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Artisans

If you’re going to do something, do it well. This has long been the mantra for Victoria’s brilliant food producers, craftspeople and artists. Think olive oil, fresh fruit, premium meats and organic breads. Think painters, sculptors, carvers and ceramics-makers. As somewhere that values talent, care and provenance, Victoria has become a natural home for quality products of all kinds, whether you’re looking for craft beer, farmers’ markets or one-of-a-kind artworks.   

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Beaches

With close to 1,900km of coastline to enjoy, Victoria offers a mammoth – and often majestic – spread of bays and beaches. Among the most notable are Squeaky Beach, a stunning strand of white quartz on Wilsons Promontory; Melbourne’s Brighton Beach, which offers traditional seaside fun and rainbow-hued beach huts; and the epic Ninety Mile Beach in Lakes Entrance, which is among the most uninterrupted lengths of beach in the world. And did we mention Bells Beach on the Great Ocean Road, one of the most famous surf spots in the southern hemisphere?     

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Coffee

The humble coffee bean is treated with serious reverence in Victoria. The state’s roasters and baristas regularly win international awards, and Melbourne in particular is known for its superb neighbourhood cafes, where stopping for a flat white or a small-batch filter coffee is a great way for travellers to witness the city going about its caffeine-fuelled day. This is nothing new – Melbourne’s espresso culture dates back more than half a century.  

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Daylesford

For Victorians, the hill-ringed country town of Daylesford is a symbol of the good life. Known for the dozens of mineral springs that well up in its vicinity, the town is a renowned spa destination. It’s where to head for high-end day spas, natural beauty treatments and the chance to soak in health-giving waters, but it’s also famed for its lavender farms, its cool-climate wineries, its scenic walks and its local markets. What’s not to love?     

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Epic views

Victoria is a feast for the eyes. From the toppling cliffs and sculpted bays of the coastline to the deep valleys and snaking ridges of the mountains – together with the full gamut of lakes, rivers, plains and woodlands – this is a truly stunning part of the world. Whether you’re taking in the Melbourne skyline from one of its many rooftop bars, or gazing out from the slopes of the Victorian Alps, you’ll be wowed by the views.

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Food

Where to start with the state’s food scene? Australia’s culinary culture is globally renowned, and nowhere more so than here in Victoria, where Melbourne plays home to a phenomenal range of street food stalls and fine dining restaurants, and where every valley, vineyard and village holds its own delicious bounty. The state draws its influences from far and wide, helped by waves of settlers from Asia and beyond, and the end results are spectacular.

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Great Southern Touring Route

To truly absorb Victoria's diversity of landscapes you need to get behind the wheel and the 842km-long Great Southern Touring Route winds through the state's very best bits. Beginning in Melbourne, it traces the iconic Great Ocean Road (which is one of the world's great coastal roads in its own right), before steering into Victoria's interior to motor past some of its inland treasures like the unique rock formations of Grampians National Park and the Ballarat Goldfields. It's a drive you won't forget in a hurry.

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Hot springs

Victoria is no stranger to geothermal waters, which means a fine choice of hot springs in which travellers can soothe their limbs. The Mornington Peninsula is something of a hotspot – literally – with hot pools among native bushland, while the Gippsland region gives the chance to bathe in hills overlooking the landscape. Warrnambool has thermal caves you can wade through, and in the Melbourne suburb of Collingwood, there’s even a Japanese bathhouse!   

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Indigenous

Aboriginal culture stretches back more than 60,000 years in the Victoria region, and it remains a vital part of the destination as a whole. For travellers this gives the chance to learn more about a culture which may be ancient but is very much living and breathing, with guided tours, art galleries, heritage walks, cultural centres, rock art sites all on offer. The UNESCO-listed Budj Bim Cultural Landscape, meanwhile, is not to be missed.       

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Journeys on foot

Many would say that the best way to experience Victoria’s natural riches is on two feet. The whole state is threaded with world-class hiking trails, from roller-coaster long-distance paths to epic day-walks. Wilsons Promontory and Grampians National Park are both famed for their bushwalks, and even the Great Ocean Road can be completed as a walking route. And the benefits of seeing Victoria on foot are numerous, not least where wildlife is concerned.

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Koalas

According to recent estimates there are around half a million koalas in Victoria, making these adorably sleepy marsupials something of an emblem for the state’s wildlife. They’re naturally shy animals – and in some areas face conservation challenges – but can often be spotted close to the Great Ocean Road. For a guaranteed sighting, however, your best bet is to head to one of the state’s well-run sanctuaries, such as the Healesville Sanctuary northeast of Melbourne.  

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Laneways

The narrow, Victorian-era lanes, backstreets and arcades that lace central Melbourne – known universally as laneways – have become an unlikely but integral part of the city’s culture. Often coated in colourful street art and now playing home to cafes, speakeasies, nightlife joints and independent stores, they showcase some of the most vibrant and creative outlets in the city. They often have suitably quirky names – keep an eye out for AC/DC Lane and Dame Edna Place.  

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Melbourne

Melbourne recently became the largest city in Australia by population, and many would argue it also takes top honours where culture, food and live events are concerned. Frequently named as one of the most liveable cities in the world, it’s a destination that buzzes with life, pairing period architecture, grand museums and a beachfront lifestyle with cutting-edge modernity, trend-setting creatives and a multicultural personality which is very much its own.

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Nature

From the wombats of Wilsons Prom and the kangaroos of Halls Gap to the wedge-tailed eagles of the Mallee and the fur seals of Seal Rocks, Victoria boasts an Aussie Noah’s Ark’s worth of different creatures. But it’s not just about the headline-grabbing species. This is also a state of wildflowers and songbirds, of dense forests and teeming rockpools, and any time spent in the great Victorian outdoors is time well spent. 

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Outdoor art

There’s something about Melbourne that stirs writers, artists and musicians. The most ready evidence of this creativity comes through the city’s public artworks. You’ll see paintings and sculptures dotted across parkland, splashed over laneways and standing along promenades – learn more by joining a dedicated street-art walking tour or just head out to explore the city. Even better, time your visit to catch the annual Gertrude Street Projection Festival in late July.   

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Phillip Island

Sitting just 90 minutes from the city, and known for the hundreds of Little Penguins that splash out of the waves to roost nightly on Summerland Beach, Phillip Island is an unmissable part of the Victoria experience. The holiday island is linked to the mainland by a bridge and gives various reasons to visit, including surf spots, swimming beaches and all manner of native wildlife – including those famous penguins.    

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Queen Victoria Market

Covering two entire city blocks, bustling Queen Victoria Market has been serving Melburnian shoppers since 1878. Its wrought-iron canopies, high-vaulted halls and restored shops are still standing strong – today you’ll find some 600 small businesses selling everything from farmhouse veg and home-baked goods to hand-crafted souvenirs and imported clothing. It’s open every day except Mondays and Wednesdays – join the Ultimate Foodie Tour for insider info on the best produce.

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Road trips

Victoria is a road-trip destination par excellence. The much-eulogised Great Ocean Road takes top billing, but there are multiple other options for unforgettable drives. Among them, the Great Southern Touring Route is an elongated version of the Great Ocean Road and includes a drive through the Grampians National Park and its beguiling rock formations, while the Great Alpine Road heads high into the Victorian Alps. The drive out to Wilsons Promontory, on the South Gippsland Highway, is another scenic delight.

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Steam-powered travel

Back in 1900, a number of narrow-gauge rail lines were opened to help transport timber around the Victorian countryside. More than 120 years later, one remains in service, now functioning as one of the world’s most loved heritage railways. Century-old steam train Puffing Billy still rumbles through the foothills of the Dandenong Ranges throughout the year, a glorious sight among the fern gullies and ash trees of the temperate rainforest.

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The Murray River

Australia’s longest river stretches for some 2,700km from its source in the Great Dividing Range to its mouth in the Southern Ocean, with much of its length in – or least alongside – Victoria. The waterway serves as the official state border between New South Wales and Victoria itself, and visitors to the pretty Murray River Region can enjoy everything from houseboat cruises and golf courses to paddle-steamers and Indigenous cultural sites.  

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Unique

Ever dined inside a giant koala? Or followed a trail of mural-painted farm silos? Or gone sandboarding down 40,000-year-old sandhills? Victoria is packed with out-of-the-ordinary attractions, from tucked-away temples in Melbourne to cactus landscapes in Strathmerton – all you need to do is pack your sense of adventure and enjoy what you find. Special mention has to go to the spellbinding pink salt lakes of Murray Sunset National Park. 

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Vines

Victorians are a lucky bunch. Not content with jaw-dropping natural scenery and fine food, they also have world-class wineries on their doorstep. Some of its 600-plus vineyards date back to the 19^th century, and the state has become renowned for its premium wines, from the Pinot Noir of the coastal producers and the delicate Prosecco of King Valley to the complex Shiraz of the central regions and the award-winning Muscat of the northeast.

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Wildlife

If you’re looking to encounter iconic Australian wildlife, you’re very much in the right place. Creatures of all shapes and sizes crawl, fly and swim around the state, from the humpback whales and orcas that migrate along the coast to the wombats, wallabies and koalas that can be spotted in hotspots such as Wilsons Promontory and the Great Ocean Road. Meanwhile, various sanctuaries and reserves offer guaranteed sightings and up-close encounters.    

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X-treme adventure

Your pulse won’t stay steady for long in Victoria. For the adventure-minded traveller, there are high-octane thrills in every corner of the state, from tackling the pinnacles and bluffs of The Grampians or Mount Arapiles – the most popular climbing and abseiling spot in Australia – to hang-gliding over the Great Dividing Range, skydiving over the coast, or exploring Britannia Creek Cave on a caving tour. It’s even possible to go cable-wakeboarding in Melbourne itself.

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Yarra Valley

The best known of Victoria’s wine regions is the wonderful Yarra Valley, outspread to the east of Melbourne. Its cool-climate wines and superb local cuisine can be enjoyed on cellar door visits, but there’s far more to the area than its food and drink. Brilliantly positioned for a romantic few days, it’s also a place of art studios, hot-air balloon rides, rolling hills, ornamental gardens and amazing wildlife.      

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Zzz... A good night's sleep

Unsurprisingly for a state so defined by its diversity, Victoria has a huge range of memorable accommodation options, whether you’re looking for a five-star hotel, a holiday home, a wellness retreat or just a spectacularly located campsite. To cherry-pick just three, the Chateau Yering is a luxury bolthole in the Yarra Valley, Lake House is a boutique pick in Daylesford and QT Melbourne offers a design hotel and rooftop bar in the city.