Australia's unique and weird-looking Great Spider Crabs have captured the imagination of locals and tourists alike...
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Explore Victoria
Navigate the map to discover your next wild adventure in Melbourne or Victoria.
Click the icon for more information on each of these great spots around the state for a walk, snorkel or dive.
Find an easy weekend stroll, add a snorkel session to your next beach day or plan your next wild minibreak.
Stories
Twenty two shades of sea slugs
All human activities impact the natural environment of Antarctica, but leisure activities have much less potential to benefit Antarctica than those related to science and scientific discovery...
Solace in suburban nature
Two things remained open to me while I was in lockdown. The first was the dull heartbeat of the natural world I could find in the suburb I lived in...
Hope for dingoes at the Dingo Discovery Centre
In 2018, I booked a Cub tour at the Dingo Discovery Centre in Toolern Vale, Victoria, imagining how lovely it would be to cuddle some cute dingo cubs. But what I discovered that day changed my world...
Street art doesn’t have to D-V-Ate from conservation
When Jimmy Beattie first started dabbling in graffiti art around 1996, there was no such thing as a professional mural artist. These days, Jimmy works almost solely on conservation-focused commissions, mostly of local Victorian species.
4 ways to keep your lockdown walk interesting
So how on earth do I make the 160th walk during my lunchtime break seem new and exciting? Here’s a few things I’ve tried…
Rediscovering childhood joy down the Dandenong Creek
This was the place, in the middle of a bustling suburb, where I was first able to witness the wild. Well, as wild as I had ever seen before in Melbourne...
Winter is a wonderland in the Macedon Ranges
Some property of this volcanic landscape seems to come alive in miserable weather – perhaps the dew on weeping leaves of eucalypts or the lichen on granite boulders, which stands out all the better against a dull sky...
Blackburn’s bushland hideout
A network of dirt paths meanders through an expanse of bushland totalling 63 acres, enclosed by trees which reflect in the still water or drop leaves into the trickling stream that feeds the lake...
See the age-old Lion’s Head Tree at Melbourne’s Botanic Gardens
The Lion’s Head Tree, so named because of the evocative appearance of a gall on its trunk...
Four decades of sustaining inner Melbourne’s green heritage
One of the longest-running community conservation groups in the Banyule region, Darebin Parklands Association protects one of urban Melbourne’s most valued green spaces...
The biodiversity secrets of Anthony Beale Reserve
Located in the leafy north-eastern suburb of St Helena, Anthony Beale Reserve is a place steeped in history...
Reinvigorating the green surrounds of an iconic Melbourne creek
With group members hailing from Thornbury, Heidelberg West, Reservoir and Bundoora, Friends of Darebin Creek is a dedicated conservation group whose work spans an immense fifty kilometres of creekside habitat...
Restoring the heart of St Helena
Formed in the late 1980s, Friends of St Helena Bush Reserve is described by one of its dedicated volunteers as exhibiting a ‘...really great example of what indigenous flora was here before white settlement’...
Shifting towards a more Sustainable Greensborough
‘Reconnect, relocalise, build resilience.’ This is how Megan, founder of Sustainable Greensborough, summarises the primary ethos of Transition Towns...
The power of community in the fight to live sustainably
The Transition Towns initiative is one that seems to have taken the City of Banyule by storm...
Preserving Plenty River for future generations
It’s easy to see why Plenty River and its surrounding parkland is valued by locals...
A bushland oasis in Melbourne’s north-east
Established in 1996, Friends of Wilson Reserve might do many of the ordinary things that other conservation groups do, but it is still far from the norm...
Native hedgerows: a DIY guide for wildlife gardeners
It is not surprising that when the first Europeans arrived in Australia, they brought the humble hedgerow with them...
Bush Connections: Melbourne forest therapy program brings participants closer to nature
Nature is the ultimate provider. In Australia especially, there is so much we humans get out of being outside in green space, whether we know it or not...
Livingstone Island Nature Walk
Located in Nelson in south-west Victoria, this serene walk leads to a boardwalk through saltmarshes and a bird hide...
New Season Winter Arrivals
We often hear the phrase “head south for the winter” in popular culture. Hollywood films abound with references to spending...
Cathy’s Five Favourite Runs Around Melbourne
Running beautiful and interesting trails makes it so much easier to forget that you might be tired or have sore legs. Give one of these trails a try and see if you get hooked too...
Bloomin’ Backyard
I savour a sip of tea from my first cuppa for the day and focus on our lively backyard. Fruiting trees planted in rows like a small orchard still bear the remains of the wonderful spring bloom we recently enjoyed...
Wonder beneath the Westgate
Westgate Park is a diamond in the rough, a haven amongst shipping containers and cranes. The beauty and diversity within the park in its industrial context is astonishing and gives visitors a glimpse into a time when the mouth of the Yarra was a more peaceful place...
Life on the Merri
The Merri Creek meanders through Melbourne’s north, running from out past Craigieburn through to Dights Falls in Abbotsford where it joins the Yarra. It’s a wildlife hotspot for Melbourne, running through some of the last remnant native grasslands in Melbourne and providing habitat for platypus, echidnas, endangered frogs, and all manner of birds and other critters....
Maribyrnong, lifeblood of the west
To those acquainted with it, the Maribyrnong is a vital, essential piece of the suburban landscape, both geographically and culturally...
To bee or not to bee: a guide to our native pollinators
The thought of a bee with a blue bum may be a bit surprising. Bees are yellow, right? Actually, the iconic Honey Bee only became part of the Australian landscape as recently as 190 years ago.
The Bulldogs aren’t the only good thing in the West
When I think of Melbourne’s western suburbs, excellent wildlife-watching is not the first thing that springs to mind. This side of the city’s long, industrial history has taken a heavy toll on natural areas. Yet it would be incorrect to blithely write western Melbourne off as a wildlife wasteland...
Not as we know it: along the Maribyrnong
Even though it’s quite close to the hugely developed Melbourne Airport, it feels like it’s hundreds of miles away...
Dinosaur Hunting: Searching for a Prehistoric Melbourne
If you went out today and asked a Melbournian where you could see a prehistoric creature, they would likely point you in the direction of the Melbourne Museum. Most people don’t realise that you can find all kinds of prehistoric animals and plants in the wilds of Victoria...
The Dark Side of Bright Light
From the air, Melbourne is a spectacular labyrinth of white and gold. But while light at night has benefits, it can cause harm to wildlife – and to us...
Kitty Miller Bay
This quiet beach is a snorkeller’s delight, and offers sites for newbies through to experienced snorkellers...
Waratah Bay
Waratah Bay, a small coastal town in South Gippsland two and a half hours’ drive southeast of Melbourne, is not a common snorkelling spot. So, who knew...
Black Rock & Half Moon Bay
Best snorkelled on westerly wind, the shallow waters around the jetty and rocky reef give home to a variety of marine critters, including...
Flinders Pier
Just over an hour’s drive south from Melbourne with an easily accessible car park positioned right of the pier, Flinders Pier is perfect for a day trip...
Diamond Bay
Strong currents make Diamond Bay unadvisable for beginners, but for experienced divers, Diamond Bay provides an exciting underwater playground...
Blairgowrie Pier & Marina
About 1.5 hours out of Melbourne, with all day free parking and in close proximity to a good selection of cafes, this site is...
Portsea Pier
Shallow sea grass beds and kelp gardens on the west side of the pier are accessible to snorkellers, but with depths getting to 5 metres towards...
Woolshed Falls
Alongside the historic gold town of Beechworth in the state’s north-east, a steep gorge cuts deep through the granite. As the gorge falls away...
Craig’s Hut Walking Track
Craig’s Hut was built in 1982 as a set for the iconic Australian film, The Man from Snowy River, based on the classic poem by the Australian bush poet, A.B “Banjo” Patterson. The hut has now become one of the most famous in the Victorian High Country, offering spectacular views of the ranges...
Mount Oberon Summit
There is nothing quite like the challenging climb of Mount Oberon, where the summit rewards avid walkers with breathtaking views across Wilsons Promontory National Park and over some of the outlying islands...
Smiths Gully
Smiths Gully in Northern Melbourne offers an easy walk with abundant wildlife and stunning scenery close to the city...
Mount Cobbler Summit
Reaching the summit of Mount Cobbler can be quite challenging, but the outstanding 360-degree views of the Victorian Alps make the trek well worth the effort...
Breakneck Gorge
This is a great half-day walk for locals or visitors to the Daylesford and Hepburn Springs area, giving you a good taste of the surrounding bushland in a peaceful gully...
Mount Buller to Mount Stirling
Visiting Mt Buller for some skiing or mountain biking this year? Don’t feel like hitting the slopes? If you’d prefer to head out in your hiking boots, this walk will give you a fantastic view of the Victorian Alps along trails in truly beautiful country...
Wombat Trail
Approximately an hour and a half’s travel north-east of Melbourne CBD, Trentham is a small town on the edge of the Wombat State Forest. There are a number of small reserves and walking trails around town, and the Wombat Trail, a loop of approximately 8km, takes the walker right around the edge of the houses into the surrounding bushland...
Tower Hill Wildlife Reserve
One of the most spectacular sights Victoria has to offer is to be found, unexpectedly, just off the Princes Highway between Warrnambool and Port Fairy. Tower Hill is an extinct volcano, a massive crater filled with conical hills and round lakes created by an ancient explosion...
Tarra-Bulga National Park
Tarra-Bulga is one of the lesser known temperate rainforests we have in Victoria, tucked away in South Gippsland...
Lysterfield Lake
Considering that it’s tucked away in a valley just a 10-minute drive off the Eastern Freeway, you’ll be surprised just how big Lysterfield Lake is...
Mount Feathertop & The Razorback
Both Mount Feathertop and the Razorback can be done as part of several longer trails within the region, but the simplest and most popular...
Endeavour Fern Gully
Located in Red Hill on the Mornington Peninsula, this unique land is 17.5 hectares of remnant rainforest and a haven for flora and fauna to thrive...
Werribee Gorge
On first arriving, Werribee Gorge doesn’t seem like it will be all that peaceful – just off the Western Freeway, only an hour out of the city – but sound evaporates in the gorge. By the time you’ve parked in the Quarry Picnic Area the traffic noise has been muffled, but the voices of hikers up on the ridge can be heard clearly...
Lake Tali Karng
In the southern region of the Great Alpine National Park lies Lake Tali Karng, Victoria’s only deep mountain lake reaching depths of 51 metres. It’s a fairly young lake, having formed a mere 1500 years ago by a landslide that dammed the Wellington River...
Jawbone Flora and Fauna Reserve
Just minutes west of Williamstown beach, and eight kilometres from the heart of Melbourne, this reserve is often overlooked due to the lack of signage as well as its seclusion from the main attractions of the area...
Big Rock Track, You Yangs
Just over an hour’s drive southwest of the northern suburbs, you can find yourself surrounded by the eerily beautiful granite peaks of the You Yangs. Feel like you’re worlds away as you meander through these geographical formations formed during the Devonian Period, and experience the wildlife that thrives here...
Maroondah Reservoir
Known for its monumental landscapes, Maroondah Reservoir Park promises spectacular views overlooking a most impressive 22, 000 megalitre reservoir that flows over the dam spillway into the gorgeous Watts River. Teeming with native wildlife, the surrounding eucalypt forests sport ideal walking tracks for the keen wildlife enthusiast...
Main Ridge to Cape Schanck
Located only 90 kilometres from Melbourne in Greens Bush, this coastal walk is home to the largest species of Banksia in Victoria, contributing to the area’s vast biodiversity...
Bushranger’s Bay
Less than a 90 minute drive from Melbourne’s CBD, Bushranger's Bay Walking Track offers some of the finest coastal views on the Mornington Peninsula...
Tidal River to Squeaky Beach, Wilsons Promontory
An energetic climb that links two iconic beaches, offers breathtaking ocean views and will most definitely include a wombat sighting...
Lilly Pilly Gully Circuit
Located in Wilsons Promontory, this boardwalk through beautiful, primitive rainforest provides walkers with an array of mosses and fungi, and countless species of forest birds to discover...