Australia's Best Weekends Away On A Budget

It’s the Holy Grail of Holidaying: finding time for a couple of quick but great nights away, with money left over for food and a few fun things to do.

Brisbane

To stay

A fully self-contained, chic, one-bedroom apartment at The Miro is an affordable $155 per night. Even more amazing, it’s in Fortitude Valley.

To eat

A cool, inexpensive breakfast at Buzz Bistro , a Parisian-style café right around the corner, is a great way to start the day.

A local secret, Oxford St Bulimba is a great place for lunch after wandering the boutiques. King Crab Co. is our pick for a trendy beer and all the seafood you can eat, without busting the wallet.

Bohemian West End is the next suburb. A cocktail at the quirky Lychee Lounge is a great pre-dinner experience. Finish the day off at Eagle Street Pier and the Helm Bar and Bistro . Big flavour, big value, big jugs of beer, big tables and big views – what better way could there be to end your day?

To do

The best thing to happen to Brisbane since Macarthur left town is the Gallery of Modern Art in Southbank. It’s an awesome experience.

For a bit of history (yes, Brisbane does have some), get to St John’s Cathedral on Ann Street . Amazingly, it’s under construction and will be the last Gothic cathedral to be completed in the world. Take a free guided tour at 10am or 2pm daily.

Glass house Mountains

The sound of serenity is all you’ll hear at Glass House Mountains Ecolodge. High above and far from the bustle of Brisbane, the mountain retreat is great for a bit of downtime.

To stay

Go bush without sacrificing flushing toilets, showers and heating – rooms at Maleny Orchard have queen beds, ensuites and balconies. Ninety minutes out of Brisbane, that’s still a bargain.

To do

The National Park is at your doorstep, so go bushwalking on the trails in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland or drive half-an-hour to Maleny and wander through the art galleries around town.

Finish off the day with a beer and schnitzel at King Ludwig’s Restaurant & Glasshouse Tavern . It’s hard to pass on the traditional Weisswurst sausage at this Bavarian beer hall, but the Ecolodge does have a guest kitchen in an old train dining car.

Save an entire day for Steve Irwin’s Australia Zoo . You’ll need it to catch the croc shows and explore the 70-acre site.

Melbourne

To stay

In the same block as the pricey, hit-and-miss Royce Hotel, Albert Park Manor will keep you under budget and in style. Four-poster beds and wrought-iron furniture outfit standard doubles starting at $125.

To eat

All this sexy city has to offer is just a quick tram ride up St Kilda Rd, but get your day started with an espresso at Grossi Florentino . Mains here cost $50 a pop, but breakfast eggs in the Cellar Bar come in at under $15.

For dinner, set your eyes to Gazi, George Colombaris’ modern Greek restaurant sitting sleek and sexy in the CBD. The $17 souvlaki is cheaper than a lot of pub grub around town, and is served under one of the most architecturally fascinating roofs in the city.

Occupying the real estate that was once The Press Club, Gazi is unconventionally excellent

End the evening with a nightcap in a big comfy couch by the fireplace at LaLa Land.

To do

Head back towards the hotel for a wander through the Ian Potter Centre at Fed Square – a mostly free cultured couple of hours surrounded by great Aussie art.

While you’re there, the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) has $8 screenings of silver screen classics.

Daylesford

A land of plenty, the produce driven community of Daylesford has providores on almost every corner and is perfect for a hunt and forage kind of weekend.

To stay

Spend the day gathering ingredients for the perfect antipasti plate before retreating to Station House , a renovated gold rush manor with doubles from $140, open fires and claw-footed bathtubs.

To eat

Pick up prosciutto cured the Croatian way from Istra Smallgoods in Musk , (our No. 12 Greatest Australian Gourmet Experience) and cheese from local dairy farmers like Holy Goat (No. 5 Gourmet Experience) at Cliffy’s Emporium.

To do

For champagne treatment, take the Silver Streak , a vintage diesel train journey made the first Saturday of the month. For just $25, with champagne and canapés, sit back and enjoy the scenic Daylesford Spa Country Railway, slowly re-opening after 2009 fire damage.

The Hepburn Springs-Daylesford area is littered with natural mineral springs; wander through open fields and forests and fill up your drink bottle at an old-fashioned hand pump.

Sydney

To stay

Yes, it’s Australia’s most expensive city. But it is possible to spend two nights at a sought-after Sydney address for under $500. A room at The Russell in the shadows of The Bridge with Opera House glimpses is just $125 a double. Shared bathroom, but small sacrifice for having everything on your doorstop for a weekend limited only by your imagination, not your budget.

To eat

Start with cheap and cheerful breakfast at La Renaissance , meander to the affordable Rocks markets and pop into the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) for a bit of free culture.

For dinner, visit one of Sydney’s best restaurants.

To do

A real hidden gem and great value is the Opera House tour , just $29 for online bookings. A great way to see out the sunlight and a Sydney weekend institution is a drink at the Opera Bar soaking up one of the greatest views in the world.

Kiama

Just 90 minutes drive southeast from Sydney, the relaxed seaside town of Kiama – famous for its blowhole – is an easy, stress-free weekend.

To stay

It’s also damn affordable at The Sebel Harbourside on Shoalhaven St − king bed, buffet breakfast, BBQ area and waterfront views from $120 a night. The heritage-listed property dates back to 1871, was once an Infants’ School Building, and is mercifully under ten stories high.

To eat

The most expensive thing you should buy in town is a waffle cone from The Ice Creamery .

Grab a scoop and wander up to the Blowhole. If the sea’s a little on the rough side, head further south, just around the bay to the Little Blowhole – which often spouts more impressive sprays anyway. We recommend brekkie at The Little Blowhole Café on the way.

To do

Just out of town and inland, the Illawarra Fly Tree Top Walk is great for a birds’ eye view of the coast. It consists of 500m of walkways, suspended fully 25m up in the air, for a treetop trek at just $22 an adult.

The Great Ocean Road has captured the hearts of Australians with its astounding scenery since 1932, but going off-course can enrich your experience with untouched nature, foodie delights and charming towns.

It’s a chilly 16 degrees. My husband pulls on a steamer and jogs – as all seasoned surfers do – into the water. We’re at Bells Beach , the legendary break on Victoria’s Surf Coast that’s home to the Rip Curl Pro, the world’s longest-running event in competitive surfing. Each year, over the Easter long weekend, up to 40,000 people descend on the region for the event. Today, though, we have the beach almost to ourselves, and the less-than-favourable temperature doesn’t deter my husband from surfing this famous break.

Torquay to Anglesea and Aireys Inlet

The red dome of Split Point Lighthouse in Aireys Inlet. (Image: Tourism Australia)

The nearby surf town of Torquay marks the starting point for the Great Ocean Road . Unfolding our map, which we have marked out with a highlighted route for our children to follow, we set off for lesser-known Anglesea, a chilled-out town 20 minutes south of here. Its wide, sandy beach is a gentler swimming option for our young family. Groms can learn to surf here with Go Ride a Wave, which also runs stand-up paddle boarding on the Anglesea River.

Split point lookout — The lighthouse overlooks the Shipwreck Coast. (Image: Tourism Australia)

After a couple of nights in Anglesea, we hit the road again, first stopping at Aireys Inlet. Here we stretch our legs at Split Point Lighthouse, which was made famous by the 1990s television series Round the Twist, before driving under the Memorial Arch that welcomes us, officially, to the Great Ocean Road.

This 243-kilometre coastal road was built by returned First World War servicemen and serves as a permanent memorial to those who fought and died during the war. Carved into rock using hand tools and horse-drawn carts, it was a huge engineering feat and provided much-needed access to isolated coastal communities.

Lorne to Birregurra

Lorne is a delightful beachside stop for lunch and browsing boutique stores. It’s also the gateway to Great Otway National Park , which comprises a varied landscape of old-growth forests, cool-temperate rainforests, heathy woodlands and rugged coast. With the highest rainfall in Victoria, the region is home to many waterfalls – 10 of which are within 10 kilometres of Lorne.

Turning slightly off the main drag, we wind along a gum-shaded road to Erskine Falls. Here, our son leads the way through the hyper-green rainforest and down 200-plus stairs to the cascade that drops 30 metres into a lush fern gully. We hop over large boulders to get closer to the falls, enjoying the entire place to ourselves; it’s worth the return climb.

From Sheoak Falls Picnic Area, there are walking trails to Henderson Falls, Phantom Falls, Won Wondah Falls and Kalimna Falls, some of which follow an old timber tramway from forest-logging days, which only came to an end in 2008.

You can follow your appetite north to the town of Birregurra, which is part of the Otway Harvest Trail that connects farm gates, markets, wineries, breweries and distilleries. It’s home to three-hatted modern Australian restaurant Brae , helmed by celebrated chef Dan Hunter, set among native gardens and an organic farm, and Otways Distillery, which produces small-batch spirits using local produce and botanicals.

Brae restaurant — Brae is a three-hatted restaurant in Birregurra. (Image: Tourism Australia)

Apollo Bay to The Otways

Back on track, the cliff-hugging stretch between Lorne and Apollo Bay is breathtaking. At Teddys Lookout, we overlook the winding road ahead and St George River spilling into the ocean. We spend languid days in Apollo Bay, a buzzy seaside town that boasts a three-kilometre-long, crescent-shaped beach with a backdrop of rolling green hills. One evening, as the sun sets, we take the steep 10-minute walk to Marriners Lookout, which affords panoramic views of the ocean, hinterland and town.

A 15-minute drive along the road, Maits Rest is a lush rainforest gully that has been protected since the early 20th century. Wandering along the 800-metre boardwalk, we inspect the delicate moss-covered forest floor and the gnarled roots of 300-year-old myrtle beech trees, then crane our necks to see their canopies, some 50 metres above us. It’s therapy in nature.

Cape Otway to the Twelve Apostles

The southernmost tip of Cape Otway is a delightful detour, home to the 1848-built Cape Otway Lightstation, the oldest surviving lighthouse on mainland Australia. We climb the narrow winding staircase to the gallery deck, explore the keepers’ quarters and telegraph station, and enjoy a coffee and some ‘famous’ scones at the charming onsite cafe.

It’s a pinch-me moment to finally see the Twelve Apostles in person. This unmistakable cluster of limestone stacks rising abruptly from the sea were never 12, however. When coined this in the 1890s as a marketing ploy, there were only nine; today, only seven remain after two collapsed in 2005 and 2009. We admire these Aussie icons from the viewing platform, in awe of Mother Nature’s ever-evolving artwork.

The Grotto is another natural attraction within Port Campbell National Park. (Image: Carmen Zammit)

Edging the wild Southern Ocean, this part of the coast – dubbed Shipwreck Coast – is made up of many sea-carved natural wonders including London Bridge, The Grotto and Gibson Steps. After exploring the lookout trails of Loch Ard Gorge/Poombeeyt Kontapool – its English name taken from the site of the 1878 shipwreck – we nestle into the sandy beach encircled by towering sandstone cliffs, as our children splash about on the water’s edge, and soak it all in.

Port Campbell to Timboon

Timboon Fine Ice Cream is part of a regional foodie trail. (Image: C McConville)

Just north of Port Campbell National Park, the region of Timboon is part of the 12 Apostles Food Artisans Trail, filled with purveyors of delicious foodstuffs such as Timboon Fine Ice Cream , Timboon Railway Shed Distillery and Apostle Whey Cheese. As an antidote to the indulgence, the 20-kilometre Poorpa Yanyeen Meerreeng Trail is a self-guided ride or walk between Port Campbell and Timboon through tall forests, over historic bridges and past sparkling lakes and farmland with grazing cattle.

Warrnambool to Port Fairy

Warrnambool building — A 19th-century building in Warrnambool. (Image: Peter Foster)

In Warrnambool, a town rich in maritime history, we take the four-kilometre Thunder Point Walk that traces the coast. The kids squeal when an echidna shuffles out from beneath the wooden boardwalk, and we stop to admire a seal lazing on a rock at the port.

Further along, the streets of quaint fishing village Port Fairy are lined with 19th-century cottages, old stone churches and Norfolk pines. Follow the historic walking trail to see some of the 60-plus National Trust buildings. Port Fairy is also home to Port Fairy Folk Festival (6-9 March), one of the country’s longest-running music and cultural festivals. You could time your road trip with the event for a fittingly celebratory end to any journey.

The Great Ocean Road can easily be done in three days, but we’ve spent a week on the road. The highlighted line on our now creased and well-worn map doesn’t follow the famous route precisely. It has sprouted branches in many directions, leading us to untouched rainforest and charming rural towns filled with culinary delights, and where we experienced some of our most memorable moments on the Great Ocean Road.

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

The Monty is a highly anticipated, newly refurbished motel with a chic Palm Springs-inspired aesthetic set across the road from the Anglesea River. Basalt Winery in Port Fairy grows cool-climate wines such as pinot noir and Riesling in rich volcanic soil. Stay among the vines in its tiny home, complete with a kitchen, lounge area and outdoor firepit.

The Oak & Anchor Hotel has been a Port Fairy institution since 1857. Cosy up by the bar in winter or bask in the sunshine of the Lawn Bar in summer. The rooms are beautifully boutique with considered details, such as luxe baths for sinking into post-road trip.

Eating there

The Coast in Anglesea is a modern Australian restaurant focused on local ingredients. Grand Pacific Hotel has been a local landmark in Lorne since 1879 and recently underwent a restoration. It serves a mix of traditional pub and Italian fare alongside ocean views.

Graze is a cosy 40-seat dining room in Apollo Bay with a modern Australian menu complemented by regional wines. Apollo Bay Distillery offers tasting flights, a gin blending masterclass and serves woodfired pizzas.

Australia’s best weekends away on a budget

It’s the Holy Grail of Holidaying: finding time for a couple of quick but great nights away, with money left over for food and a few fun things to do.

Brisbane

To stay

To eat

To do

Glass house Mountains

To stay

To do

Melbourne

To stay

To eat

To do

Daylesford

To stay

To eat

To do

Sydney

To stay

To eat

To do

Kiama

To stay

To eat

To do

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Taking the route less travelled along the Great Ocean Road

The Great Ocean Road has captured the hearts of Australians with its astounding scenery since 1932, but going off-course can enrich your experience with untouched nature, foodie delights and charming towns.

Torquay to Anglesea and Aireys Inlet

Lorne to Birregurra

Apollo Bay to The Otways

Cape Otway to the Twelve Apostles

Port Campbell to Timboon

Warrnambool to Port Fairy

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

Eating there