Weekend Breaks

Question from Anthony:
Hi Guys !! I look up to you, for the help and info that you guys are extending forward.. its truly commendable...I wish I knew about this community when I arrived here.

I am in Melbourne for about 5 months and I have been through all the phases of house & job hunting. Now its time for a break !!!! Since I am here with my wife, we need to break the usual monotony of work and home. We are looking forward towards venturing out more often and checking out some beautiful places here.

Can u suggest a few places that could be a nice weekend break. It could be anything from beaches, to dining, to sight seeing and not to mention cost effective as well :-)

I am sure,all would agree that , if you don't socialize out here, boredom will get you..

Answers:
From Rajan
Hi Anthony, I personally do not know in monetary terms that how much are you willing to pay but following are few places you can go to (Some near to Melb and some far away but within Victoria)

Just one thing to be noted that I personally find YHA as the best and cheapest place to stay if you are a back packer or do nto want to spend much on staying overnight or for couple of days.

1. Great Ocean Road, further than Geelong and a lot of tour companies conducts tours for these places.
2. Mecedon Ranges (If you like lakes, agriculture, wineries etc.)
3. Yarra Vally
4. Mt.Buller, Mt.Baw Baw and Mt.Hotham (If you are into snow and ski, part of north east Victoria)
5. Gippsland and Phillip Island (Penguin parade is pretty famous from Phillip Island)
6. Grampians National Park (It took me about 3 and 1/2 hours to get there but it's a nice place to go to if you like bush walks and rock climbing on the way you would come accross wind farms and other historical places)
7. Dandenong Ranges, Puffing billy, Sky High, (take train from Belgrave for Puffing Billy. On the way to the Dandenong ranges try lunch at Miss Marples 'where mountain highway finishes' )

From Ahmad:
Rialto observation deck...Puffing Billy Railway (thats a must..it starts from near the Belgrave station and takes u on a scenic ride through the Dandenong Ranges...

From Michelle:
I agree with Rajan that the youth hostels are an excellent cheap choice for accommodation. You should also check backpacker directories if there is no youth hostel at your destination. In some places you can hire an onsite van at a caravan park. The prices are similar to Youth Hostels, but with a wider range of destinations.

1. For Spring through to Autumn, I would recommend coastal towns, such as Lorne. In summer the beaches on the surf coast are a great attraction, but the wild seas in winter make a great view too. In winter you can still bushwalk (in the forests), see koalas in the wild if you're lucky, and you also have the cafes and pubs of the town.

2. I would recommend a visit to the Mornington peninsula, especially in the warmer months. At this time of year, the beaches are cold, but there are other attractions to visit, like wineries, Sorrento is a very picturesque little town and there is a very good mineral spa centre. You can relax in the mineral springs all day for $30, all less than an hour's drive from Monash Clayton.

From the Orkut Melbourne Community, reproduced here with permission from Rajan and Ahmad.