Produced in association with RACV.
We love you Melbourne. We do. It’s a wonderful, sprawling, thriving hub of activity full of just about everything and anything that could ever provide buoyancy to your water-borne vehicle. But even the most ardent latte-sipping, high-rise dwelling, inner-metro-urban chic of us need a break every once in a while.
Luckily for all of you, hopping in a car and fanging it southeast for about an hour and a half (four hours if you’ve foolishly taken Punt Rd just before a footy game at the MCG starts – rookie mistake) will see you land in the Inverloch/Gippsland region – which just so happens to be one of the most beautiful, pristine areas in Victoria, positively brimming – BRIMMING, we tell you – with options for the battery-recharging weekend away you so richly deserve.
Options like what, you ask? Try these badboys one for size:
SCREW CREEK
Aside from being hilariously named – seriously, SCREW CREEK *guffaws* – the Screw Creek Nature Walk is a gentle little stroll through nature. Go get yourself some air in the lungs, son! Winding along the Inverloch Foreshore, the reasonably short walk runs through marsh land and along the shore line, across boardwalks up to a scenic lookout at Townsend Bluff.
As far as weekend activities go, this one ticks all the right boxes. Cheap. Serene. And minimal chance of doing a hammy. Perf.
WILSON’S PROMONTORY NATIONAL PARK
The southern-most tip of mainland Australia, Wilson’s Promontory National Park is without question one of the most spectacular natural regions of the state, if not the country. The peninsula is home to bunch of native animals, birds, plants, and spectacular scenery. Check out the small town of Tidal River. Sit on the beach and take in the views of Bass Strait. Catch a flick at the Open Air Cinema. Or, if you’re feeling particularly athletic, make the 18km hike down to the Wilson’s Prom Lighthouse – about as south as you can get on the mainland of Australia. It’s worth the blisters.
PHILLIP ISLAND
Say it with us: PENGUINS! Those cute little bastards are *everywhere* down on Phillip Island, about a 50 minute drive from Inverloch. The Penguin Parade is one of Victoria’s most beloved tourist attractions, and with good reason. Tiny. Fkn. Penguins. The fairy penguin colony on the island is one of the biggest in the country, and the sunset trek to see them come ashore is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
But that’s at sunset! During the day, why not go check out Phillip Island’s plentiful beaches, or have a squizz at the Grand Prix Circuit that plays host to the annual MotoGP races?
GREAT SOUTHERN RAIL TRAIL
Feeling a bit active? Strap the bike to the back of the car and head up to Leongatha to tackle the Great Southern Rail Trail. Running alongside the decommissioned train lines that run through the regional area, the track is reasonably flat, splits up into sections, and links together a handful of small, neat little towns along the line.
The trail is super well maintained and doesn’t feature any nasty surprises – only a series of gentle rolling hills. Do as much or as little of it as you like, take in the scenery, be a heaps chill dude. And if you’re there early enough, or late enough in the day, wallabies and koalas are often visible from the track. Little furry mates!
LEONGATHA PARROTS
The Gippsland region is the heartland of rural Victorian footy, and has produced countless greats of the VFL/AFL over the years and decades. The Gippsland Football League is one of the strongest regional leagues in the state, and if you’re kicking about the region and keen to get well involved with country footy at its absolute finest, you could do a damn sight worse than heading up to road to catch a Saturday afternoon home game featuring the mighty Leongatha Parrots.
The Parrots are a storied club and have been a staple of the region’s football for well over a century. Though premiership success has largely escaped them as of late, having last lifted a flag back in 2001, that’s not to say you’re not going to have a bang-up arvo rugged up with a thermos of coffee, a snag in bread, and a blanket over the knees as the Parrots trot out onto the Roughead Street Recreation Ground. Go Parrots!
INVERLOCH
Ahhh, Inverloch. There are few better home bases for a weekend get away than the quaint little town with a population of just under 5,000 that’s situated around 140kms to Melbourne’s south-east.
Nestled right on the coast line and within spitting distance of more national and marine parks than you can shake a stick at, it’s one of the great quiet weekend away towns Victoria has to offer. With a neat little shopping district, a region-renowned Farmer’s Market, superb fishing spots (if such a thing floats yr boat) and more, you’d be bonkers – BONKERS, we tell you – not to swing through for a cheeky g’day at some point.
