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27 Free Things to Do in Victoria

25 March 2016 | Mri Grout

map of free things to do in Victoria, Australia free things to do in Gippsland free things to do in the Goldfields free things to do in the Grampians free things to do on the Great Ocean Road coastline free things to do in Melbourne & Surrounds free things to do on the Murray River in Victoria

Free Things to do in Gippsland, Victoria:

Pelicans fed right before the bridge to Phillip's Island A blue penguin seen in the Nobbies on Phillip's Island
Phillip's IslandThe Nobbies

Bright:

  • Mount Buffalo - Multiple hikes with amazing views of the surrounding mountains. There are also cool rock structures worth viewing such as the Cathedral, Gorge, Monolith, and the Horn.

Foster:

  • Agnes Falls - With one of its drops plunging 59m, Agnes Falls ranks in as the tallest single-drop waterfall in Victoria. It's located thirty minutes east of Foster via a scenic drive through the Strzelecki Ranges and is worth viewing all year round.

Inverloch:

Morwell:

  • Hazelwood Pondage - Due to the nearby power station using this lake as a cooling system, the water here is kept at a constant 22C all year round. Obviously very popular even (or especially) during the winter months, this place is home to many watersporting enthusiasts and events such as the Latrobe City Sauna Sail (http://www.lvyc.org.au).
  • Morwell Rose Garden - It's a rose garden. In Morwell. Lols.

Phillip's Island:

  • Bridge - Every day at 11.30 am, there's a pelican feeding right before the bridge to Phillip's Island. It's on the left hand side and in the park in front of all the shops.
  • The Nobbies - The only place in Australia (that I know of) where you can reliably see wild little/fairy penguins for free. February – April is moulting season. May – July nest building; August – November, mating and egg laying; and December and January chick feeding. However, due to some satanic idiots who thought to make a game out of 'how many penguins can you run over in one night' (urgh), the island is completely closed off to the public from an hour before dusk to an hour after down. Which, logically, but unfortunately is the best time to see the blue fairy penguins that call this place home.

    Tip: Check under the boardwalks. (: But stay COMPLETELY on the path; there is a ranger who will get on to you if you don't.

Woolshed:

  • Den of Nargun - The den mentioned in this place's name was home to a fierce human/stone hybrid of Aborigine legend. Nargun would kidnap unsuspecting travellers encroaching on its land and drag them back to its lair hidden behind the waterfall. When the loved ones of its victims and the surrounding countrymen attacked, they found that their weapons were of no use. Not only did their spears and arrows simply reflect off the monster, but they then also rerouted to pierce their owners' flesh.

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Free Things to do in the Goldfields

Bendigo:

  • Open 10-5 every day including all public holidays with the exception of Christmas, this art gallery naturally has many events and exhibitions worth seeing. Check out is website to keep up to date with what's on.

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Free Things to do in the Grampians

Grand Canyon hike in the Grampians Venus baths rock slides in the Grampians free entry into the Byaduk Caves found on the Volcanic Trail between Victoria and South Australia
Grand CanyonVenus BathsByaduk Caves

Grampians National Park:

  • Chatuaqua Peak - A fantastic hike in the Gramians with amazing views of the surrounding countryside.
  • Grand Canyon - Not as deep as the proper Grand Canyon in the USA, but this one in the Grampians is a beauty in its own right. The unique passage walls that make up this canyon was created over millions of years as different beds of minerals became stacked on top of each other. It's amazing to see what odd shapes these conditions created as you walk along this trail in the Grampians.
  • Venus Baths - A beautiful stream in the Grampians that you can rock slide down in the right conditions.

Hamilton (Volcanic Trail):

  • Byaduk Caves, Byaduk – A long time ago the nearby Mt. Napier erupted and spilt a river of lava out of its cup like an angry toddler. And like a cool-headed mother, the outside air cooled its river to stop its flow. However because the lava river was 10 metres deep, only the top crust was hardened as the rest kept flowing down to the sea, eventually leaving behind these cool looking tunnel caves. You can still see the lava dripping from its ceiling. (:
  • Mt. Eccles, Macarthur – Located only 35 minutes south of Hamilton along the C184 is Mt. Eccles National Park and within this park is a dormant volcano called surprise! Mt. Eccles. And at the top of this volcano is a lake called Surprise! No seriously the lake is Lake Surprise. Lols.
  • Mt. Napier – Victoria's youngest volcano and the one responsible for the Byaduk caves.:
  • Mt. Rouse, Penhurst – Yet another extinct volcano sitting south of Hamilton via a 20 minutes drive. But though there isn't a surprise lake at the top or awesome lava caves within spitting distance, there is a breathtaking view of the inside of a fairly deep crater with the occasional hopping roo. Seriously breathtaking.:
  • Tumuli – AKA: lava blisters. AKA: gas bubbles inside (now hardened) lava. However, due to this being an observation site only, you can't go exploring these cool rock mounds like you would like. Instead you have to be content with viewing these clusters from the edge of Harman's Valley.

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Free Things to do on the Great Ocean Road Coastline

unique natural attraction, the Petrified Forest at Cape Bridgewater Loch Ard Gorge seen along the Great Ocean Road Lifelong Vagabonds posing with emus at Tower Hill Nature Reserve in Victoria
Petrified ForestLoch Ard GorgeTower Hill

Cape Bridgewater:

  • Blowhole - At the far end of the longer walk (that goes past the seals) by the wind turbines, there is a car park. From there it's a much shorter walk to the blowhole and petrified forest. (:
  • Petrified Forest - It's not really a petrified anything, but two different rocks of different hardnesses. The weaker one got eroded away after centuries of rain to make this amazing rock spectacular.
  • Seal Colony - Australia's only mainland seal colony is home to thousands of seals frolicking in the waves below. You don't really need anything to see these playful creatures, but I'd recommend taking some binoculars and a windproof layer even when it's hot.

Port Campbell:

  • 12 Apostles - The famous rock pillars of the Great Ocean Road.
  • Loch Ard Gorge - Located only three minutes away from the famous 12 Apostles, the Loch Ard Gorge is easy to see as you blitz past on the Great Ocean Road. However, this unique rock structure, as well as the many others on the Great Ocean Road, deserves more than just a quick glance out the window.

Tower Hill Nature Reserve:

  • Check this place out for some emus well used to people. Just make sure to don't feed them because aggressive emus are deadly! Also check the trees for koalas, especially if you didn't manage to see any on the Great Ocean Road.

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Free Things to do in Melbourne

Free airplane show at Port Cook's RAAF Musuem Lifelong Vagabonds squeezing through the Britannia Creek Caves
Port CookBritannia Creek Caves

Melbourne:

  • Port Melbourne's Westgate Park - The lakes here turn a pale pink over the summer due to a type of algae. They look the brightest shade of pink in the evening and sp wil probably makes a great background for a sunset picnic. (:

Newham:

  • Port Melbourne's Westgate Park - The lakes here turn a pale pink over the summer due to a type of algae. They look the brightest shade of pink in the evening and sp wil probably makes a great background for a sunset picnic. (:Hanging Rock Reserve - Located 70km above Melbourne is a 6.25 million years old mamelon (ie: volcanic structure) that formed interesting looking pinnacles when its magma cooled all those years ago. These include the Hanging Rock, Colonnade, Eagle, and UFO.

    *A vehicle entrance fee is required to enter this park. However, its widest bit is only 1km long so you could feasibly park outside and walk in. If anyone has actually tried this with success or failure, please let me know. (:

Port Cook:


    *Because this is a RAAF base, anyone over 16 will need a form of ID to enter, but don't let this worry you. The museum and aerial displays are all completely free!

Wesburn:

  • Britannia Creek Caves - A set of granite caves buried underground with hard to find (mostly due to disbelief you could possibly fit down them), but multiple tiny entrances and exits. However, there is a normal person-sized tall entrance somewhere off to the left, but it does get tight quite quickly as you can see in the above photo. This is definitely a cave system that you will want a headtorch for as you'll be using your hands too much to squeeze through all the gaps. (: And though it's relatively small in area, the constant twists and turns and newfound caverns and squeezes will have you entertained for over an hour.

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Free Things to do on the Murray River

Beechworth:

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If you liked 27 Free Things to do in Victoria, Australia, then you might also like these other lists of free things to do in Australia:

Do you know of any other free things to do in Victoria, Australia? Or just want to write a review on one of the above places you've been? Then we'd love to hear all about them in the comments below!