Victoria might not be as big in size as some of the other Aussie states, but with landscapes ranging from sand dunes to arid plains and dramatic alpine mountains, Victoria certainly has its fair share of spectacular scenery. If you’re looking for a nature escape in the garden state, here are some of Victoria’s best national parks.
Wilsons Promontory National Park
A hike up Mount Oberon serves you with views right across the Wilsons Promontory National Park.The southern-most tip of the Australian mainland, ‘The Prom’ as it’s affectionately known, is a wonderland of secluded beaches, forests, rivers and mountains to explore. A three-hour drive from Melbourne in the Gippsland region, this is a popular weekend destination from Melbourne. So popular in fact that some campgrounds require a ballot to secure summer holiday bookings!
Alpine National Park
The Alpine National Park is home to many alpine huts like Wallace Hut, once used by sheep farmers, today by hikers and mountain bikers in the summertime. (Image: Getty)Victoria’s largest national park and home to the state’s highest peaks, Alpine National Park is also a popular destination for a host of activities year round. Home to some of Australia’s best ski resorts, the park also offers excellent fishing, mountain biking, white water rafting, bush walking and camping.
Grampians National Park
Cool off after a hike at Mackenzie Falls in the Grampians National Park. (Image: Getty)The Grampians packs a punch in more ways than one. Home to one of southeast Australia’s richest indigenous rock art sites, the park is also where you’ll find over a third of Victoria’s endemic plant species and a range of native wildlife. Explore spectacular sandstone mountains, dense forests and rivers with kayaking, fishing or bushwalking along 150 kilometres of walking tracks.
Murray-Sunset National Park
The pink lakes in the Murray-Sunset National Park get their hue from a red pigment produced by a natural algae in the lake. The colour is best seen on a cloudy day, or early or late in the day. (Image: Getty)One of the farthest from Melbourne, in Victoria’s northwest corner, this park is one of the world’s last untouched semi-arid regions. A great place for four wheel driving, camping and bushwalking, the park is also renowned for its star-filled night skies and spectacular pink salt lakes.
Tarra Bulga National Park
Corrigan's Suspension Bridge leads you right through the heart of the rainforest. (Image: Getty) Known for its giant mountain ash trees, ancient myrtle beech trees and fern gullies, this national park in South Gippsland is a magical rainforest wonderland, well worth a visit. Be sure to walk to the Corrigan’s Suspension Bridge, spanning a rainforest canopy, and meander along the many walking tracks, abundant with native birdlife and animals.
Port Campbell National Park
The Twelve Apostles are Port Campbell National Park's biggest draw card, and well worth a visit at sunset. (Image: Getty)Possibly Victoria’s most famous national park, this is where you will find the spectacular Twelve Apostles. Explore the dramatic sandstone coastline along the Great Ocean Road; including the 19th century shipwreck of ‘Loch Ard’ and the London Bridge rock formation via walking tracks, scenic driving routes and lookouts.
Great Otway National Park
Beauchamp Falls in the Great Otway National Park are just one of many stunning waterfalls you can hike to. (Image: Getty)Stretching along the Great Ocean Road from Torquay to Princtown and inland, this national park is known for its rugged coastlines, dense rainforests, waterfalls and lakes. Take to raised walkways along the rainforest floor, surf at one of the many windswept beaches or camp in a protected valley.
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