After spending 3 months in New Zealand, Victoria was the start of our journey through Australia.
We arrived in Melbourne and wanted to spend a few weeks here to learn about the Coffee Culture in Melbourne, buy a Campervan, play golf and plan the beginning of our road trip. We were so excited and really looking forward to the journey ahead!
While in Melbourne, we planned to get together with some awesome people that we had met via our Instagram account @putteringaroundtheworld.
While Sightseeing in Melbourne, we went on a free walking tour of the city and visited the State Library of Victoria and some different neighborhoods.
After the New Year, we continued to our next state, New South Wales.
All roads lead to Victoria
Little did we know at the time how much the world would change in just a few months. COVID-19 hit, and nothing was the same as it was before. Unplanned, we would return to Victoria several times.
Our first return trip back to VIC was from South Australia. A corona case had occurred in SA, and the state decided to go into a lockdown at midnight. Crossing the border well before midnight, we drove back to Melbourne, where we stayed for two weeks before we were allowed to travel to Tasmania, where we spent almost four months.
After Tassie, we returned to Melbourne for a few days to play golf before continuing our trip via the incredible Great Ocean Road.
Back in SA, combined with several Housesits, we explored the Limestone Coast and the Fleurieu Peninsula, before heading back to Victoria where we spent the winter on the Bellarine Peninsula. We also had the chance to visit the beautiful Wilsons Promontory, a national park that was simply breathtaking!
Victoria, The Place to Be
Yes, we know that Victoria is the Place to Be, but you’re probably wondering why all this back and forth? Because we still hadn’t played Royal Melbourne yet! So we gave ourselves one last attempt.
We had planned to stay in Victoria for five weeks, and unfortunately because of COVID, went into lockdown three times during this time. The first two weren’t too bad because we were house-sitting. While there, we had the opportunity to help as volunteers in a wildlife sanctuary and had an unforgettable experience.
But the third lockdown really hit us hard. Where should we stay? When would we be able to go back to South Australia? Would we be able to continue to Western Australia? An uncertain time had dawned, and high numbers of infections meant that there was no end in sight to the lockdowns.
But, we got lucky again and were able to spend the last lockdown in “our room” from our last house sit. As soon as the restrictions were lifted, we traveled over Torquay to the Grampians National Park, Lake Lascelles, and even did the Silo Art Trail!
We absolutely had to drive the beautiful Great Ocean Road again. As the Western Australia border was still closed, we had decided to finish our Australia trip in South Australia, wandering around Kangaroo Island, playing the Nullarbor Links, and then flying back home from Adelaide.
We spent a lot of time in Victoria but didn’t really get to see it. Everything that we did see was incredible, and we would return in a heartbeat. Oh, and by the way, we were able to play golf at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club 😊
Summary of Links
Sightseeing in Melbourne
Coffee Culture in Melbourne
Buying a Campervan in Australia
The Great Ocean Road
Best Things to do on the Bellarine Peninsula
Jirrahlinga Koala and Wildlife Sanctuary
Wilsons Promontory – A beautiful National Park
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