1. Alba Thermal Springs & Spa, Mornington Peninsula 2. Wildlife Coast Cruises, Phillip Island 3. Penguin Parade, Phillip Island TOP TIPS FOR ITINERARY PLANNING Some sights are only seen in the early morning, early evening or at night. So you may be best to make a really early start on some days, to catch wildlife feeding in its natural habitat, go hot air ballooning or watch sunrise over breakfast. When the sun is going down, you could take a sunset champagne cruise, watch the famous little penguins on Phillip Island, or stargaze from a naturally heated mineral water pool. EARLY MORNING If you’re up with birds each morning, you’re also up with a lot of other native wildlife, such as kangaroos, wallabies, wombats and echidnas. Best spots to watch them include: Greens Bush on the Mornington Peninsula, the You Yangs Precinct on the Bellarine Peninsula and the Eastern Sherbrooke Forest Walk in the Dandenongs for the beautiful but elusive lyre birds. Early morning is also THE time to go hot air ballooning in the Yarra Valley, drifting over vineyards and farmlands at dawn before a champagne breakfast. If you’re on the Mornington Peninsula or the Bellarine Peninsula, early morning is the perfect time to take a dolphin cruise. LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING Head for the peaceful Yarra River banks at Warburton to spot native platypus playing in the river in the late afternoon. In the evening there’s the celebrated Penguin Parade on Phillip Island, when hundreds of little penguins waddle from the sea to their burrows. From mid-April to early May 300,000 shearwater chicks make a spectacular sunset departure to fly 16,000 km from Phillip Island to feed near Alaska in the northern summer. Also on Phillip Island, Wildlife Coast Cruises have leisurely twilight bay cruises through the sheltered waters of Western Port Bay. Sip a drink from the bar and watch the towns light up around the bay as the sun sets. At the Mornington Peninsula’s Moonlit Sanctuary, lantern-lit tours revealing rare and endangered nocturnal species give a whole newmeaning to nightlife. And if you’re up in the Dandenong Ranges, take a dinner excursion on the vintage Puffing Billy train, then head for Mt Dandenong and the extraordinary views of Melbourne’s night lights. Near Geelong, The Q Train makes delicious dinner trips with local produce featuring on the menu. STARGAZING No city lights, just pure, clear country air and a vast canopy of stars in the southern skies. Lie back in the naturally heated mineral water pools at Peninsula Hot Springs or Alba Thermal Springs on the Mornington Peninsula and look for shooting stars; walk under the star-studded sky at Cowes, Newhaven, Rhyll or San Remo on Phillip Island. On the Bellarine Peninsula, head right to the end of Point Lonsdale Jetty, to The Bluff at Barwon Heads or the hills around Portarlington for stargazing. WE’RE HERE TO HELP Go Beyond Melbourne (GBM) is a new touring partnership created to provide inspiration and tools for planning a multi-day tour around four extraordinary regions – each within 90 minutes of Melbourne. GBM will help you create inspiring and memorable journeys to take your visitors beyond the city centre on a personalised road trip. Just check the customised itineraries starting on page 26. 1 3 2 6
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