Exploring the Greater Melbourne Region: Our Favourite Hidden Gems
Whether you’re searching for a slower pace, looking to reconnect with nature, or are keen to do a Yarra Valley wine tour after spending plenty of time exploring the Hunter Valley from hill to sloping hill, then you’ll be sure to find plenty to love about the Greater Melbourne region. From national parklands to wineries, hiking trails, and even wildlife sanctuaries, there is so much that the Greater Melbourne region offers when it comes to rich and unique experiences. In fact, there’s so much to be explored over the Greater Melbourne region that we’ve created a list of our favourite hidden gems. Read on to see what attractions and experiences you can enjoy during your next reprieve from the bustling city chaos.
Healesville, Yarra Ranges
Within the famous Yarra Valley you will find Healesville, a small town known not only for its food and wine spoils, but also its local boutique stores, and even a particularly unique animal attraction. There’s actually so much to explore in Healesville that you could really spend your whole Greater Melbourne getaway here. Thankfully, it’s also easy enough to find Healesville accommodation that’s in proximity to any of the attractions that pique your fancy, be it the wineries dotting the region’s outskirts or even Healesville Sanctuary.
Healesville Sanctuary is a wildlife park that was originally established in 1934 with a dedication to Australian native animal breeding programs. Since they first opened their doors, the sanctuary has maintained an unwavering commitment to this mission, and actually holds the honour of being home to the first ever platypus born in captivity in the mid 1940’s.
In modern times, the sanctuary is set within Healesville’s thriving natural biomes, allowing visitors to move through open spaces to get an up close and personal experience with native Australian animals. With the added bonus of supporting a sanctuary dedicated to protecting endangered Australian native wildlife, there are plenty of reasons to add Healesville Sanctuary to your bucket list.
Kinglake National Park, Kinglake West
Renowned for its breathtaking waterfalls and sweeping eucalyptus forests, Kinglake National Park is a favourite for many Melburnians. Considering that this hidden gem is also just over an hour's drive from the Melbourne CBD, the park itself is a great destination for weekend getaways.
Heading into the slopes of the Great Dividing Range, you’ll be met with lush foliage with hiking trails that are always being updated to ensure hiker safety. Taking these trails not only means exploring the amazing regenerative gum trees that have made their home amongst the bushfire region, but hikers also embark on trails hoping to catch a rare sighting of a wombat or even an echidna.
If you’re more of a thrill seeker however, there is also a Double Black Diamond-rated mountain biking track that’s sure to delight. With jumps and obstacles, the Bowden Spur mountain bike area is indefatigably not for rookies. This 2km track also boasts a 233m incline that offers a great adrenalin rush for experienced and courageous mountain bikers.
Ferny Creek, Dandenong Ranges
The Dandenong Ranges would be an obvious entry on any Melbourne or Victoria travel list. But seeing as we’re sharing ‘hidden gems’ today, we’re going to steer you away from classics like Puffing Billy or the Kokoda Track, and towards less frequented areas with a charm that rivals the old steam engine train.
Today, the spotlight will instead be on Ferny Creek, a quieter locale that neighbours Ferntree Gully, and is home to many understated attractions – including Sherbrooke Falls. Settled amongst a quaint yet well-maintained forested national park area, the Sherbrooke Track or the O’Donohue Track leads you through dense tree ferns and stringy barks until you come upon the falls themselves. A small creek cascading into a gully is just the kind of tranquil experience that you would expect to find far off the beaten track. However, this hidden gem awaits merely a forty-five minute drive from the city of Melbourne.
And for fans of botanic gardens, Ferny Creek also boasts maintained garden spaces akin to those you can find across Olinda. Our favourite has to be Pirianda Garden, which provides a fairytale backdrop to any casual stroll. With diverse plant life and easy paved paths, the leisurely hiker and flora enthusiast is sure to find the gentle pace of this garden more favourable.
Werribee, City of Wyndham
Werribee may be a familiar place name for most holiday goers as it is home to the Werribee Open Range Zoo, a safari-style experience which lets visitors get up close and personal with exotic animals like lions, giraffes, zebras, bison, ostriches, and of course, kangaroos and other native Australian animals across the zoo’s signature Australian Trail – although this may have you feel like you’re right back in Healesville!But there’s more to Werribee than just its animal attractions, as this often overlooked suburb on Melbourne’s outskirts possesses its own rich history, and the Werribee Park Mansion is testament to that. If you’ve explored some of Sydney’s best architectural attractions, then you can’t leave Melbourne without getting a tour of this Italianate-style abode.
A heritage-listed building, the Werribee Park Mansion is a large basalt and sandstone structure with Renaissance Revival influences. With 60 rooms spread out over expansive wings, this former wool merchant mogul’s mansion is a marvel to behold. There is a small fee to enter the mansion, but if you’d rather admire it from the exterior, the Werribee Park Gardens and Victoria State Rose Garden provide free entry to the public within garden opening hours.
Fans of animal attractions and architectural marvels will undoubtedly be pleasantly surprised by their explorations of Werribee.
Leave the city behind
However you choose to spend your time when holidaying near Melbourne, there is such a rich expanse of experiences and attractions to get around that don’t require you to travel too far from the city centre. So next time you’re planning a Melbourne getaway, visit these hidden gems to enjoy all the new experiences they present, and to see a side of Victoria you likely have never seen before.