Destination: Victoria, Australia

Victoria, Australia

Odyssey offers easy, convenient, and relaxed escorted small group tours across the great state of Victoria. We explore the state’s unspoiled native wilderness, its historic colonial towns, World Heritage Sites, and large multicultural cities, with some truly spectacular scenery along the way. This and more is all waiting to be explored on one of Odyssey’s small group tours of Victoria, designed for the senior traveller, and led by experienced, and enthusiastic like minded people.

Located in Australia‘s south eastern corner, Victoria is Australia‘s second smallest, though second most populous state. Covering an area roughly the size of the U.K, or about half the size of California, Victoria is home to approximately 6.6 million people, three-quarters of whom live in its capital, Melbourne . Victoria features a variety of landscapes and climates, with a temperate, and verdant coast and central region, semi arid plains in the west and north-west, and the snow capped Victorian Alps at the base of the Great Dividing Range in the north-east. Victoria is divided from the neighbouring state of NSW by the Murray River which begins in the Great Dividing Range and then flows west. The Murray River is Australia ‘s longest river and historically the lifeblood of agricultural and commercial life throughout Victoria. On a small group tour of Victoria this varied landscape provides the senior traveller with many different scenic and cultural experiences. Travellers to Victoria can enjoy the rich cultural life of Melbourne, which vies with Sydney for the title of Australia ‘s cultural capital, with a rich arts and culinary scene renowned the world over. Victoria ‘s natural beauty is also easy to find, with sights such as the iconic “Twelve Apostles” on the Great Ocean Road easily accessible from the state’s capital. Victoria also benefits from being able to offer a great wine tour experience for the senior traveller. So, visit a national park, watch the penguin parade, take a wine tour with your tour guide in the Yarra Valley or simply sit back and enjoy some great coffee in one of Melbourne‘s famous cafes on your small group tour of Victoria with Odyssey.

History

Victoria‘s earliest history stretches back to its Indigenous peoples , who have a history in the region that stretches back nearly 40,000 years prior to European colonisation. This period of habitation dwarfs the colonial era by a staggering 172 times and traces of indigenous civilisation can still be found in many places in Victoria. The first European presence in the region came around the year 1803, with a settlement around Sullivan Bay that would later grow into the state’s capital of Melbourne. The early years of European settlement were dominated by the drive west with sheep as the Europeans, hungry for new pastures, dispossessed the earlier inhabitants. In these early years, different settlements in Australia and New Zealand were joined as part of the greater colony of New South Wales. As the middle of the century came round many of these regions opted for independence, with the state of Victoria separating from NSW in the year 1851, and naming itself ‘Victoria‘ in honour of Queen Victoria , the sitting British Monarch at the time.

The next, and most transformative phase of Victorian history came with the discovery of gold near towns like Ballarat and Bendigo causing a flurry of excitement and growth unparalleled anywhere else in Australia. The Victorian gold rush in the 1850s and 1860s was a period of explosive growth, with Victoria ‘s population swelling by over 700% during this short time period. The excitement was spurred on by historic finds, including the famous ‘ Welcome Stranger ‘ nugget, which at 72kg remains the largest gold nugget ever found. This period, however, was not without its troubles, with extortionate mining taxes culminating in an armed insurrection known as the ‘ Eureka Stockade ‘ rebellion in 1854 near the town of Ballarat. On the Odyssey “Gold Rush Towns and Gardens” tour of Victoria we journey though many of the most historic gold towns, learning about their rise and, when the gold ran out, their decline.

The rapid growth of Victoria also left it vulnerable to the dangers of financial speculation, which at the time saw Melbourne touted as the second fastest growing city in the British Empire after London itself. Over investment and development, despite shaping Melbourne‘s architecture till today, eventually collapsed under its own weight, and saw Melbourne settle into a more natural rate of growth. (Odyssey’s “Marvellous Melbourne” tour allows for a close examination of the many fine buildings erected during this period of growth in the 19th century.) By the time of federation in 1901, Melbourne was still Australia ‘s largest city, and vied with Sydney for the right to become Australia ‘s new Capital city. (This rivalry between the two most populated states still persists today.) A settlement was eventually reached with the decision to construct a new capital for the nation somewhere between the two, with Melbourne acting as the temporary capital until a new city was constructed. This ended with the town of Canberra becoming the newly completed Capital in 1927.

Map of the Australian Continent.

Travelling to Victoria

A tour of Victoria can offer a wide variety of experiences, landscapes, and climates, each steeped in the history and natural beauty abundant in the state. You can journey from the metropolitan laneways of Melbourne, to the lush wine country of the Yarra Valley, or tour the natural beauty of the iconic Great Ocean Road . A good place to start off a tour of Victoria is in its capital city Melbourne, with its historic architecture, museums, gardens and galleries. Melbourne is renowned for its culture and arts’ scene, with theatres, art galleries, and music being some of the highlights of the city. Melbourne also has some of Australia‘s best food and coffee, with many identifiable epicurean trends tracing their origins back to one or another café tucked away in a Melbourne laneway. You can enjoy a memorable lunch, or content yourself with a morning tea in one of the historic hotels in the Melbourne CBD. The architecture of the city itself is also impressive, with many of its Victorian style buildings dating back to the boom era during the gold rush, creating a unique and distinctive flair that punctuates the Melbourne cityscape. You can visit a National Trust property such as “Rippon Lea”, wander through the reconstructed dock land or take a guided walk through the Victorian arcades. Take a short day trip away from Melbourne and you can also find Phillip Island, with its much loved penguin parade. Here you can witness unique Australian wildlife in their natural (and rather adorable) state. Each night Australia ‘s largest colony of Little Penguins comes ashore at Phillip Island Nature Park , with a spectacular penguin parade of small black and white suits flooding the beaches. Whether you are traveling solo, or with company, this fantastic trip is one that should not be missed.

The Yarra Valley

Melbourne is built on the banks of the Yarra River and if you follow the Yarra north east from Melbourne, eventually you’ll come upon the Yarra Valley. The Yarra Valley is the perfect place for a wine tour, with wines from the Yarra being amongst the most famous and sought after in the country. What’s more, the Yarra Valley is only a short distance away from the city, making it ideal for a day tour , or even just an afternoon at a winery or two. you might like to sip a glass of wine while enjoying panoramic views across the valley.

The Great Ocean Road

In the other direction, heading south west, you could instead opt for a Great Ocean Road tour. Situated just south of Geelong, past the Bellarine Peninsula and beginning in the town of Torquay, the Great Ocean Road is a spectacular heritage listed roadway running along Victoria‘s southern coast. The road was built after the end of the First World War by returning soldiers, both as a means of large scale employment for returning soldiers, as well as serving as a large open air war memorial. The road follows Victoria ‘s spectacular coastline along its southern frontier, passing through areas like Apollo Bay and on into the Twelve Apostles Marine National Park, which features limestone stacks rising to immense heights straight out of the ocean. The spectacular coastline drive continues for 243 kilometres before eventually re-joining the highway around the town of Allansford.

Explore further on a small group tour of Victoria.

Other fascinating towns in Victoria, worthy of a tour, include Beechworth, a historic mining town in Victoria‘s north east with a connection to the notorious bush ranger, Ned Kelly. Here you can take a guided walk past deserted mines, or explore the historic court house. Some gold rush towns such as Bendigo, and Ballarat, have preserved much of their historic character since the time of the 19th century gold rushes. On the small group tour, “Gold Rush Towns and Gardens” of Victoria with Odyssey, a guided walk though these cities provides an overview of the area’s history. While in Ballarat it is worth visiting Sovereign Hill, which plays host to a fully thematic and costumed re-enactment of the gold rush era, with shops, cafes for morning tea or lunch, and even gold prospecting serving as fun activity during the day. The battle of the Eureka Stockade, when the miners revolted against the imposition of unjust taxes, is commemorated in the museum. Other gold rush towns, such as Chiltern, dwindled or disappeared entirely after the gold had all been mined. The interested traveller can explore a number of these ghost towns on a small group tour to Victoria with Odyssey.

The Murray river is also dotted with historic towns and settlements, many of which once served as the commercial lifeblood of Victoria ‘s economy. Today, towns like Mildura, Cobram and Echuca can be found along the route of the river and its tributaries. Paddle steamers once carted wool bales and essential supplies along the river and a fantastic trip is available on one of the historic boats still afloat on the river. The river towns, with their historic character and small town charm, are among the more memorable sights on a tour to Victoria . One of the best way to experience what Victoria has to offer is with a small group tour . Odyssey specialises in this kind of tour, offering an engaged and intimate tour of Victoria ideal for seniors, solo travellers , and couples heading to Australia and Victoria .

Small group tours of Victoria and Outback Australia

Odyssey’s collection of Australia tour packages with a tour manager, enables you to explore each state in Australia. From Odyssey’s escorted “Small Group Tour Australia 2021 Portfolio” you can select a city based tour in one of the capital cities or go much further afield. You might like to enjoy an Australia holiday package into the Western Australia outback of the extraordinary Kimberley region or perhaps venture into South Australia ‘s Flinders Ranges. We can take you to Kakadu in The Northern Territory during the wet with an experienced local guide, or you might just like to spend a week on holiday in Tasmania‘s capital, Hobart, learning about a range of subjects on Odyssey’s Summer Schools tour package. The Wild Flowers of Western Australia tour with a local guide, provides a fantastic trip for the traveller interested native flora, as does the tour to western NSW including Lake Mungo National Park, for those with an interest in geology or indigenous history. Our collection of some 70 scheduled small group tour departures across almost 20 different tours, provides plenty of choice for an Australian holiday . You can make your booking direct for your Australia escorted tour with us, or via your travel agent or travel consultant .

A small group tour of Australia is a journey between cities with up to 250 years of settlement history and an outback, which has some of the oldest known geologic material on earth. But importantly, it has one of the longest and truly fascinating known periods of human settlement. Indigenous Australians settled via a land bridge on the continent from Southeast Asia at least 85,000 years before the first Europeans from Portugal and Spain began exploration in the 17th century. For senior and mature travellers, a small group tour of Australia is a unique experience.

A country the size of America, with one of the longest coastlines in the World, where some 80% of the population lives on Australia ‘s east coast, separated from the outback by the low mountains of the great dividing range. Australia ‘s geographic diversity, in landforms, flora, and wildlife, is part of its charm, providing the back drop for a small group adventure in the winter period . Whilst the Great Barrier reef, Kangaroos and Koalas are well known, the biodiversity in the native Australian wildlife on any escorted tour complete witha local guide into the outback is amazing. Though the biodiversity present is often missed until a good tour guide or travel expert shares their knowledge with you as you travel often on a epic journey across one of the world’s most beautiful and fascinating countries. Australia across the outback and in a national park such as Purnululu national park , the Blue Mountains , Kuku Yalanji, the Great Barrier reef and Kata tjuta accounts for some 10% of the Worlds biodiversity, on any tour of Australia travellers will often see wildlife ready to be photographed.

Reaching your Destinations

Travel is a challenge as once you leave the major cities of Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane on a trip by car or an escorted tour by coach, the sheer scale of the Australian outback begins to reveal itself as the journey unfolds. It is a scale often unrecognised when flying to Cairns or Port Douglas from Sydney to explore a UNESCO world heritage site like the Daintree rainforest or the Great Barrier reef in far North Queensland. You may arrive in Cairns in less than 3 hours by plane, but on the road, through the outback, this journey for a tour group is an adventure , that will run for a few days. A road trip often described as an epic journey, that requires planning and destinations selected in advance. The same rules apply for the journey to Alice Springs and Uluru ( Ayers rock ) in the Kata tjuta national park, from Sydney. This trip passes through another UNESCO world heritage site of the Blue mountains. Farmland and rural towns disappear as the drive takes you towards the Northern Territory, three thousand kilometres away. Uluru Ayers rock, it is desert and it is the Australian outback! The journey to and from Uluru to Sydney is 6 days of driving, via Alice Spring , with very little in between, just the outback. The scale of the outback and the hidden history can often be missed on a journey in a car. When you travel as part of a small group tour of Australia with Odyssey, your tour guide, whether on Kangaroo Island, in the Northern territory or on a day tour within Western Australia deep in the Kimberley, will be sharing stories with you about the Australian wildlife and some of world’s most beautiful dreamtime stories from the indigenous Australian community as you journey through the outback at time immersed in Aboriginal culture. For you our client, our discovery Australia tours seek to create programs of learning as your travel.

Responsible travel tips for Australia

• Before departing, make sure you have a number of AU dollars in a range of denominations. You don’t want to be carrying around enormous amounts of cash, but take enough to make it easy to pay in locations that might not accept credit card. It will also help you avoid card transaction fees, and it makes tipping a breeze.
• Carry a card in your wallet or purse from your local hotel, to assist you with the return journey if you do become lost.
• Always ensure that you are covered by travel insurance. If you need advice on this feel free to contact Odyssey and we’ll be able to help.
• Before departing, make sure you have a number of AUD in a range of denominations. You don’t want to be carrying around enormous amounts of cash, but take enough to make it easy to pay in locations that might not accept credit card. It will also help you avoid card transaction fees, and it makes tipping a breeze.
• When travelling independently, make sure you check the opening hours of shops and museums so that you don’t miss out! Also be certain to check whether your trip coincides with any public holidays, so you can plan accordingly.
• Before departing on your trip, contact your bank to inform them that you may be making purchases overseas. Otherwise, they may flag any activity on your account as suspicious. Also, check which ATMs and banks are compatible with your cards, to ensure you can withdraw cash with minimal fees.