Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

Victoria
by Marc Llewellyn
12
Australia’s southernmost mainland
state is astoundingly diverse. Within
its boundaries are 35 national parks,
encompassing every possible terrain,
from rainforest and mountain ranges
to sun-baked Outback desert and a
coast where waves crash dramatically
onto rugged sandstone outcroppings.
Melbourne (see chapter 11) may be
this rugged state’s heart, but the mighty
Murray River, which separates Victoria
from New South Wales, is its lifeblood,
providing irrigation for vast tracks of
semi-desert land.
Most visitors to Victoria start out by
exploring Melbourne’s cosmopolitan
streets, and then visit a few local wineries,
before heading for the gold fields
around the historic city of Ballarat.
Lots of them only experience a fraction
of Victoria, but this wonderful and not
overly touristed region is worth a closer
look.
Visitors with more time might head
inland to the mountains (perhaps for
skiing or bushwalking at Mt. Hotham
or Falls Creek), or seek out the wilderness
of Snowy River National Park.
Others head to the Outback, to the
Grampians National Park, and Mildura
through open deserts, past pink lakes
and red sand dunes.
Lots of options await, and because
much of it is out in the country, you’ll
find prices for accommodations very
affordable. Whatever itinerary you
choose, you’re sure to find adventure
and dramatic scenery.
See “Side Trips from Melbourne” in
chapter 11, for information on the
Dandenong Ranges, Yarra Valley,
Phillip Island, and the Mornington
Peninsula.
EXPLORING THE STATE
VISITOR INFORMATION Pick up brochures and maps at the Victoria Visitor
Information Centre (see chapter 11, “Melbourne”), or call the Victoria
Tourism Information Service (& 13 28 42) from anywhere in Australia to talk
to a consultant about your plans. The service, open daily from 8am to 6pm, will
also send out brochures. If you need information along the way, look for blue
road signs with a white or yellow information symbol.
GETTING THERE V/Line (& 13 61 96 in Victoria, or 13 22 32 in New
South Wales) runs a limited network of trains to various places in Victoria, continuing
trips to most major centers with connecting buses. Several bus companies
connect Melbourne with regional areas of Victoria; the biggest operator is
McCafferty’s (& 13 20 30 in Australia, or 03/9670 2533).
1 Ballarat: Gold-Rush City
113km (70 miles) W of Melbourne
Ballarat, Victoria’s largest inland city (pop. 90,000), is all about gold. In 1851,
two prospectors found gold nuggets scattered on the ground at a place known