Day Trips from Melbourne

20/06/2023

Maybe you're interested in the Royal Botanic Gardens "Lightscape" that is on from June - August. Brilliant! Highly recommended.

We were lucky to be invited to the preview of LIGHTSCAPE 2023 at the Royal Botanic Gardens. Great fun! There were bats flying in the sky & a few Night Hero...

20/06/2023

If you're looking for a nice walk & want to meet Melbourne's Flying foxes along the Yarra River, you should visit Bellbird Picnic Ground. They can be loud and some people think they have an odour, but they are fascinating.

Living inner city, and alongside the Yarra River, the Flying-fox colony is doing very well since moving from the Royal Botanic Gardens to Yarra Bend. Today ...

03/06/2022

WESTERN WETLANDS, ALTONA MEADOWS
This is one for the bird watchers! Our local urban wetlands close to Melbourne are some of the best bird watching spots. Birds from all over the world visit these wetlands throughout the year.

Can we see & photograph Brown Quail.... or is it Mission Impossible?? :D

Located 17km west of Melbourne is the Western Wetlands in Altona Meadows. This wetland is significantly important for thousands of migratory birds that fly ...

25/05/2022

HIGH COUNTRY
We've started to go a little bit beyond Melbourne lately but I'm including this on the page just in case anyone is interested in venturing out to see the beautiful Autumn colour between April/May in the High Country. The High Country in this context is between Mount Beauty to Mount Buffalo (with the township of Bright in between).

There are so many beautiful and stunning natural attractions to see in the Victorian High Country in Autumn. The best Autumn colour is between April/May whe...

12/05/2022

AVALON BEACH
This quaint location hidden between Geelong and Little River is a fascinating coastal park accessible by a long causeway surrounded by water. There is a small line of old fishing shacks, each one oozing personality, right on the beach. Avalon Beach is mostly noted historically as being one of the filming sites for the original Mad Max movie in 1979.

The bird life at this coastal park is amazing! So, if you love visiting unusual & quaint locations that appear to have gone back in time, I really recommend a trip to Avalon Beach. And don't forget to bring your camera!! :)

It was a Sunday just like any other Sunday. Nimal had heard that Banded stilts had been seen at a place called Avalon Beach. So, we looked it up on a map a...

22/04/2022

ADA TREE RAINFOREST WALK
In this episode we take you to on a walk through a magical rainforest to see a giant 400 year old Mountain Ash called the Ada Tree. The Ada Tree is 75 metres tall and was named after Ada Mortimore who was a local resident. This giant of a tree has survived hundreds of years of local logging, storms and bushfires and is now protected to live a long and healthy life for, hopefully, another few hundred years.

The rainforest walk is a 3km circuit which takes you through giant Tree Ferns, spectacular Mountain Ash, ancient Myrtle Beech and tiny colourful fungi.

We recommend walking very slowly and carefully on this walk as you never know what you might see….. maybe even Lyrebirds!!

In this episode we take you to on a walk through a magical rainforest to see a giant 400 year old Mountain Ash called the Ada Tree. The Ada Tree is 75 metre...

10/04/2022

KAMAROOKA, BENDIGO
If you're a bird watcher, then you'll probably already know about this rough diamond. Located 35km north of Bendigo (and with no street signs to guide you), you'll be greeted with pot holey dirt roads... but the reward is the amazing bird life. I cannot emphasise this enough... but this is NOT a tourist attraction for the high heeled cafe cultured day trippers but if you've got a camera & a zoom lens and you love birds, this may be for you!

WARNING: There are NO FACILITIES! The roads are ROUGH! (do not even bother attempting in a sedan in wet weather). BYO your own food & water. Make sure you have a working mobile phone.

In this episode, we visit Kamarooka, 35kms north of Bendigo to see amazingly beautiful Red-capped Robins and other spectacular bushland birds. Kamarooka is ...

31/03/2022

BRISBANE RANGES NATIONAL PARK
The Brisbane Ranges National Park is over 7 thousand hectares in size and has many picnic grounds and camping sites all connected by narrow, steep and rocky roads.

The attraction of this park is the diverse plant life from exquisite grass trees, textured ironbarks and spectacular wildflowers that are seen throughout the year. The sandy soils and granite boulders support over 600 plant species representing nearly a quarter of Victoria’s native flora.

In this episode, we take you to the Brisbane Ranges National Park, 80kms west of Melbourne. We search for bugs, birds & wildflowers in this massive national...

18/03/2022

WERRIBEE (WESTERN TREATMENT PLANT)
Bird watcher's paradise! Accessible only by special permit & key but there are bird watching tours that gives you special access with a guide! If you are interested in bird watching, then you will love this place!! For tours, search for Western Treatment Plant Bird Tours and you will find information to help plan your trip.

The Western Treatment Plant in Werribee would have to be the BEST bird-watching location close to Melbourne. Only accessible with a special permit and key p...

03/03/2022

GLENROWAN
It's a stretch, but Glenrowan could be a day trip from Melbourne if you live north of the city. Glenrowan is definitely a town you should put on your list to visit. Even if history & bushrangers aren't your thing, there's plenty to do if you like the outdoors! If you are interested in nature and wildlife, you are in for a treat :) And if you're looking for out of town accommodation in amongst beautiful bushland and amazing birds, we totally recommend the Glenrowan Tourist Park!

In this episode, Karen & Nimal take you on a birding journey to the Glenrowan Tourist Park in search of the elusive Turquoise Parrot. There's laughter, bush...

14/02/2022

WIRRAWILLA RAINFOREST WALK
TOOLANGI STATE PARK, YARRA RANGES

In this episode, we take you to the Wirrawilla Rainforest Walk. Located 90 minutes from Melbourne's CBD in the Yarra Valley, this walk takes you through lush giant tree ferns nestled in amongst towering Mountain Ash (Eucalyptus regnans).

We search for birds but end up taking photos of cute little critters instead. We do, however, see a beautiful Black-faced Monarch high up in the trees and encounter a snake along the way.

The Wirrawilla Rainforest walk is a comfortable short walk along a manmade boardwalk (suitable for wheelchairs).

Toilet facilities are available at the carpark
https://youtu.be/tI0ueUQ4wb4