Six of Australia's best winter weekends away

Whether we like it or not, winter is now well and truly upon us. But it isn’t all bad. Shorter days and cooler nights mean we can tuck into a pub lunch in front of a fire without regret, sip on mulled wine at a night-time festival or jet off on a cosy winter weekend away.

To make booking your own wintervention that much easier, we’ve listed our favourite spots around the country where you can soak up all things wintery.

1. Melbourne

Why winter weekend here? If there’s one season Melbourne does particularly well, it’s this one. Winter-themed markets, festivals and shows, not to mention the countless bars and restaurants lining its laneways, all give visitors plenty to do over the chilly months.

What to do: Rooftop bars are some of the last places you’d think about going on a winter’s night, but with space heaters, fur blankets and twinkling city lights adding to the mood, they’re easily some of Melbourne’s best-kept winter secrets.

Where to stay: Steps from the heart of the city, and with super sophisticated (read: Instagrammable) décor, the historic Hotel Lindrum is an easy pick for a luxurious Melbourne stay. Curl up next to the fire in the Back Bar & Billiard Room with a glass of red, or enjoy a game on one of the original billiard tables preserved from the hotels’ days as Lindrum’s Billiard Centre.

2. Sydney

Why winter weekend here? When most people think about visiting Sydney, they think summer – but the city does winter surprisingly well, too. Just look at Vivid Sydney , the largest winter festival in the world or Sydney Film Festival – which you can still catch until the end of June.

What to do: If you missed out on Vivid this year (the festival wraps up on 15 June), why not check out Bondi Winter Magic Festival – running from 28 June to 28 July – take a whale-watching cruise, or indulge in a gorgeous high tea served on Luna Park’s Ferris Wheel?

Where to stay: Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour is an attractive option, not just because of its central location, but also because, well… have you seen it? A stylish, grand building with glittering city views, you’d be right to question whether you weren’t in fact in London or Paris.

3. Barossa Valley

Why winter weekend here? Wine, wine and more wine. If that’s your idea of a good time, Barossa Valley is your best bet for a weekend getaway. This charming South Australian wine region was made for warm socks and evenings spent by the fire.

What to do: In between wine tastings, break for lunches at quaint old pubs and fine-dine your way through dinner at one of the region’s top restaurants. Plan your visit around annual wine shows and festivals, organise a DIY wine trail or up-skill in the kitchen with a cooking class.

Where to stay: The region’s rolling green hills are one of its best features, and Novotel Barossa Valley Resort offers guests front-row seats to take it in with plenty of floor-to-ceiling windows throughout. A tennis court, giant chess set and heated outdoor pool aren’t too shabby either.

4. Canberra

Why winter weekend here? From truffle-hunting to nearby skiing, you’ve probably forgotten – or maybe you never knew – Canberra had so much to offer in winter. But it does and, with convenient direct flights, and just a three-hour drive from Sydney, the country’s capital makes for one easy winter weekend away.

What to do: There is, of course, that ol’ truffle festival. Running from June to August, it sees 250 events rolled out to celebrate the region’s Black Winter Truffle. Not into truffles? Take a day trip out to one of the many nearby ski fields or check out a blockbuster exhibit at one of the country’s most impressive line-up of museums.

The Mercure Canberra is just a stones throw from The Australian War Memorial.

Where to stay: The heritage-listed Mecure Canberra has all you need in a base for a weekend away. It’s easily located, a 10-minute walk from the Australian War Memorial, has a hotel restaurant you’d actually want to eat at and will even let you bring your pet; choose the pampered pet package to give your pooch the star treatment.

5. Hobart

Why winter weekend here? Dark Mofo may have put Hobart on the winter destination map, but as visitors to the Tassie city quickly realise, there’s a lot more to it than just the quirky arts festival. Whisky trails, cider festivals and endless crisp nature hikes are just a few of the many things to do here.

What to do: Salamanca Markets are always a cold-weather favourite. Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park will have you pinching yourself at its breathtaking, surreal scenery. And Tasmanian Whisky Week (12-18 August) will leave you a total whisky expert.

Where to stay: With a whopping 300 rooms, ibis Styles Hobart Hotel is the largest hotel in Tasmania and Australia’s first and only 5-star Green Star certified hotel. Sitting right against the Hobart waterfront, its rooms are afforded some stunning views – particularly at sunrise or sunset. Add a heated indoor pool, two saunas and an award-winning restaurant to all that and it’s exactly where you want to be after a long day of outdoor exploring.

6. Margaret River

Why winter weekend here? Most people know Margaret River for its wine, but with an exciting line-up of music, arts, food and film festivals – as well as number of walks that take advantage of its glorious beaches and greenery – the region makes for one solid winter weekend getaway.

What to do: It’s truffle season too in Margaret River, so drive over to Manjimup to join a truffle hunt. If that doesn’t tickle your fancy, taste your way around the region’s many breweries and wineries, explore its caves or lunch at one of its picturesque tiny towns.

Where to stay: ‘Pinterest-worthy’ is the first word that springs to mind when first laying eyes on the much-awarded Pullman Bunker Bay Resort Margaret River . After a day of winter wandering, slip into its heated pool and watch the sun slip behind nearby vineyards. In the morning, use its direct beach access for a sunrise stroll.

Wind through fern tunnels, stop for a wine in a tram bar, or chase giant murals across the wheatbelt. These drives and rides prove Victoria’s best stories are found off the straight and narrow.

There’s something unmistakably Australian about a road trip: car packed, playlist on, landscapes shifting. Travelling down the highway toward Healesville, in Victoria’s Yarra Valley , the mountains rise, flanking me on both sides. I feel its embrace, a silent invitation to explore what lies beyond.

Moss-covered embankments rise on either side, and towering mountain ash trees form a green tunnel overhead. Road signs warn of wombats and cyclists but with giant ferns lining the roadside, the landscape feels prehistoric, as if a dinosaur might suddenly emerge. This, the Black Spur , is one of my favourite road trips.

The Black Spur

Location: Yarra Ranges
Duration: 30 kilometres / 30 minutes

The Black Spur is short compared to other Victorian road trips, just 30 kilometres, stretching from Healesville to Narbethong. But what it lacks in distance, it makes up for in scenery. Just outside Healesville, Maroondah Dam offers bushwalks and scenic views. However, if pressed for time, Selover’s Lookout is an easy roadside stop offering uninterrupted views of the dam.

In Narbethong, close to the Marysville’s snowfield, is the Black Spur Inn , a charming double-storey brick hotel that’s been welcoming travellers since 1863. Here, diners cosy up by the roaring fire or gaze through the floor-to-ceiling windows, imagining horse-drawn coaches carrying hopeful gold seekers to the eastern goldfields.

Victoria’s Silo Art Trail

Location: Various towns across the Wimmera Mallee region
Duration: More than 200 kilometres / 4–5 hours but best over a minimum of three days

What began as a way to draw travellers back into town bypassed by highways – places such as Nullawil, Sea Lake and Patchewollock – has grown into a celebrated outdoor art movement. The Silo Art Trail now includes 23 silos, each transformed with large-scale mural portraits sharing local stories, celebrating community heroes, Indigenous history, farming life, or regional identity.

The Nullawil silo, for example, is a portrait of a local farmer in a chequered flannelette shirt alongside his loyal kelpie, painted by artist Sam Bates (AKA Smug). And the silos at Albacutya in the Grampians, painted by artist Kitt Bennett, depict her joyful memories of growing up in the countryside. Many of the murals sit right in the heart of small towns, such as Rochester and St Arnaud , making them perfect spots to pause for a country pub meal or something sweet from a local bakery.

Metung to Mallacoota

Location: Gippsland
Duration: Approximately 220 kilometres / 4 hours

The Gippsland Lakes are a much-loved holiday spot in Victoria, but road-tripping further east reveals much more. Begin in Metung and time your visit with the monthly farmers’ market, or simply linger over lunch on the lawn of the Metung Hotel. Twenty minutes away is Lakes Entrance , where you can watch the fishing boats return with their catch.

Lakes Entrance. (Image: Visit Victoria/Iluminaire Pictures)

Continue to Marlo, where the Snowy River spills into the sea, and Cape Conran for its many beaches and walks. If needing to stretch your legs, Croajingolong National Park is home to the historic Point Hicks Lighthouse and the Wilderness Coast Walk. Birdwatching and rainforest trails near Bemm River are worth a pit stop before arriving in Mallacoota, where the forest meets the sea.

Great Ocean Road

Location: South-west Victoria, from Torquay to Allansford
Duration: Approximately 250 kilometres / 4–5 hours but best over a minimum of three days

Victoria’s most famous road trip delivers it all: world-class surf breaks, rainforest walks, clifftop lookouts and wildlife encounters. The journey begins in Torquay, the state’s surf capital, then hugs the coast past Anglesea and Lorne to Apollo Bay, before curving inland through the lush rainforest of the Otways. Stop at Cape Otway Lightstation or take to the treetops at Otway Fly.

Between Cape Otway and Port Campbell lies the most photographed stretch – seven of the Twelve Apostles still standing, alongside the golden cliffs of Loch Ard Gorge. Further west, Warrnambool is a winter whale-watching hotspot, before the road winds to Port Fairy, a charming fishing village of whalers’ cottages, walking trails and offshore seal colonies further along the coast.

Bellarine Taste Trail

Terindah Estate. (Image: Visit Victoria/Emily Godfrey)

Location: Bellarine Peninsula
Duration: Approximately 80 kilometres / 2–3 hours

The Bellarine Taste Trail is a feast for the senses, winding through coastal towns, past boutique wineries and artisan producers. It’s a choose-your-own-adventure style trail – simply grab a map and build your own delicious journey.

You might wander historic, seafront Queenscliff, sip wine in a converted tram bar at Terindah Estate , sample a locally distilled whisky at The Whiskery in Drydale or pick up a jar of honey at Wattle Grove in Wallington. Seafood lovers can head to Portarlington, famous for its mussels. Eat them fresh at local restaurants or head out on the water with Portarlington Mussel Tours.

O’Keefe Rail Trail – Bendigo to Heathcote

Pink Cliffs Reserve in Heathcote can be seen on the O’Keefe Rail Trail. (Image: Visit Victoria/Emily Godfrey)

Location: Central Victoria
Duration: Approximately 50 kilometres / 4 hours cycling

Travellers first journeyed between Heathcote and Bendigo in 1888, when the railway line was built to link the towns. Trains stopped running in 1956, but today the route has a new life as the O’Keefe Rail Trail . The path is mostly level for easy riding, and along the way you’ll cycle past bushland, waterways and reserves. There are plenty of places to picnic, birdwatch, and if you’re lucky, spot a platypus.

The trail is well supported with water stations, bike repair points, shelters, and signage. Axedale makes a great halfway stop, with the pretty Campaspe River Reserve for a rest and local cafes for refuelling. Begin in Heathcote, known for its wineries and cafes, or in Bendigo, which is easily reached by train from Melbourne/Naarm. Shorter sections, such as Heathcote to Axedale, are also popular.

Goldfields Track – Ballarat to Bendigo

Location: Central Victoria
Duration: Approximately 210 kilometres / 2–3 days cycling

The Goldfields Track traces a route once so rich in gold it made Melbourne one of the wealthiest cities in the world. Starting at Mt Buninyong, south of Ballarat, the trail leads mountain cyclists and walkers north through Creswick, Daylesford and Castlemaine before finishing in Bendigo. Along the way, you’ll encounter granite outcrops, eucalypt forests, rolling farmland and remnants of the region’s mining past.

As it passes through the lands of the Dja Dja Wurrung and Wadawurrung people, the track shares gold rush history and Indigenous stories brought to life by interpretive signs. Walk or ride the full trail or choose from one of its three distinct sections. With cosy stays, cafes and pubs, it’s easy to mix wilderness with comfort.

Six winter weekends away