Day trips from Melbourne, wine country or the coast
Two scheduled days out of the city, both hosted and driven for you: our Yarra Valley wine tours, and soon the Great Ocean Road. Rather have the vehicle and host to yourselves? We run private days to six places within an easy drive of Melbourne.
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Melbourne owned and operated since 2015No booking fees or card surchargesSince 2015, we’ve been sharing the Victoria we love. Best known for our Yarra Valley wine tours, we’re a small local team creating memorable journeys filled with great places, great people and plenty of good times.
Where would you like to go?
An hour inland to the vineyards, or a long day west along the coast. Both leave the city in the morning and have you home the same evening.
Yarra Valley wine tours
Victoria’s oldest wine region, and the easiest full day out of Melbourne. Choose the Epic or Amazing full day, or the Relaxed half day with a late morning start.
From $119 per adult
Best for anyone who wants cellar doors without a designated driver
Great Ocean Road
We run it in reverse, so the Twelve Apostles come before the coach crowds, and you are back in the city by about 6pm.
Planned fares from $129 per adult
Best for a first visit to the coast, without a fifty seat coach
Your own day out
A vehicle and host to yourselves, collected from your door, with the day built around your group. The Yarra Valley, the Mornington Peninsula, the Bellarine, the Macedon Ranges, the Great Ocean Road or Phillip Island.
Best for celebrations, families and groups who want the day their way
Send us your date and who is coming on WhatsApp, and we will point you to the right one.
Booking with us is simple
Pick a Yarra Valley tour and a date, register for the Great Ocean Road, or tell us about the private day you have in mind.
Yarra Valley tours book online with live availability. For a private day, Selina or Kim send a plan and a quote, usually the same day.
Yarra Valley tours meet in Southbank. Private days start from your door. Either way, one host stays with you all day.
Collected from the city
Pickup is from central Melbourne, with the exact points and times on each tour page.
One host all day
The same person drives, handles the timing and stays with the group from pickup to drop off.
Kept small
Small groups rather than a fifty seat coach, so stops are quicker and the day feels less like a queue.
Home the same evening
Return transport is included, and every tour has you back in Melbourne that night.
What a day with us looks like
Both days, hour by hour, so you know what you are signing up for before you open a tour page.
A day in the valley
These times come from the Epic full day. The order of stops can move with traffic and the venues, but the shape of the day stays the same.
Prefer a later start? The Relaxed half day meets in Southbank at 11:45am.
Meet in Southbank
At the Arts Centre Melbourne Spire on St Kilda Road, then out of the city before the traffic builds.
First tasting, a historic winery
Yering Station, Victoria’s first vineyard, planted in 1838. A hosted tasting to start the day properly.
Second tasting, then lunch
A hosted tasting, then a two course lunch with a glass of wine at the same winery.
Third tasting, a boutique winery
A smaller maker, where the person pouring often made what is in the glass.
Fourth tasting, your choice
A fourth winery as standard, or a gin distillery or craft brewery if you chose that when booking.
The Chocolaterie
Chocolate, ice cream and something to take home. Entry is included.
Back in Melbourne
Drop off at Federation Square, a short walk from Flinders Street Station.
A day on the coast, in reverse
Inland first, the Apostles mid morning, and the coast road home in the afternoon light. Times will move a little with traffic and weather.
Bookings are not open yet. Register your interest and we will tell you first.
Hotel pickups
Selected city hotels from 7:00am, then west and inland from 7:20am.
Breakfast in Colac
Pastries and coffee at a local bakery, the last easy stop before the coast.
The Twelve Apostles
Mid morning light, and room to walk both lookouts before the tour coaches arrive.
Loch Ard Gorge and Gibson Steps
A sheltered beach between limestone cliffs, then the steps down to the sand beneath the stacks if you would like.
Lunch at Apollo Bay
Fish and chips on the harbour, a bakery or a quick sit down, at your own expense. Koala spotting on the way, where the gums look promising.
Lorne, the Memorial Arch and Anglesea
Teddy’s Lookout above Lorne, the timber arch at Eastern View, kangaroos on the grass at Anglesea, then the Chocolaterie.
Back at Southern Cross
One drop off, right on the train, tram and airport bus network.
Daily tour or private day?
Both are hosted and driven for you. The difference is who you share the day with, and how much of it is yours to shape.
Daily tour
Private day
Who comes
You join a small group
Just your group
Where
The Yarra Valley now, the Great Ocean Road soon
The Yarra Valley, the Mornington Peninsula, the Bellarine, the Macedon Ranges, the Great Ocean Road or Phillip Island
Price
From $119 per adult
Quoted for your group, usually the same day
Starts from
A central Melbourne meeting point
Your door, at a time that suits you
The day
A set itinerary, with three to choose from in the Yarra Valley
Built around what your group enjoys
Best for
Solo travellers, couples and small groups of friends
Celebrations, families, work days and bigger groups
How to book
Pick a date and book online
Tell us about the day and we send a plan
More day trips from Melbourne, as a private day
Every place on this map is a comfortable day out of Melbourne with your own vehicle and host. Tell us where you would like to go and who is coming, and we will shape the day and send a quote.
Where we can take you
Yarra Valley
Daily and private tours, wineries, chocolate and gin. The closest classic wine tour day.
≈ 1 hr from Melbourne · 55 km
Mornington Peninsula
Boutique cellar doors, Pinot Noir, long lunches, hot springs and coastline.
≈ 1½ hrs from Melbourne · 80 km
Bellarine & Geelong
Relaxed cellar doors, bay views, cider, breweries and whisky.
≈ 1 hr 20 from Melbourne · 95 km
Macedon Ranges
Cool climate wine, boutique cellar doors, Hanging Rock and mountain country.
≈ 1 hr from Melbourne · 70 km
Great Ocean Road
The coast road at your own pace, with the crowds behind you.
≈ 3 hrs to the Twelve Apostles · 220 km
Phillip Island
Wildlife, surf beaches and the penguins at dusk.
≈ 1 hr 45 from Melbourne · 140 km
When is the best time for a day trip from Melbourne?
Every season suits a day out, just differently. Here is how the valley and the coast change through the year.
Autumn
Harvest in the valley, with the vines turning gold and red and the cellar doors busy with vintage. The coast is often settled and clear.
Winter
Log fires, bold reds and quieter cellar doors in the valley. The coast is wild and dramatic, so bring a warm layer and a rain jacket.
Spring
Budburst and bright green vines, blossom at the farm gates, and the rainforest in the Otways at its greenest.
Summer
Long days, whites and rosé on the deck, and the coast at its busiest, which is exactly why we run it in reverse.
Give a day out this Christmas
Left it late? Vouchers arrive by email straight away, even on Christmas morning. Choose one of our tours or a dollar amount, good for three years.
Ride with Santa through the Christmas lights
A private one hour pedicab ride from Fed Square, just for your group. Thursdays to Saturdays in December, plus Christmas Eve.
Questions people ask before choosing
The practical ones about how a day out with us works. Anything about a particular tour, the fare or what is included sits on that tour’s own page.
Which day trip suits a first visit to Melbourne?
If wine is part of the plan, the Yarra Valley is the classic first day out: about an hour from the city, with three tours to choose from. For the coast, the Great Ocean Road is the one most visitors want to see, and ours runs in reverse so you reach the Twelve Apostles before the crowds. It opens for bookings soon.
Do I need a car, or do you drive?
We drive. Return transport from Melbourne is part of every day tour, so nobody in the group has to think about the road or the drink driving limit. All you need to do is get yourself to the pickup point.
Where do you pick up from?
Pickup is from central Melbourne, and each tour page lists its own points and times. If you are staying outside the city, message us before you book and we will tell you the easiest way to meet the group.
How long is the drive, really?
The Yarra Valley is about an hour each way, so most of the day is spent in the valley. The Great Ocean Road is a genuinely long day in the vehicle, and ours still has you back in the city by about 6pm. The map above shows every place we go with its drive time.
Can we do any of these as a private day?
Yes. Every place on this page can be a private day with your own vehicle and host, collected from your door: the Yarra Valley, the Mornington Peninsula, the Bellarine and Geelong, the Macedon Ranges, the Great Ocean Road and Phillip Island. Tell us your date and who is coming, and we will send a plan and a quote.
Can children come?
On some days yes, and others suit adults better. Each tour page says where children are welcome, so check the one you are looking at, and tell us their ages when you get in touch so we can point you at the right day.
What happens if it rains?
Tours run in most weather, since much of the day is indoors at venues or in the vehicle. If bad weather means a significant change to your day, we will let you know well in advance. If we have to cancel because of severe weather or anything else beyond our control, you will receive a full refund.
When is the best time of year to go?
Any time. Autumn brings harvest colour to the valley, winter is log fires and reds, spring is green vines and blossom, and summer is long days and whites on the deck. The coast is busiest in summer, which is why we run our Great Ocean Road day in reverse.
How far ahead should I book?
Weekends and holidays go first, so a few weeks ahead is sensible if your date is fixed. Midweek is often available at shorter notice. Even when a date is close it is worth asking, because we can usually tell you straight away.
Is it cheaper to book directly with you?
Are there any booking fees or card surcharges?
No. We don’t charge booking fees or card surcharges, whether you book a daily tour on this website or pay for a private tour or vehicle hire. The fare shown for your date, or the price in your quote, is what you pay, with GST included. Anything a tour doesn’t include, like lunch on the Amazing day or extra drinks, is listed on each tour page, so there are no surprises.
Can I go if I am on my own?
Yes, and plenty of people do. Scheduled tours are shared with other guests, so a solo booking is completely normal and the host will make sure you are looked after. If you would rather not share the vehicle at all, a private tour is the other route.
What if I do not drink?
That is more common than people expect, and nothing about the day is compulsory. Tastings can be skipped, the venues we visit have something non alcoholic on hand, and the scenery and the food are most of the point anyway. Just let us know so the host can plan around it.
Come as guests. Leave as locals.
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Still deciding? Tell us who is coming and we will point you at the right day.
Book a seat on a Yarra Valley tour, register for the Great Ocean Road, or tell us about the private day you have in mind.
Just need a vehicle and driver? See bus and minibus hire with a driver