6 must-see natural attractions in Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula

From scuba diving an aquatic playground so biodiverse it rivals even the Great Barrier Reef, through to hitting the trails of a national park that boasts the state’s richest wildflower habitat, these six natural attractions offer more than enough reason to visit Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula.

1. Brisbane Ranges National Park

Abundant with native flora and fauna and located some 50 kilometres north-west of Geelong, Brisbane Ranges National Park is popular with hikers and birdwatchers alike. Hit one of its many walking trails and you’re sure to encounter a bird or two and likely even a koala; up to 180 species of birds frequent the park, which is also home to the greatest density of koalas in Victoria.

Moorabool Valley, Brisbane Ranges National Park, Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula, VIC, Australia — Hit one of its many walking trails and you’re sure to encounter a bird or two. (Image: Megan Winden)

Come spring, this hinterland pocket is awash with wildflowers (you’ll find more here than anywhere else in the state). Explore the sharp rocky cliffs and gullies, populated with rare wattles, grevilleas, gum trees and bush peas, and soak up the serenity.

Brisbane Ranges National Park, Geelong & The Bellarine, VIC, Australia — Bring your loved ones to witness the abundant native flora and fauna in Geelong. (Image: Visit Geelong & The Bellarine)

2. Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park, Point Lonsdale

Situated at the mouth of Port Phillip Bay, not far from the urban sprawl of Melbourne, Geelong and the two peninsulas that flank it, you’d be forgiven for assuming these waters wouldn’t promise much of interest. In fact, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Underwater life, Geelong & The Bellarine Peninsula, VIC, Australia — Snorkel or scuba dive and you’ll uncover waters teeming with life. (Image: Visit Geelong & The Bellarine)

Above water, explore the Ramsar Convention-listed wetland of Swan Bay, a habitat that supports nearly 200 bird species. Each summer, some 10,000 migratory waders, such as plovers and curlews, call these intertidal mudflats home. There are also sizable rock pools to investigate at Point Lonsdale during low tide, plus reef breaks to surf and crystalline waters to swim in.

The surprises keep coming underwater. Not only are there more than 30 shipwrecks to dive, but the variety of marine life that inhabits the Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park is so vast it’s said to rival that of the Great Barrier Reef. Go scuba diving and you’ll uncover kaleidoscopic sponge gardens and soft corals, thick forests of kelp and huge seagrass beds, all teeming with life. Take a dive at the reefs of Pope’s Eye or Lonsdale Wall and you might spy nudibranchs, Gulf wobbegongs, or shoals of western blue devils, leather jackets, dusky morwongs, giant Australian cuttlefish and southern hulafish, to name but a few.

3. Barwon River

Originating in the Otway Ranges, and meandering east through Forrest and Birregurra before joining the Moorabool River in Geelong and entering the sea at Barwon Heads, this 160-kilometre-long river is located on Wadawurrung country. It was once a rich source of food for the Aboriginal community, who would catch eels and fish for trout and perch off its banks.

Barwon River, South Geelong, Victoria, Australia — Trace this waterway from start to finish and you’d find a plethora of native vegetation lining its banks, making it a dendrophile’s delight. (Image: Visit Geelong Bellarine)

Trace this waterway from start to finish and you’d find a plethora of native vegetation lining its banks, making it a dendrophile’s delight: there are river red gums, Australian blackwoods, silver wattles, woolly tea trees, drooping sheoaks, and even the nation’s floral emblem, the golden wattle. Wildlife also finds refuge in the river and on its banks, from the elusive nankeen night heron and platypus to swamp wallabies and native water rats.

Paddle boarding at the Barwon River, Geelong, VIC, Australia — Go paddle boarding on Barwon River. (Image: Visit Geelong & The Bellarine)

Geelong is home to a number of peaceful parks and reserves that capitalise on the river’s beauty and natural features, such as Buckley Falls, Fyansford Common and Zillah Crawcour Park. The riverside Balyang Sanctuary is arguably the pick of the bunch; once a swamp, this park now encompasses nine hectares of lake and native bushland, often visited by pelicans, pied cormorants and Eurasian coots.

Children riding bikes at Barwon River and Park, Victoria, Australia — Geelong is home to a number of peaceful parks and reserves that capitalise on the river’s beauty and natural features. (Image: Visit Victoria)

4. Geelong Botanic Gardens, Geelong

The city’s green lung, Geelong Botanic Gardens has been going strong since 1851. Not only is it home to your more typical botanic garden fare – from rose gardens to plentiful lawns fit for picnicking, and a conservatory that houses a collection of tropical plants – it’s also home to more than a dozen ‘heritage’ trees.

Geelong Botanic Gardens, VIC, Australia — Geelong Botanic Gardens is known as the city’s green lung. (Image: Visit Geelong & The Bellarine)

These specimens are so important they’re listed on the National Trusts of Australia’s Register of Significant Trees, and they include a positively huge Chilean wine palm and a maidenhair tree native to China.

5. You Yangs Regional Park

The granite peaks of this mountain range rise just 320 metres high, but they cut a striking silhouette against the pancake-flat Werribee Plain.

You Yangs Regional Park, Geelong & The Bellarine Peninsula, VIC, Australia — Whip out your binoculars, as there’s a wealth of birdlife to spy. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Whip out your binoculars, as there’s a wealth of birdlife to spy among the You Yangs Regional Park’s scrub and gum tree-flecked slopes. From the park’s summit you can also gorge on sweeping views of the surrounding countryside.

6. Serendip Sanctuary, Lara

A haven for all manner of creatures big and small, Serendip Sanctuary is ground zero for animal lovers. Run by Parks Victoria, the sanctuary is located among the open grassy woodlands, marshlands and wetlands of the volcanic Western Plains, and is home to more than 150 animal species, from kangaroos, wallabies and emus to bearded dragons and spotted-tail quolls. Don’t leave without retreating to one of the bird hides to spy on the plethora of birdlife: among the 150 different species that visit this wildlife park, you might see black kites, Cape Barren geese, bush stone-curlews or the endangered masked owl.

Makers, bakers, artists, chefs, crafters – Ballarat and its surrounds are overflowing with creative spirits. All dedicated to keeping traditional skills alive for a city that is humming with artful energy.

Modern makers: a new generation of artists and artisans

“Keeping craft alive is a noble cause,” says Jess Cameron-Wootten, a charming and passionate master leathercrafter and cordwainer, who handmakes traditional leather boots and shoes in Ballarat’s old Gun Cotton Goods Store.

Ballarat was recognised in 2019 as a UNESCO Creative City of Craft and Folk Art, and today it’s a place where craft traditions converge with contemporary needs. Nothing quite captures this convergence as a visit to Wootten , the workshop and store of Jess Cameron-Wootten and his partner Krystina Menegazzo.

heritage buildings in Ballarat — Ballarat’s streets are lined with heritage buildings. (Image: Matt Dunne)

Jess’s father was an artisan bootmaker, or cordwainer. Now Jess and Krys and their small team of artisans continue the tradition, but with a modern spin. The company’s boots and shoes, made completely from scratch, are renowned for their quality and longevity. Wootten also craft shoes, bags, belts, leather aprons, wallets and more.

Cosy beanies, gloves, alpaca socks, “unbreakable” shoelaces and various other goods – many from local craftspeople and small-scale makers – fill the shop’s shelves. “We’re always happy to support a mate,” says Jess. “People love to see the workshop and where things are made. Our clients care about quality and sustainability,” Krys comments. The company slogan ‘Made for generations’ says it all.

Ruby Pilven’s ceramics at Ross Creek Gallery. (Image: Tara Moore)

For Ruby Pilven, craft is also in the DNA – both her parents were potters and with her latest porcelain ceramics, Ruby’s young daughter has been helping add colour to the glazes. “I grew up watching my parents in the workshop – I’ve always been doing ceramics,” she says, although her Visual Arts degree was in printmaking. That printmaking training comes through particularly in the rich layering of pattern. Her audacious colour, unexpected shapes and sudden pops of 12-carat gold are contemporary, quirky – and joyful.

You can see Ruby’s handcrafted ceramics, and work by other local and regional artists, at Ross Creek Gallery , a light-filled space surrounded by serene bushland, across from the mudbrick house her parents built in the 1980s. A 10-minute drive from Ballarat, it’s a tangible link to the region’s well-established craft traditions.

How Ballarat is preserving the past

artisans making crafts at the Centre for Rare Arts and Forgotten Trades, Ballarat — The Centre for Rare Arts & Forgotten Trades holds workshops to preserve crafts and skills.

While tradition is ongoing, there’s a danger that many of these specific type of skills and knowledge are fading as an older generation passes on. Step forward the Centre for Rare Arts and Forgotten Trades .

The seven purpose-built studios occupy a fabulous modern building adjacent to Sovereign Hill, with state-of-the-art facilities, enormous windows and landscape views across to Warrenheip and Wadawurrung Country.

artisanal works at the Centre for Rare Arts and Forgotten Trades, Ballarat — Check out artisanal works at the Centre for Rare Arts and Forgotten Trades.

Practising artisans run hands-on workshops. Fancy making your own medieval armour? Or trying your hand at blacksmithing, spinning wool, plaiting leather, weaving cane or craft a knife? Book a class and learn how. “It’s about creating awareness and also sharing knowledge and skills before they are lost,” explains Deborah Klein, the centre manager.

A city steeped in food and flavours

Chef José Fernandez preparing American streetfood at Pancho — Chef José Fernandez creates vibrant South American street food at Pancho. (Image: Ballarat Tourism)

One skill that hasn’t been lost is that of cooking. Ballarat’s burgeoning gastronomy scene runs the gamut from an artisan bakery (the atmospheric 1816 Bakehouse) to cool coffee shops, speakeasy cocktail bars and distilleries to fine-dining venues. But I’m still surprised to find Pancho , José Fernandez’s South American street food restaurant, serving fried cheese tequeños, fiery fish tacos, Argentinian grilled chicken.

The room is as lively as the food – a whirl of colour filled with gifted and thrifted paintings, photos, tchotchkes (trinkets), plants. There’s a Mexican abuela aesthetic going on here. Even before the music and mezcal kick in, it’s fun. Heads up on the drinks menu – an authentic selection of mezcal, tequila, South American wines and Mexican cerveza.

a cocktail at Itinerant Spirits, Ballarat — Enjoy a cocktail at Itinerant Spirits. (Image: Ballarat Tourism)

The spirit is willing, so after lunch we head towards the gold rush-era Ballarat train station and across the line to the old 1860s Goods Shed for Itinerant Spirits . At one end, a massive German copper still looms behind a wall of glass. The fit-out embraces deep olive-green tones, original bluestone walls, steamer trunks as coffee tables, heritage timber floors, oversized lamp shades and cognac-hued modernist leather seating.

the Itinerant Spirits Distillery & Cocktail Bar, Ballarat — The distillery operates from an old goods shed. (Image: Ballarat Tourism)

Gallivanter Gin, Vansetter Vodka and Wayfarer Whiskey – the key spirits distilled – star at the bar. The spirits are crafted using grains from the Wimmera Mallee region, and native botanicals foraged in the Grampians. Seasonal cocktails are inspired by local people and places (I loved The Headland, inspired by Sovereign Hill and flavoured with old-fashioned raspberry drops). Sample the spirits, and join a cocktail masterclass or a distillery tour. It’s a seductive setting – you’ll likely find yourself ordering a charcuterie platter or pizza as the evening progresses.

The Ballarat stay combining history and luxury

one of the rooms at Hotel Vera, Ballarat — The rooms at Hotel Vera have a contemporary style. (Image: Ballarat Tourism)

New lives for old buildings keeps history alive. Vera, Ballarat’s boutique five-star hotel, has taken it to the next level: it’s a palimpsest, a subtle layering of early 1900s and 1930s Art Deco architecture with a sleek new wing. There are seven spacious suites, each a dramatically different colour, with designer chairs, blissful bathrooms. High-end pottery and hand-picked artworks imbue the spaces with personality.

Vera’s intimate, award-winning restaurant, Babae, is subtly theatrical with sheer drapes and gallery lighting, its bespoke timber furniture and brass-edged marble bench setting the stage for food with a sharp regional focus. “We have goat’s cheese from a local supplier, handmade granola from local Vegas & Rose, truffles from nearby Black Cat Truffles, fresh food from our garden, and regional wines,” says joint owner David Cook-Doulton.

Celebrating the local makers, bakers, growers and producers, and the master chefs who work their magic is all part of the rich tapestry that links Ballarat’s history to its vibrant present.

A traveller’s checklist

Getting there

It’s 90 minutes from Melbourne, either on the Western Freeway, or hop on a V/Line train from Southern Cross Station.

Staying there

Hotel Vera is a centrally located Art Deco boutique hotel. Consider Hotel Provincial , which feels like a sleek country house, but with its own restaurant, Lola.

a contemporary room at Hotel Provincial, Ballarat — Hotel Provincial has country house vibes.

Eating there

dining at Mr Jones, Ballarat — The table is set at Mr Jones. (Image: Tony Evans/ Visit Victoria)

Culinary whiz Damien Jones helms Chef’s Hat winner Mr Jones Dining with quiet assurance. His modern Asian food is deceptively simple with deep, intense flavours. Low-key, laid-back ambience, lovely staff, thoughtful wine list.

Cocktails are definitely a thing in Ballarat. Reynard (fox in French) is foxy indeed, a clubby space with top-notch cocktails and small bites. Grainery Lane is extravagantly OTT with its massive 1880s bar, myriad chandeliers, brass gin still, Asian-inspired food and lavish cocktails.

dining at Grainery Lane, Ballarat — Dining at Grainery Lane.

Playing there

a laneway filled with artworks in Ballarat — An artful laneway in the city. (Image: Ballarat Tourism)

Check out local design legend Travis Price’s wall murals in Hop Lane with its colourful canopy of brollies, or in Main Street. The Art Gallery of Ballarat’s off-site Backspace Gallery showcases early-career artists in a stylish, contemporary space. First Nations-owned and run Perridak Arts connects people to place, bringing together art and crafts in this gallery/shop.

a woman admiring artworks at Perridak Arts Gallery — Perridak Arts is a First Nations-run gallery. (Image: Tony Evans)

The wineries of the Pyrenees are close at hand with their welcoming cellar doors and robust reds. Join a behind-the-scenes tour at the Centre for Gold Rush Collections .

Don’t forget the giant bluestone Kryal Castle , ‘the land of adventure’, for a little medieval magic, and not just for the kids: get ready for Highland-style feasting, jousting, even overnight stays.