Need a last-min long-weekend escape? Here's some day-trip inspo

What better way to ring in the warmer weather than a taking a day trip this long weekend to the great outdoors?

Spring has officially sprung. And with daylight savings about to kick in (for some states), the October long weekend is the perfect opportunity to get out of the city and into the great outdoors. Haven’t booked anything? You don’t need to! There’s an abundance of great long weekend day trips just one to two hours’ drive from Australia’s major cities, and we’ve rounded them up below. Here’s to the long weekend!

We asked the Australian Traveller Media team: what’s your favourite spring getaway destination around Australia?

Sydney

an aerial view of Resolute Beach in Ku-ring-gai National Park — Ku-ring-gai National Park contains bush walks that lead to secluded beaches, such as Resolute Beach.

Sydney is basically surrounded by world-class National Parks. The Royal National Park is a weekend classic, whether you’re into kayaking, SUPing, swimming at Wattamolla cove or enjoying the idyllic ferry ride from Cronulla to Bundeena.

But while the south steals a lot of the spotlight, daytrippers should also set their sights north. Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park is just a 40-minute drive north of the city. Inside this 14,977-hectare swathe of bushland, you’ll find hiking trails leading to secluded beaches, Aboriginal engraving sites and incredible views over dazzling inlets. Avoid the crowds by jetting past the city limits, all the way up to Bouddi National Park. It’s 90 minutes north of the CBD, but the journey is well worth it for the golden-sand beaches and incredible bushwalks, like the epic eight-kilometre Bouddi coastal walk that runs from Putty Beach to MacMasters Beach.

Looking for even more day trip inspiration close to the Emerald City? We’ve rounded up all of the best day trips to take from Sydney.

Melbourne

Can you kick it? Yes, you can, in Victoria’s hot spring country that surrounds Melbourne. The Mornington Peninsula, Daylesford and Gippsland are all within a two-hour drive of the Victorian capital, offering lots of mineral baths and steamy outdoor pools for the ultimate spring reset.

If you’d rather get moving, head an hour east to the Dandenong Ranges to wander along trails that thread through forests of towering mountain ash. Or get your steps in by cafe hopping and browsing dinky antique stores and galleries around the villages of Mt Dandenong.

And if neither of those take your fancy? We’ve got a whole laundry list of day trips you need to check out near Melbourne.

Brisbane

South Gorge on North Stradbroke Island — Secluded South Gorge beach on North Stradbroke Island/Minjerribah is the perfect spot for a dip. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland/Sean Scott)

October is one of the best months to visit North Stradbroke Island/Minjerribah. Just a short drive and ferry ride from the city, the island is perfect for kayaking, swimming and pottering around the many pristine beaches and laid back cafes. if you’re lucky, you might even spot dolphins when you’re out on the water.

Foodies can set their sights on the Scenic Rim, just 90 minutes away from the Queensland capital. The 4000-square-kilometre region is packed with an array of epicurean adventures, from paddock-to-plate eateries to fine wines at destinations like Kooroomba Vineyard. If those don’t satisfy your day-trip hunger, we’ve got plenty more suggestions for the best day trips to take from Brissie.

Adelaide

Wine, wine and more wine: there are plenty of boozy excursions a cork’s toss from the South Australian capital. A trip to McLaren Vale or the Barossa is classic Adelaide day trip territory, but if you’d rather ditch the glass and get active, head an hour south to the stunning Fleurieu Peninsula. Here, you can stroll sandy coastlines, meander through the cafe scene and gorge on freshly caught seafood. Yum!

Perth

With its impossibly blue waters, paradisiacal white sands and famously friendly locals (we’re talking about the quokkas), Rottnest Island is no secret to Perthlings. Just a 90-minute ferry ride from Perth’s Barrack Street Jetty, ‘Rotto’ or Wadjemup is always a good idea, whether you’re cycling around the island, snorkelling its reefs or picnicking by the beach. For something different, head north to the Pinnacles Desert in Nambung National Park (about two hours’ drive), where thousands of limestone spires rise from the lunar-like landscape.

Darwin

Surrounded by lush forest, a woman cools off in Florence Falls, just one of many incredible things to do in the Northern Territory. — Cool off beneath the cascading waters of Florence Falls in Litchfield National Park. (Image: Joshua Griffin)

Darwinites already know to make a beeline for Litchfield National Park to cool off in one of the majestic swimming holes like Florence Falls and Buley Rockhole. With October marking the end of the dry season, the long weekend is a great opportunity to get some swimming in before the Top End is plunged into monsoon season.

Here are more Darwin daytrips you must experience.

Located just an hour north-west of Melbourne, the largely undiscovered Macedon Ranges quietly pours some of Australia’s finest cool-climate wines and serves up some of Victoria’s best food.

Mention the Macedon Ranges and most people will think of day spas and mineral springs around Daylesford, cosy weekends away in the countryside or the famous Hanging Rock (of enigmatic picnic fame). Or they won’t have heard of the Macedon Ranges at all.

But this cool-climate destination has been inconspicuously building a profile as a high-quality food and wine region and is beginning to draw serious attention from oenophiles and epicureans alike.

The rise of Macedon Ranges wine

liquid gold barrels at Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery — Barrels of liquid gold at Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

With elevations ranging from 300 to 800 metres, Macedon Ranges vineyards are among the highest in the country. This altitude, combined with significant day/night temperature swings, makes for a slow ripening season, in turn nurturing wines that embody elegance and structure. Think crisp chardonnays, subtle yet complex pinot noirs and delicate sparkling wines, along with niche varietals, such as gamay and nebbiolo.

Despite the region’s natural advantages – which vary from estate to estate, as each site embodies unique terroir depending on its position in relation to the Great Dividing Range, soil make-up and altitude – the Macedon Ranges has remained something of an insider’s secret. Unlike Victoria’s Yarra Valley or Mornington Peninsula, you won’t find large tour buses here and there’s no mass marketing drawing crowds.

Many of the 40-odd wineries are family-run operations with modest yields, meaning the wineries maintain a personal touch (if you visit a cellar door, you’ll likely chat to the owner or winemaker themselves) and a tight sales circle that often doesn’t go far beyond said cellar door. And that’s part of the charm.

Though wines from the Macedon Ranges are just starting to gain more widespread recognition in Australia, the first vines were planted in the 1860s, with a handful of operators then setting up business in the 1970s and ’80s. The industry surged again in the 1990s and early 2000s with the entry of wineries, such as Mount Towrong, which has an Italian slant in both its wine and food offering, and Curly Flat , now one of the largest estates.

Meet the new generation of local winemakers

the Clydesdale barn at Paramoor. — The Clydesdale barn at Paramoor. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Then, within the last 15 years, a new crop of vignerons like Andrew Wood at Kyneton Ridge Estate , whose vineyard in 2024 was the first in the Macedon Ranges to be certified by Sustainable Winegrowing Australia; Geoff Plahn and Samantha Reid at Paramoor , who have an impressive cellar door with a roaring fire and studded leather couches in an old Clydesdale barn; and Ollie Rapson and Renata Morello at Lyons Will , who rapidly expanded a small vineyard to focus on top-shelf riesling, gamay, pinot noir and chardonnay, have taken ownership of local estates.

Going back to the early days, Llew Knight’s family was one of the pioneers of the 1970s, replacing sheep with vines at Granite Hills when the wool industry dwindled. Knight is proud of the fact that all their wines are made with grapes from their estate, including a light, peppery shiraz (some Macedon wineries purchase fruit from nearby warmer areas, such as Heathcote, particularly to make shiraz) and a European-style grüner veltliner. And, as many other wineries in the region do, he relies on natural acid for balance, rather than an additive, which is often required in warmer regions. “It’s all about understanding and respecting your climate to get the best out of your wines,” he says.

farm animals atKyneton Ridge Estate — Curious residents at Kyneton Ridge Estate. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Throughout the Macedon Ranges, there’s a growing focus on sustainability and natural and low-intervention wines, with producers, such as Brian Martin at Hunter Gatherer making waves in regenerative viticulture. Martin previously worked in senior roles at Australia’s largest sparkling winemaking facility, and now applies that expertise and his own nous to natural, hands‑off, wild-fermented wines, including pét‑nat, riesling and pinot noir. “Wild fermentation brings more complexity,” he says. “Instead of introducing one species of yeast, you can have thousands and they add different characteristics to the wine.”

the vineyard at Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery — The estate’s vineyard, where cool-climate grapes are grown. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Most producers also focus on nurturing their grapes in-field and prune and pick by hand, thus avoiding the introduction of impurities and the need to meddle too much in the winery. “The better the quality of the fruit, the less you have to interfere with the natural winemaking process,” says Wood.

Given the small yields, there’s also little room for error, meaning producers place immense focus on quality. “You’re never going to compete in the middle [in a small region] – you’ve got to aim for the top,” says Curly Flat owner Jeni Kolkka. “Big wineries try to do things as fast as possible, but we’re in no rush,” adds Troy Walsh, owner and winemaker at Attwoods . “We don’t use commercial yeasts; everything is hand-harvested and everything is bottled here, so we bottle only when we’re ready, not when a big truck arrives.” That’s why, when you do see a Macedon Ranges product on a restaurant wine list, it’s usually towards the pointy end.

Come for the wine, stay for the food

pouring sauce onto a dish at Lake HouseDaylesford — Dining at Lake House Daylesford is a treat. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

If wine is the quiet achiever of the Macedon Ranges, then food is its not-so-secret weapon. In fact, the area has more hatted restaurants than any other region in Victoria. A pioneer of the area’s gourmet food movement is region cheerleader Alla Wolf-Tasker, culinary icon and founder of Daylesford’s Lake House.

For more than three decades, Wolf-Tasker has championed local producers and helped define what regional fine dining can look like in Australia. Her influence is palpable, not just in the two-hatted Lake House kitchen, but in the broader ethos of the region’s dining scene, as a wave of high-quality restaurants have followed her lead to become true destination diners.

the Midnight Starling restaurant in Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery — The hatted Midnight Starling restaurant is located in Kyneton. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

It’s easy to eat well, whether at other hatted restaurants, such as Midnight Starling in the quaint town of Kyneton, or at the wineries themselves, like Le Bouchon at Attwoods, where Walsh is inspired by his time working in France in both his food offering and winemaking.

The beauty of dining and wine touring in the Macedon Ranges is that it feels intimate and unhurried. You’re likely to meet the winemaker, hear about the trials of the latest vintage firsthand, and taste wines that never make it to city shelves. And that’s worth getting out of the city for – even if it is just an hour down the road.

Delicate dishes on the menu at Midnight Starling. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

the accommodation at Cleveland Estate, Macedon Ranges — Stay at the Cleveland Estate. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Soak up vineyard views from Cleveland Estate near Lancefield , embrace retro charm at Kyneton Springs Motel or indulge in lakeside luxury at the Lake House .

Eating there

Enjoy a four-course menu at the one-hatted Surly Goat in Hepburn Springs, Japanese-inspired fare at Kuzu in Woodend or unpretentious fine dining at Mount Monument , which also has a sculpture park.

Drinking there

wine tasting at PassingClouds Winery, Macedon Ranges — A tasting at Passing Clouds Winery. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Settle in for a tasting at Boomtown in Castlemaine, sample local drops at the cosy Woodend Cellar & Bar or wine-hop around the many cellar doors, such as Passing Clouds .

the Boomtown Winery and Cellar Bar signage — Boomtown Winery and Cellar Bar. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Playing there

a scenic river in Castlemaine — Idyllic scenes at Castlemaine. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Wander through the seasonal splendour of Forest Glade Gardens , hike to the summit of Hanging Rock, or stroll around the tranquil Sanatorium Lake.

purple flowers hanging from a tree — Purple flowers hanging from a tree. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Need a last-minute long-weekend escape? Here’s your perfect day-trip inspo