[funnyclown]

Hi

Thanks for sharing your itinerary.

Am in a dilemma of whether to do the

1) The great southern touring route (Great Ocean Route); OR
2) the southeast touring route (yarra, dadenong, phillip & mornington)


Am planning to go in 1st week of June, thus would actually like to include mt buller; lake mountains OR mt baw baw too. Do you have any reviews on these 3 ski resorts, only worry is that there may not be any activities yet since is only early winter.

How many days do you think I'll need if planning to do both route 1 & 2? and +-3 days in Mel city.

Travelling with 2A & 2C (ages 10,12) ~ not into tree top walk or national parks thou.

Thanks in advance for any valuable advice

[genie47]

The ski resorts are not that great. They need artificial snow and the best time to go is Aug-Sep.

You are missing a lot if you don't go for the national parks. Quite unlike anything.

[funnyclown]

Please advise if this route is do-able during June:

Day 1&2 - Melbourne City
Day 3 - Collect car, drive to Dandenong for lunch, continue to Cattle Farm then Philip Island, Penguin Parade (stay 1N)
Day 4 - Check out of Philip Island - Mornington Peninsula (stay 1N)
Day 5 - Morning Peninsula - Lorne or Apollo Bay (stay 1N)
Day 6 - Lorne/Apollo Bay - Port Cambell (stay 1N)
Day 7 - Port Cambell - Geelong or Melbourne (anything interesting in Geelong? Not sure if I should stay at Geelong or direct to Melbourne)

MTIA

[genie47]

SInce you decided not to go to the Grampians, this is doable.

Melbourne itself is great for 2 nights. Port Campbell to Melbourne is preferred for the last day. Take the highway back. Day 5 I suggest Apollo Bay but will mean longer driving from MP. Yes stay in Port Campbell to avoid the Chinese Shutter Infantry going to the 12 Apostles later in the afternoon. Go in the morning. Be prepared to do a lot of walking. If you can go as far as Bay of Islands. See those really isolated limestone stacks that have become islands.

Since Parks are not in your itinerary, Lorne will be quite boring. Lorne is nearer to a lot of doable walking trails. Especially to Erskine Falls. Most of these waterfall places have their facilities upgraded so there are boardwalks reaching to them. Only 1-2km from the carpark. Nothing unsafe and very NParks in quality.

Tell you the truth, VIC has so many things, tourists have gone back 6-7X and still discover new stuff. Victoria. The Place to Be!

[funnyclown]

Really appreciate your advise

Thanks for the suggestion of staying at Apollo bay instead of Lorne. We're really not into Nparks or trails, more to food & "little" shopping, weather, breathtaking views, as well as R&R.

Did you go to the Amaze N Things and Ascombe Maze? Any idea which one is better?

May I ask what is at Nobbies Centre?

Is 1N in MP enough?

Hmm..if stay at Apollo bay means a long drive from MP (approx an hour more from Lorne) guess is more worth for us ya?

Thot of make a trip to Soverign Hill from Port Campbell, do you think is worth staying overnite (although i read that you're not too keen on SH huh). The 1N stop is mainly to break the journey to Melbourne instead of driving all the way.
Do you have any suggestion other than SH?

Many thanks

[genie47]

funnyclown wrote:

Really appreciate your advise

Thanks for the suggestion of staying at Apollo bay instead of Lorne. We're really not into Nparks or trails, more to food & "little" shopping, weather, breathtaking views, as well as R&R.

Did you go to the Amaze N Things and Ascombe Maze? Any idea which one is better?

May I ask what is at Nobbies Centre?

Is 1N in MP enough?

Hmm..if stay at Apollo bay means a long drive from MP (approx an hour more from Lorne) guess is more worth for us ya?

Thot of make a trip to Soverign Hill from Port Campbell, do you think is worth staying overnite (although i read that you're not too keen on SH huh). The 1N stop is mainly to break the journey to Melbourne instead of driving all the way.
Do you have any suggestion other than SH?

Many thanks

Didn't go Amaze N Things or Ascombe. Maybe in the next visit when the kids become more energetic. Nobbies Centre is actually a point on PI. On it is a seabird colony. Lots of birds! the boardwalk a lot of jiao sai. You cannot come closer than this to all the seagulls nesting.

1 nite in MP is OK. Nothing much but vineyards and stuff. BTW, if you pick strawberries, it is more expensive than buying them off the supermarket.

SH is well a letdown. The main attraction there is the Blood on the Southern Cross. Very good presentation on how Oz got this democracy movement going on. Other than that nothing much to offer but the town is rather quaint. Lots of old buildings. There is the gold museum if you are interested in all things gold. The kids might like it and tell of it to their friends. If not for the education, rather hard to justify going to SH. We witnessed gold being smelted and made into an ingot.

I know our experience with parks is with NParks. Hot and humid but that is not the case for VIC. The forests are cool. Well depending on when you go. I went in spring. I think now is summer progressing towards fall.

[funnyclown]

Yeah thanks.. we know is cool..done enough NParks in WA and NZ..hence no more forest for us

Arghhh..SH to go or not Actually we'd been to Mel in 2003 F&E but did't drive. We join the coach tour from APT to puffing billy, dandenong, GRO and Mt.Buller but didn't go SH, thus wondering if I should do it this time. Not sure if it's the same as Arrowtown in NZ.

Well..gotta do more homework, just booked my flight will be in Mel for 12 days in early June.

[genie47]

funnyclown wrote:

Yeah thanks.. we know is cool..done enough NParks in WA and NZ..hence no more forest for us

Arghhh..SH to go or not Actually we'd been to Mel in 2003 F&E but did't drive. We join the coach tour from APT to puffing billy, dandenong, GRO and Mt.Buller but didn't go SH, thus wondering if I should do it this time. Not sure if it's the same as Arrowtown in NZ.

Well..gotta do more homework, just booked my flight will be in Mel for 12 days in early June.

Since you have been to all those, then I would say MP and PI should be in. As for Ballarat and SH, up to you to put them in. I actually enjoyed the Grampians more than SH and Ballarat.

[xfiles_wolvie]

genie47 wrote:

Chinese Shutter Infantry very powerful and must be feared.

yesh...very scary..kena at 12 apostles.....lucky only there..philip island nvr kena...

[funnyclown]

Grrr...should I skip Warrook Cattle Farm and get the 3park pass from penguin parade to do the Churchill heritage farm

[genie47]

Churchil Island is nice. Good for a short morning visit. Can even get the kids to milk Bessie the cow. They will be scared and maybe pinch once. I showed them all a full-blooded male technique of holding both teats and massaging them alternately.

[Spikes]

What's with the Chinese Shutter Infantry?? What's that exactly?

I'm reading to Melbourne in late May to early June this year too. Want to know more about the place =)

[genie47]

Spikes wrote:

What's with the Chinese Shutter Infantry?? What's that exactly?

I'm reading to Melbourne in late May to early June this year too. Want to know more about the place =)

Tourists from China loh.

[redtrooper]

Excellent thread bro..

Hav been contemplating a roadtrip to VIC n u might hav just saved me time researching.

Lols..Thanx man..

[Icycoolz]

seriously if u are intending to go philips island and be impress by the so call 'penguin parade'. Either you get the premium seats, or don't watch at all. The general seating will always be crowded with people standing up, especially those chinese personal, whom will also take out their iphone and start shooting non stop. The penguin was not that impressive either. they gather in groups of 3 or 4 rarely 5. Not like how the photos describe them to be, where a huge group walking together. A tip for people that want to get a close up to those fairy penguin, by the time around 8 to 9 +pm when the penguin was already back their burrow. You can start to walk back, and occasionally u get to see those penguin outside the bush. Very interesting, and i bet it much better than that parade.