Steaming through the Dandenongs: For more than a century, the steam train Puffing Billy has been chugging through Victoria's Dandenong Ranges. Some people delight in the freedom to dangle their legs out of the open-sided carriages; others prefer the more sheltered view from the first-class dining car as they enjoy "steam and cuisine". Either way, the lovely views are the same and its a fun day out for all ages. Story by Lee Mylne

High Country Touring: The 230km Bogong Alpine Way in Victoria's High Country is now completely sealed and is set to become one of Australia's most sought-after touring routes, taking in Falls Creek, Omeo, Dinner Plain, Mount Hotham, Bright and Mount Beauty. Explore villages, stop off along the way to stretch your legs on short walks, and stay in delightful B&Bs.
Story by Lee Mylne

High-tail it to the High Country: I may not be the Man (or Woman) from Snowy River, but when my trusty steed Bonnie winds her way through some of Victoria's most spectacular countryside, I sure feel like I'd like to be! Discovering the back trail of the High Country opens up a whole new world, and even novice riders can feel confident under the watchful eye of expert horse woman Helen Packer. Take a guided horse trek and you won't regret it. Story by Lee Mylne

Rafting down the Mitta Mitta: Rafting? In Victoria? Is there water in the rivers? You may not have heard of it, but adrenalin seekers are slowly discovering the adventure to be had on Victoria's mighty Mitta Mitta River. Under the eagle eye and guidance of former Australian champion rafter Linton Smith, take to the rapids in Victoria's High Country and discover muscles you never knew you had. After 18km over six hours, I was exhilarated and exhausted! But ready to do it again... Story by Lee Mylne

A Fishy Tale: A giant fish has landed on the roof of the Fishy Pub. Seats are adorned with fish motifs and the shops are full of them (and not always for eating). Everywhere you look in Fish Creek, the gateway to Wilson's Promontory, there are...fish. There's even one, appropriately perhaps, painted on the roof of the lovely old timber church. This quirky village has themed itself well, and is a great place to make a stop. This Piscean loved it! Story by Lee Mylne

Hidden gems of Ballarat: History is everywhere you look, but many of the city's best discoveries are hidden away from the casual eye. Step inside the lavishly refurbished Craig's Royal Hotel, take some quiet time in the Mechanic's Institute library, or discover the quirky gem that is Eclectic Tastes, a cafe with a difference opposite the graves of Eureka rebels. Or head out of town to the hamlets of Smythesdale and Buninyong. Story by Lee Mylne

Lighthouse living: A night in a lighthouse has a romantic sound to it, and one of the loveliest in Victoria is Point Hicks Light Station in Croajingolong National Park. Point Hicks is mainland Australia's tallest lighthouse, built in 1890 and marking Captain Cook's first sighting of Australia 's east coast in 1770. Stay in the assistant lighthouse keeper's cottage, sit on the verandah to view the ocean and later, the stars. Climb the 162 steps to the top for fabulous views, and listen out for the hobnail boots of the resident ghost.
Story by Lee Mylne

Small Town Secrets: Victoria's Macedon Ranges may be just an hour's drive from Melbourne, but a weekend's getaway may reveal much for foodies and shoppers. Whether you want to browse in galleries and antique shops, dine on regional delicacies and local wines, or sample boutique beers, the villages of Mount Macedon, Malmsbury, Kyneton and Woodend have much tof offer. You can walk it off in glorious gardens or hike to the top of Hanging Rock, and stay overnight in comfortable b&bs and guest houses. Story by Lee Mylne

Garden Fever: Changing seasons bring new shades and tones to Victoria 's many lovely gardens. From the formal splendour of gardens like Heronswood on the Mornington Peninsula to the sprawling historic botanic gardens of regional towns like Malmsbury, Bendigo, Castlemaine and Ballarat, the sculpture walks of Werribee Park and city parks at every turn, there's something everywhere for garden lovers.
Story by Lee Mylne

Walhalla: Once a wealthy gold-mining town, the Gippsland ghost town of Walhalla is today one of Victoria's best kept secrets. With a population of only 13, the village is nevertheless a popular weekend retreat for Melbournians - and with good reason.
Story by Lee Mylne

Fun on Phillip Island: Penguins may be the star attraction, as they waddle ashore at Summerland Beach each evening, but there's a host of other things to see and do on Phillip Island. With the brand new Silverwater Resort just across the bridge, and the reopening of The Nobbies Centre near Seal Rocks, the island is targeting the international market as well as the families who have long known its attractions. Visit the Koala Conservation Centre, Churchill Island Heritage Farm and an amazing coastline and it's easy to see why Phillip Island is a perennial favourite.
Story by Lee Mylne

Beautiful Beechworth: One of Victoria's prettiest towns, Beechworth gives a glimpse of days gone by, but has all the attractions and amenities today's visitors are looking for. In the restored historic precinct, you'll find reminders of the days when bushrangers like the Kelly Gang roamed this region, and of the early Chinese pioneers, while along the main street there is an eclectic mix of restaurants, boutiques, galleries and antique shops. And don't forget to visit the latest new attraction - The Spa at Beechworth. Story by Lee Mylne

Great Ocean Road: When it comes to Great Australian Drives you really can’t go past Victoria’s Great Ocean Road. Drive this road in summer and it’s a crawling congo-line of cars following dawdling caravans, with motorbikes buzzing in and out of the traffic like maddened mosquitos. But head off early in the morning on a winter’s day, while everyone else is still tucking into their bacon and eggs, and it’s an exhilarating coastal run with hardly any other cars in sight.
Story by Lee Atkinson

Ballarat - The Gold Rush Town: The diggings at Ballarat were once the richest gold fields in the world, but those who travel here these days come not for gold, but for the rich vein of Australian history to be mined. At Sovereign Hill, the recreated gold rush town, you can still pan in the creeks, while at the Eureka Centre visitors pay homage to those who died in Australia's most famous rebellion. In the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery, pride of place is given to a faded and torn piece of blue and white cloth, the original Eureka flag. Story by Lee Mylne

High on adrenalin: The Great Alpine Road, stretching almost 300km from Wangaratta to Bairnsdale, is one of Australia’s classic summer touring routes. It begins in pastoral northern Victoria, not far from the Murray River, and takes you high into the Australian Alps, deep into the heart of two alpine national parks and finally brings you out, a stone’s throw from the coast, in east Gippsland. We look at five of the best get-out-there adventures you can have along the way.
Story by Lee Atkinson

Great Southern Touring Route: Whichever way you tackle this 777km loop from Melbourne, the Great Southern Touring Route will take you to some of Victoria's loveliest and most historic towns as well as along a stretch of coastline regarded as one of the most spectacular in the world. Story by Lee Mylne

Kelly Country: The brownish bloodstains on the green silk sash that bushranger Ned Kelly wore under his hand-forged armour during his last stand against the police at Glenrowan are still clearly visible 125 years later. This is just one of the relics of the Kelly legend that can be seen along Victoria 's Kelly Touring Route. Story by Lee Mylne

Gold fever: In the 1850’s, the grimy miners and fossickers who flocked to Bendigo’s Shamrock Hotel to celebrate their latest goldfields find left more than just their cash at the bar. The sweepings of the bar room floor alone are said to have yielded gold dust to the value of four pounds per day when panned. Bendigo is built on gold – quite literally.  Relive the glory days of the great gold rush in Bendigo… Story by Lee Atkinson

Lord of the Springs: Take one hot bath, mix in some exotic oils.  Soak for 20 minutes.  Add icy cold sparkling wine on the side, perhaps a massage and then finish with a superb meal, some more fine wine and a promise of great shopping – that’s my recipe for the perfect weekend or day away.  If it’s also yours, you should head for Daylesford, 80 minutes drive from Melbourne. Story by Lee Atkinson

Victoria 's Volcanic Past: The harsh landscape of Victoria 's lava fields in the Southern Grampians is a stark contrast to the leafy villages and pastoral lands and there is much to explore. Story by Lee Mylne

Yarra Trail: One of the most popular weekend getaway destinations for Melbournians is the Yarra Valley. Drive through the vine-coated hills of the valley and you’ll soon see why.  Lovely views, great food, better wine and lots to see and do – all one hour from the city.
Story by Lee Atkinson

Forces of Nature: With the wind whipping through your hair and tugging at your coat, it's suddenly easy to understand how the Twelve Apostles were formed. Stand on a cliff anywhere along Victoria 's Great Ocean Road and the power and force of nature are in your face.
Drive further and you'll discover why part of this coast is also called the Shipwreck Coast. Story by Lee Mylne

The holiday coast: The Mornington Peninsula is one long beach – a 100km boot-shaped peninsula jutting into the ocean on the eastern edge of Port Phillip Bay, just 80km south of Melbourne. Colonies of seals and bottle-nosed dolphins cruise and frolic in the bay and lines of brightly-coloured wooden beach ‘bathing boxes’ jostle for space at the edge of the sand, behind which grand Victorian mansions and hotels compete for the best water views. Behind them, rolling green farmland gives way to thick and fragrant tea-tree bush.
Story by Lee Atkinson

Great Western - the wine village: A visit to the Grampians region would not be complete without a trip to Great Western, the home of Australia's "bubbles factory", where a highlight is a tour of the underground "drives" where wine has been stored since the 1890s.
Story by Lee Mylne

St Kilda Shines: When the historic kiosk on St Kilda Pier burnt down, the locals demanded that it be rebuilt "just as it was" - and so it was, with a modern addition that is barely perceptible. This bayside suburb is one of Melbourne's most interesting and eclectic. From the cake shops of Acland Street to the fun at Luna Park, and a few other places you might not find alone...here's an insider's guide to St Kilda. Story by Lee Mylne

Surf and turf: Poet TS Eliot once famously remarked that it is “the journey not the arrival that matters.” You could say that about the drive to Lorne on the Great Ocean Road, except that in this case, the being there part is every bit as good as the getting there. Indeed, Lorne was the first place in Victoria to be declared an area of ‘Special Significance and Natural Beauty’ more than 100 years ago. Story by Lee Atkinson

King Valley Cellar Doors: In the King Valley, cellar doors are a largely Italian family affair. Drop in to many of them and you'll find yourself chatting with descendents of tobacco workers who came to Australia in the 1950s and saw its wine-growing potential. Story by Lee Mylne

Melbourne’s Museums: Art lover, history buff, culture vulture, movie fiend or just plain sports mad, Melbourne’s a city with something for everyone, and a museum or gallery to suit every passion.
Story by Lee Atkinson

Flying High: Microlighting.  Take a big kite, screw on some billy cart wheels and strap on a small engine and propeller at the back, hang on tight and you’re ready to fly, right?  Well, I wasn’t so sure.  I get nervous in small planes.  Even turbulence in a commuter 727 gets me jumpy and sweaty palmed.  And now here I was, while the rest of my group was still serenely snuggled into their beds sleeping off last nights excesses, at the Eagle School of Microlighting and Hang Gliding.  Based at Porepunkah at the base of Mt Buffalo, and just 10 minutes from Bright, the flying school offers tandem instructional flights for absolute beginners.
Story by Lee Atkinson

Dolphin song: The water of Port Phillip Bay is icy, despite the warmth of the February sun beating down on us as we plunge into the glassy surface from the back of our boat bobbing in the bay off Sorrento on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.  As we hang there, suspended in the water, three curious bottlenose dolphins race over to check us out. For the next 15 minutes the dolphins circle and dive around us, often only inches from our faces. Story by Lee Atkinson

Fairy tales: Seaside Port Fairy is the type of place that deserves to be taken slowly. Tucked away at the very end of the Great Ocean Road, for most people Port Fairy’s the finishing point of two or three days exploring one of the world’s most famous coastal drives.  A cute little place to stop for a coffee before heading back to wherever it was you came from, but there’s more to Port Fairy than its annual folk festival…
Story by Lee Atkinson

Go wild at Werribee: Werribee Park, just 30 minutes from the centre of Melbourne, is a theme park for grown ups (although there’s plenty for kids as well). Home to the spectacular historic mansion that is still the largest private residence in Victoria, 10 hectares of exquisite formal gardens, the internationally acclaimed Victoria State Rose Garden, a contemporary sculpture walk, natural riverine, original farmyard, evening performances and major events, award-winning winery, 18-hole championship golf course, five-star hotel, the state’s best polo grounds and Victoria’s only open range zoo, you can spend days here and not see it all.
Story by Lee Atkinson