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Victoria (Melbourne Region) |
| Ballarina Peninsula | |
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To the east of Geelong lies the Bellarine Peninsula which is famous for
safe swimming, water sports, excellent fishing and golf. Towns including
St Leonards, Ocean Grove, Port Arlington, Point Lonsdale and Barwon Heads
offer a wide array of accommodation and activities.
Heading west from Melbournetowards Geelong – for the Bellarine Peninsula or the Great Ocean Road – it’s just a short detour off the Princes Freeway to WERRIBEE (or a half-hour train ride from Melbourne; zone 3), where the extraordinary Mansion at Werribee Park, built by two Scottish squatters made rich beyond their wildest dreams, is located on K Road (daily 10am–5pm; $10). Beyond the Mansion’s formal gardens are the extensive grounds of Victoria’s Open Range Zoo grassland where animals from Africa, Asia and Australia (giraffes, rhinoceroses, hippopotamuses, monkeys and other creatures) roam in large open enclosures. A safari bus takes visitors through the property and is included in the admission price (daily 10am–5pm; bus tours depart between 10am and 3.40pm; $14). |
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along the freeway, you can detour west again through Little River to the You
Yangs, small but rugged volcanic peaks which rise sharply out of the
surrounding plains. Scramble to the top of the highest, Flinders Peak
(348m), which Matthew Flinders climbed in 1802, and you’re rewarded with
fine views of Geelong and Port Phillip Bay. The You Yangs, as well as the
nearby Brisbane Ranges, are excellent places for spotting
kangaroos, wallabies, koalas and possums at dusk.
Alternatively, you can observe kangaroos, wallabies and emus, as well as numerous waterbirds, in their natural habitat at the little-known Serendip Sanctuary, 20km north of Geelong at 100 Windermere Rd, Lara (daily 10am–4pm; $5). A refuge for threatened birds of the Western Plains of Victoria, this square kilometre of bush-, marsh-and wetlands, was originally part of an extensive sheep property. The sanctuary is renowned for its captive breeding programme of brolgas, magpie geese and Australian bustards, which has been in operation for more than twenty years. The romantic holiday resort of Queenscliff is steeped in history with grand guest houses, stately old buildings and Victorian homes. Queenscliff offers a charming insight into life in the 1800s and showcases the art of gracious living. The Queenscliff Maritime Centre and Museum reveals the town's relationship with the sea and its early beginnings as a port. For more regional information on Ballarine Peninsula, go to: |
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