Things We Learnt In:

Melbourne is an incredible city. Cosmopolitan, exciting and full of amazing coffee, there are so many ways to spend your time in and around the city. To help begin your time in this amazing place, here are our top 10 things to do in Melbourne. 1. Drive The Great Ocean Road The Great Ocean Road is one of the iconic routes and relatively easy to drive from Melbourne. Whether you're lucky enough to have a weekend to explore or are trying to squeeze it into one day, there are itineraries that will suit every adventurer. For those tight on time, our one day itinerary for driving the Great Ocean Road will give a flavour of what can be achieved with a rental car and a lot of caffeine. 2. Phillip Island For any animal lover Phillip Island is an absolute treasure trove - Little Penguins and koalas abound, there are seals, whales and nobbies running amok. The jewel in the crown is Penguin Parade , when the Little Penguins come home from a long day of swimming to roost....

An hour and 40 minute drive from Melbourne sits Phillip Island. An easy day trip, this small island off of the Southern coast is connected to the mainland by a small bridge. It offers unrivalled opportunities to view some Australian wildlife both in a conservation setting and in a natural environment. Koala Conservation Centre We started our day trip at the Koala Conservation Centre. For $12.80 per adult you have access to the ecotourism attraction's two raised boardwalks, allowing you to walk among to the trees to try and spot the koala's that live in the conservation centre. Watching the koalas in their natural habitat is enchanting. Seeing how they studiously ignored all comers was my favourite thing about them. You can watch their ears move as they listen your conversation, decide it is not interesting enough to warrant their attention, and carry on their naps. Koala's sleep for up to 18 hours each day, conserving their energy to digest their fibrous an...

Based in the beautiful Dandenong Ranges, an hours drive from Melbourne, is the Puffing Billy Railway. Running between Belgrave and Gembrook, carriages built in the early 1900's haul passengers up and down the line, passing through tall gum trees and man sized fern forests. A one way journey for the entire line takes approximately 2 hours and 35 minutes. If time is tighter, there are options to exit the train and explore at a number of stops along the route. For $57 AUD per adult we opted to travel between Belgrave and Lakeside- a 55 minute scenic journey that Health and Safety forgot. Boarding a packed train we were able to find a spot to undertake the traditional approach to Puffing Billy travel- hanging our legs over the side. It is only fair to mention at this point that some casualties did result from this approach to the journey- we saw one forlorn looking trainer, one accidentally discarded flip flop and a dropped baseball cap on the side of the trac...