Hello again!
This is the 2nd part to my guide on the places to visit at Melbourne or Victoria. Read my part 1 HERE. The 2nd part is more of exploring the natural and geographical historical sites rather than the city area. I love to have a balance of the nature and the city life when visiting a new country.
Brighton beach
Brighton bathing boxes is one of the popular instagrammable places. Located near St Kilda, this is a must go and it is a plus point if you are staying at that area. There are a lot of Airbnbs at St Kilda.
We went during the sunset and surprisingly it was not that crowded. We managed to get a few couple shots without people in the background.
I think that’s because of the fact that it was chilling cold during evening hours! But capturing e sunset spilling onto the bath boxes is so worth it!
Another shot of the Brighton beach. This was when the sun has set. So it was not as bright.
Told ya there weren’t many people!
Cape Schanck
This was near Mornington peninsular national park. I didn’t capture much photos here as I was there for the PWS. Couldn’t capture much since I’m busy holding the gown.
It was super windy that day.
If you love cliffs and seaside shots. A 2 hour drive from the city to here is worth it. Totally recommend coming here if you have the time. You can pass by Yarra valley too as it is on the way!
There is a lighthouse nearby as well which appears on many Instagram accounts.
Great Ocean Road
The famous Great Ocean Road arch. Apparently, this is not the original arch as the original arch was burnt down due to wildfires. Across Ocean Road, there are actually a few spots that are prone to wild fires.
The Great Ocean Road is an Australian National Heritage and is the best road trip you can do in Melbourne!
We signed up with a 2 day tour as we didn’t want to do the driving and wanted to have a guide that can tell us the history of Great Ocean Road.
Kenneth River
Along Great Ocean Road lies Kenneth river. We spotted many wild Koalas, kookaburras, parrots and Lorikeets! The birds are really daring as they will fly and sit on your shoulder for food. As long as you have food, they will come close to you and are not afraid of humans.
Do you spot the koalas bear?
Twelve Apostles
The most iconic part of the tour!
It was super crowded so it was not easy at all to get this shot. We visited during the end of winter, which is considered a non-peak season. Even so, the crowd from the huge tour coaches were still too many! I would definitely advise those visiting there to refrain from going during the peak season during the summer period. I cannot imagine the crowd.
Lorch Ard Gorge
These towering limestone cliffs are a work by nature.
If you are into caves, geographical sites, you would fall in love with these limestones.
London Arch (formerly London Bridge)
Not quite the same as the London bridge in England, this used to be a connected limestone structure before one part of the structure collapsed, leaving an island behind.
After the bridge fell, this has now been renamed to London Arch. I wonder if the song “London Bridge is falling down” is inspired by this?
Grampian National Park
Home to the Kangaroos, wallabies, kolas, emus, birds, enchidnas, this is a wildlife wonderland.
If you love hikes and nature, this is the place to be. It is just another hour or two drive from the Twelve Apostles main site.
There are mountain hikes in this ark that brings you to experience spectacular views.
Lake Bellfield
One of the lookouts.
Reed’s Lookout
With breathtaking views. This was taken near the Jaws of Death where the rocks formations looks like some kind of jaws. Apparently some tourist fell while taking a picture, here it has been named Jaws of Death.
Do note where I am sitting is not the actual Jaws of Death. This was actually just 10 feet tall apparently. The work of illusion!
This is the actual Jaws of Death!
Apparently, the morning at the park was so cold (zero degrees celcius) that there was frost on the ground!
Not very common at the Grampians.
Halls Gap
This is at the heart of the Grampian National Park. Peaceful, quiet and calm.
This is where most of the accommodation are. We stayed at YHA backpackers accommodation but it was really very cozy. They even had a fireplace and the YHA outlet there (they run a chain of backpackers around the globe) is Eco friendly!
As we are in the middle of nature where there is barely any night pollution, you can really spot the stars in the sky! I definitively recommend an overnight stay at the Halls Gap!
You can even spot wild kangaroos at Halls Gap!
MacKenzie Falls
Finally, we visited one last attraction which is a waterfall at the park. This is a steep trail and I definitely do not recommend if you are unfit. I almost lost my breath climbing back up from the fall to the carpark.
However, if love watching the water cascading over the high cliffs, you can definitely visit here. Can’t compare to those I saw at Iceland, but still, it is a nice view.
You would take at least 1 hour 30 minutes at this attraction.
So this marks the end of my guide and travelogue! I hope this is useful for those we are looking at visiting Melbourne one day. I certainly did enjoy my time here for my prewedding photoshoot. Definitely urge the brides to consider shooting here! We covered most of the main visits in Melbourne, and there are definitely more places that we can explore such as the Yarra Valley etc.
Thanks for reading ~
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