Melbourne + Beyond: 7 Day Victoria Trip
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Seven days is our 6-day itinerary , the city, a proper 2-day Great Ocean Road trip, the Yarra Valley, and Phillip Island, with a seventh day added for the Dandenong Ranges and Puffing Billy’s heritage steam train, the easiest genuine day trip on this whole list, reachable by Metro train alone. Prefer the Mornington Peninsula, Ballarat’s Sovereign Hill, or a Grampians overnight instead, any of them swaps cleanly for day 7.
Day-by-day at a glance
| Day | Focus | Est. spend (excl. hotel) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CBD laneways, Federation Square (NGV/ACMI), the MCG | ~AUD $100-140 |
| 2 | Queen Victoria Market, St Kilda | ~AUD $80-120 |
| 3 | Great Ocean Road out: Kennett River, Apollo Bay | ~AUD $150-220 |
| 4 | Great Ocean Road back: Twelve Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge | ~AUD $150-220 |
| 5 | Yarra Valley: wine and Healesville Sanctuary | ~AUD $150-250 |
| 6 | Phillip Island: Penguin Parade | ~AUD $120-180 |
| 7 | Dandenong Ranges and Puffing Billy | ~AUD $80-130 |
Book these before you go
- ETA or eVisitor : sort entry before you fly, Australia has no visa-free entry.
- Phillip Island Penguin Parade tickets : around AUD $33, book ahead, this sells out.
- Puffing Billy steam train : book the timed departure ahead in peak season.
Day 1: CBD, laneways, and the MCG
Federation Square, the laneways (Hosier Lane, Degraves St, the Block and Royal Arcades), ⚠ NGV’s two separate free buildings, and the MCG (ground tours around AUD $38). Dinner in Chinatown, the oldest continuously running Chinatown in the Western world.
Day 2: Markets and St Kilda
Queen Victoria Market (1878), then St Kilda’s Luna Park and Acland St. The little penguins come ashore on the breakwater at dusk, free but book the timed slot ahead.
Day 3: Great Ocean Road, the drive out
Morning: Depart Melbourne, Torquay and Lorne along the way.
Midday: Kennett River, the reliable spot for wild koalas in the treetops.
Afternoon: Apollo Bay, a good overnight base roughly halfway along the route.
Evening: Settle in for the night rather than pushing on, the whole point of taking two days is not rushing this stretch.
Day 4: Great Ocean Road, the Twelve Apostles
Morning: On to the Twelve Apostles, the marquee stop of the entire drive, best light is early.
Midday: Loch Ard Gorge, right nearby, worth the short walk down.
Afternoon: The drive back to Melbourne, several hours depending on stops.
Evening: Arrive back in Melbourne for a final dinner.
Day 5: Yarra Valley
Morning: About 1h15 from the city, a true day trip.
Midday: Wine cellar doors, and a cellar-door lunch at one of them.
Afternoon: Healesville Sanctuary for koalas, kangaroos, and wombats in a bush setting.
Evening: Back in Melbourne, no overnight needed for this one.
Day 6: Phillip Island
Morning: About 1.5-2 hours from Melbourne, by car or guided tour, the V/Line bus doesn’t reach the Penguin Parade itself.
Afternoon: Explore the island through the day, Churchill Island’s heritage farm or the coastal scenery near Cape Woolamai.
Evening: ⚠ The Penguin Parade happens at dusk, so this is a late return by design, plan for it rather than fighting it.
Day 7: Dandenong Ranges and Puffing Billy
Morning: About an hour from the city, and ⚠ reachable by Metro train to Belgrave, no car needed after four days of driving.
Midday: Puffing Billy, the heritage steam train, a relaxed contrast to the previous two days.
Afternoon: The forested Dandenong Ranges themselves, cooler and quieter than the city.
Evening: Back in Melbourne for a final dinner, closing out the week.
Is a full week enough to cover Victoria’s day trips?
This is close to the honest ceiling for a single visit: the coast, the wine valley, the penguins, and the ranges cover the four most-recommended day trips in the state without any of them feeling rushed. Ballarat, Mornington, and the Grampians are all genuine alternatives for day 7 if one of them suits your trip better. Get your ETA or eVisitor sorted before you fly and load a Myki once you land, trams and buses outside the Free Tram Zone need one.