Victoria (state) - Victoria (state)

Victoria is the southernmost of the eastern mainland states of Australia. The state is roughly triangular in shape. New South Wales lies to the north/north-east, with the Murray River forming most of the boundary between the two states. South Australia lies to the west and the southern coast forms the other side of the triangle. Melbourne, the state capital and largest city, is nestled on Port Phillip in the centre of the southern coast.

Regions

Cities

• -37.820555555556144.961388888891 Melbourne - the lively state capital and largest city
• -37.833333333333147.616666666672 Bairnsdale - a laid-back city in the heart of Gippsland
• -37.560833333333143.84753 Ballarat - the Gateway to the Goldfields
• -36.75144.266666666674 Bendigo - a city of old Victorian buildings built on gold money
• -38.15144.355 Geelong - Victoria's second largest city and the beginning of the Great Ocean Road
• -34.183333333333142.156 Mildura - perched on the edge of the outback in the state's far north-west
• -36.383333333333145.47 Shepparton - a vibrant city in Victoria's foodbowl, home of the agricultural industry
• -38.383333333333142.483333333338 Warrnambool - a historic maritime city on the Shipwreck Coast
• -36.08422146.909749 Wodonga - The twin cities of Albury and Wodonga span the Murray River.

Other destinations

• Bellarine Peninsula - a region just past Geelong, home to seaside villages, wineries and surf beaches
• -37.83145.351 Dandenong Ranges - towering forests line the side of majestic mountains overlooking Melbourne
• -37.2078142.42 Grampians National Park - rugged mountain ranges, perfect for bushwalking and birdwatching
• -38.733888888889143.687222222223 Great Ocean Road - the famous scenic journey along the south-west coast of Victoria
• -38.351145.0644 Mornington Peninsula - sun, fun, wineries and golf on Melbourne's doorstep
• -37.133333333333146.416666666675 Mount Buller - the state's most popular ski resort, appealing both to beginners and the experienced
• -38.483333333333145.233333333336 Phillip Island - penguins, beaches, wineries and nature parks teeming with wildlife
• -39.098627146.3866427 Wilsons Promontory - a large peninsula of mostly wilderness, offering spectacular bushwalking and diving

Understand

Victoria is the smallest and most densely populated state on the Australian mainland. Parts are ideal for touring, without the long distances between towns common in the more sparsely populated states.

Time Zone

Victoria keeps the time as New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory and Tasmania, and is always half an hour ahead of South Australia.

Standard time is 10 hours ahead of GMT and summer time (from the first Sunday of October to the first Sunday of April) is 11 hours ahead.

History

On 1 July 1851, Victoria was established as a new colony from New South Wales. Days later gold was discovered near Ballarat and Bendigo.

Get in

By car

Victoria has good cross border road connections into its neighbouring states. The main routes from the north are the Princes Highway following the coast and entering the state near Genoa, the Hume Highway from Sydney entering the state at Wodonga, the Newell Highway entering the state near Shepparton and being the main route from Brisbane, and the Sturt and Silver City Highways entering at Mildura. From the west, the Princes Highway is again the coastal route, and the Western Highway the more direct route.

It is around 6 hours from Sydney to the Victorian border along the Hume Highway, and another 3-4 hours from there into Melbourne.

By plane

Melbourne is the main entry point to Victoria by air and Tullamarine airport 24km to the north of Melbourne City has direct flights to all Australian capital cities, and many international destinations.

Avalon airport is close to Geelong, around 57 km south-west of Melbourne, and Jetstar operates some low-cost flights there. Useful to access Melbourne on the cheap, and for better access to the Great Ocean Road.

Rex fly to Mildura and Albury from Sydney, giving easier access to the north and the north-west of the state.

By boat

Victoria is serviced regularly by one boat route, which travels between Victoria and the island state of Tasmania. The Spirit of Tasmania arrives daily (twice daily during peak season) at Station Pier in the inner-city suburb of Port Melbourne, approximately 6 km south-west of the city centre. There is a regular light-rail service between the pier and city centre. To encourage tourism, the Tasmanian state government subsidises fares and it can be a relatively inexpensive way to get to Victoria, especially if you are taking a vehicle. If travelling without a vehicle, it is usually cheaper and more convenient to arrive by air. The boat offers deck travel or for a higher price cabins are available. Most people travel by boat overnight, with it being an approximately 10 hour trip.

Get around

Melbourne has an integrated bus, tram and train network. Information about public transport across the state is available at Public Transport Victoria (PTV).

By car

Touring Victoria by car is a straightforward and practical way of seeing the state. Distances between towns tend not to be as great as in other states, and it is unusual to drive for more than a short while without passing through a small town unless in the Victorian Alps or in far north-western Victoria.

Victoria has the second most developed road network of any state of Australia, and most towns are accessible without using dirt or gravel roads. Roads are indicated as freeways, M, A, B or C roads, but in general there is no need to avoid a C road if it clearly provides the quickest trip to where you want to go.

By train

Victoria has the most comprehensive rail passenger service in Australia. The state's passenger rail service, V/Line provides rail services within the state. Connecting V/Line coach (i.e. bus) services extend to some towns that passenger trains no longer service.

V/Line train services operate in five regions:

• Northern Victoria – to Bendigo and from there on to Swan Hill and Echuca
• North Eastern Victoria – to Seymour, Shepparton, Wangaratta, Wodonga and Albury
• Eastern Victoria – to Traralgon and Bairnsdale in Gippsland
• South Western Victoria – to Geelong, Colac and Warrnambool
• Western Victoria – to Ballarat and from there on to Ararat and Maryborough 

Many services outside of those between Melbourne and the main centres of Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Seymour and Traralgon can be very infrequent, sometimes running only a few times a day.

The train service to Adelaide, The Overland, now accepts travellers to destinations within Victoria. This enables travellers to go by rail to towns in western Victoria beyond Ararat such as Stawell, Nhill and Dimboola.

Travellers can also take the NSW Trainlink XPT train to Sydney twice daily.

By bus

Outside of the rail corridors V/Line runs coach services to some towns. These often extend from train stations in towns with rail services.

Many other larger towns have local bus services servicing their suburbs or outlying towns. See the local guides.

By bicycle

Victoria has a number of rail trails, some of which can be reached by towns which have rail services. Bus coaches will sometimes take bikes if space is available in their storage areas. Wangaratta is one such destination easily accessible with your bike on a train, and you can easily reach Beechworth.

See

Melbourne, The Great Ocean Road. The Alpine Regions of Beechworth and Bright. The Mornington Peninsula and Phillip Island penguins. Puffing Billy, the villages and forests of the Dandenong Ranges, on the eastern fringe of Melbourne.

Do

• Canoeing. in Lower Glenelg National Park or Murray River Reserves- Headwaters to Echuca 
• Cycle the railtrails. Many Victorian railway lines closed during the 1970s and 1980s. Some of these lines have been converted to railtrails, suitable for cycling, horseriding or walking. Some of the most developed at the Murray to the Mountains railtrail, the Bellarine railtrail, the Ballarat to Skipton railtrail, and the East Gippsland railtrail. All of these trails have towns and attractions along the route for rest and relaxation. 
• 12 Apostles Flight Adventures, Telford St, Apollo Bay, ☏ 61 438 377 371. Highlights include Apollo Bay, Cape Otway Lighthouse, Dinosaur Cove culminating in the "awesome" Twelve Apostles. Then, returning via the magnificent Otway Rainforests. 

Eat

Drink

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