Travel guide Victoria for Whale Watching

The bronzed Aussie with a nose covered in zinc cream, a surfboard, and big happy grin is a stereotype held by many people throughout the world. The bronzed part is easy enough – even with sunblock, t-shirts, and hats, lovely tans are hard to avoid given our abundance of sunshine. The zinc cream is our way of saying, “Hey – it’s cool to be sun-safe – protect yourself!” The surfboard (or fishing rods, scuba gear etc) is because there are so many adventures to be had at each of our beaches. And the big happy grin? Hey – when you have thousands of kilometres of coastline, you just can’t stop smiling. For this reason, Australia welcomes millions of visitors to our shores, all hoping to catch a taste of the Aussie life, even if only for a week. ... Read more

Expect more than ‘great ocean’ on this iconic touring route. Rightly regarded as one of the most spectacular coastal roads in the world, the Great Ocean Road loops like a rollercoaster along the southern sea-cliffs of Victoria. Carved out of the mountains, the road winds its way around some 300km of rugged, exposed coastline from Geelong to Warrnambool, past cliffs, roaring seas, tranquil coves and some of Australia’s best surf beaches. Along the way it links the deliciously quaint fishing villages and seaside holiday towns of Torquay, Lorne, Anglesea, Airey’s Inlet and Apollo Bay before heading inland through the Otway Ranges. Emerging from the forest, the road then reveals a vastly different landscape as it runs behind sandstone cliffs, which face the onslaught of... Read more

Those of us who live in Australia grow up understanding the joys, dangers and safety rules that make it such a great place.  However, many visitors to our country find Australia an alien, but starkly beautiful country, and they have little or no understanding of the best way to stay safe and enjoy their time here. A few very simple rules can help to make a visit to Australia a safe and pleasurable experience, and Tourism Australia has a brochure available for download that lists safety tips in a variety of languages. Driving tips One of the first things to remember is that speed limits are strictly enforced in Australia, more so than in many countries overseas.  Generally, when driving in urban and suburban areas, the speed limit is between 50 and 60 kilometres per hour. When ... Read more

We know that our teenage children can be delightful, exasperating, funny, sullen, adventurous, shy, talkative, slothful and manic – and sometimes that is just in the space of an hour!  All these moods are magnified when it comes to travelling, be it in Australia or overseas, as teens and parents are forced into one another’s company without a ‘get out of jail free’ card, such as time with friends. Travelling overseas with teenagers tends to be a better experience for a number of reasons, such as the brilliant entertainment systems now available on most flights, menus that let them eat things they like, resorts that have activities that cater for most age groups and the “wow” factor.  So let’s concentrate on surviving travelling in Austra... Read more

Whenever you drive along The Great Ocean Road, you could be forgiven for having illusions of grandeur. You might picture yourself as James Bond zipping along in a shiny Aston Martin. Or perhaps you'll wonder if you're actually part of a luxury car advertisement. The scenery is so incredible; your mind will transport you into a world of extravagance - even if you are puttering along in a broken-down heap. The stretch of road between Torquay and Allansford in southwest Victoria was predominantly built by World War I returned soldiers. Commencing work with picks and shovels back in 1919, the men laboured hard, and few would have lived to see the whole expanse of road complete. Various sections opened over decades, with the first 75km between Anglesea and Apollo Bay completed in 1932. More t... Read more