The ones that are on our list that we haven’t done yet

We live in Sydney and we get to Victoria as often as we can but there are still quite a few weekend trips on our to do list.

Phillip Island

Distance from Melbourne: 140km - 2 hours

I’m not sure why we haven’t made it to Phillip Island yet, we’ve planned to many times. It’s the perfect place for wildlife lovers with the chance to see hundreds of Little Penguins come in to roost at sunset, koalas, sea lions and whales (when in season). As well as that, there are plenty of amazing beaches, wineries and hiking and biking trails.

Daylesford

Distance from Melbourne: 115km - 1.5 hours

The number one reason I want to eventually get to Daylesford is to switch off and unwind. Daylesford has been on my radar for ages as the spa capital of Victoria. I’m a big fan of natural springs and the mineral waters of Daylesford and nearby Hepburn Springs are said to have healing properties. They aren’t hot springs as such, but the water is taken from a natural spring and heated up. There are a few places you can take a dip but we won’t recommend anywhere in particular here until we’ve visited in person.

As well as relaxing there are loads of hiking trails, yet more wineries, and also good wildlife watching opportunities. When I’ve researched in the past there are also lots of upmarket accommodation options in beautiful areas, think big bath tubs with forest views!

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