Whether you’re a free bird without the ties of a job or you have a long weekend off and you fancy a little bit of adventure, a mini road trip might be the ideal solution for a quick get away. It’s cheap, it’s fun and you get to pick some of your favourite people to go with you to share the memories with!
Renting a car is pretty simple if you’re above 21 that is and have your drivers licence with you, booking a camper can be slightly more difficult especially in public holidays or peak times but still very doable.
A couple of weeks ago I went on an awesome little roadie over a long weekend around Victoria which we covered a lot of ground but also saw some pretty beautiful must-see sites.
And here’s what we saw…
1. Wilson’s Prom
We started from a little town that we all live and work in called Kyneton which is about 1 hour and 20 minutes north of Melbourne and we drove to a town called Foster around the East Gippsland area which is only an hour or so away from the prom. We only had the good part of about 5 hours at the prom so here’s the places we checked out.
– Squeaky Beach- where the sand is so fine that when you walk the sand squeaks under your feet. It’s a beautiful beach surrounded by massive boulders covered in a bright orange lichen and the different shades of sand that makes pretty patterns all along the shore line. You can’t go here and not get a great photo of all your mates on different boulders for the epic selfie.
– Mount Oberon- if you fancy a walk up to one of the highest points in the prom for a great view of the bays (providing you pick a day with a clear sky and not the day we went) then this is a great little afternoon stroll. It’s a fairly steep little climb to the top, roughly taking about 1.5 hours if you’re not in a hurry, but pretty easy, I saw people pushing push chairs up there and others walking it in thongs (flip flops, not just underwear) so it couldn’t have been THAT difficult.
– Whiskey Bay – probably one of, if not the main place to see at the prom which is the popular beach whiskey bay, a lovely place to sunbath and if you have one, take a boat out or do a bit of surfing and just general beach day type of things.
2. Marlo
Marlo is a small fishing village where we decided to drive to from Wilson’s prom before out next point which was Thredbo. We were only there for an evening but we stayed at a lovely little campsite over looking the sea. A really pretty place to visit especially if you (unlike me) enjoy your sea food.
3. Thredbo | Mount Kosciuszko
Thredbo is a truly beautiful little resort town which home the base of Australia’s highest summit Mount Kosciuszko, with the drive from Marlo to Thredbo being perfect for koala spotting with all the eucalyptus trees. By summer, Thredbo is a haven for walkers and mountain bikers with some of the best downhill tracks and incredible scenery. By winter it becomes a popular ski resort where Aussies come and enjoy a holiday on the slopes. The resort itself has a lot going on with bobsledding (which is terrifying, I don’t know how tiny children don’t get scared), spas, swimming pools, play parks, restaurants, bars and shops, not forgetting some really stunning forms of accommodation. From the cheapest being the YHA backpackers hostel to your own private deluxe chalet over looking to mountain face. We opted for the hostel obviously which was still really lovely, waking up to the most beautiful view.
We walked up to the summit which took us roughly 3 hours return but we weren’t really doing it at a slow pace, so it could easily take your longer if you wanted to take it slow, they say to allow at least 6 hours for the return trip.
The views from the top were literally incredible and once we got back down we treated ourselves to hot chocolates and scones at Australia’s highest pub The Eagles Nest. After a long day we went to the bistro in town which had a huge menu and really good value food.
Driving back to Kyneton from Thredbo was one of prettiest drives I had even witnessed, down the winding roads through the big trees and rolling hills that went on for miles, but if you get travel sick I suggest you take something for it down these roads because they’re not for the faint hearted but definitely a site to see through your own eyes if you get the chance!
We covered a lot of ground.. 1496km to be exact which we worked out to be around the same distance as London to Venice! Not bad for a long weekend away.
If you have a spare few days and want something fairly cheap with beautiful scenes and you love a bit of adventure then this is the perfect little trip to take with a few friends. It’s cheap, easy to find all the places and makes a great bunch of photos to make all your friends and family back home super jealous.
Plus you can say you’ve stood on the very top of Australia!
Happy travels!
