Incredible Things To Do In Lorne | Australian Traveller

From zip-lining among gum trees to swimming laps at the historic sea baths, there are plenty of things to do in Lorne on your next trip to the Great Ocean Road.

Looking for things to do in Lorne? This seaside holiday hot spot offers slow-paced pursuits like perfecting your swing on a bush-fringed golfing green, yoga classes at beach baths or catching a flick at a cute, vintage cinema.

Prefer to get your heart rate up? Try a group surf lesson at Lorne Beach or go on a zip-lining adventure that’s guaranteed to get your blood pumping. However you choose to enjoy Lorne, be sure to start (or finish) your day with a wander along the scenic Lorne Pier – it’s the ideal activity to bookend your day.

1. Feel the rush at Live Wire Park

Home to what has been called ‘Australia’s most extreme zip line’, Lorne’s Live Wire Park has a range of electrifying experiences for all the family, including a wheelchair-accessible circuit. There are plenty of options to try here depending on your skill level and confidence.

the Live Wire Park signage — Live Wire Park has a range of electrifying experiences for all the family. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Choose to glide high among the blue gums on the 120-metre Canopy Circuit or challenge yourself on the 525-metre high-intensity, Shockwave Zip Coaster for a fast and furious experience.

wall climbing at Live Wire Park, Lorne — Conquer your fear of heights at the Live Wire Park. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Want to tire the kids out? Book in to traverse the Super Circuit where you’ll spend two hours scaling trees, crossing suspended bridges, flying through the air on Tarzan swings and other agile, aerial treetop adventures.

Brush up on local history at the Great Ocean Road Heritage Centre

Much more than a piece of soulless infrastructure designed to get drivers from A to B, the Great Ocean Road has a fascinating history behind it. Located at the Lorne Visitor Centre, the Great Ocean Road Heritage Centre shares the story of Australia’s most famous road. Constructed as a memorial to the Australian soldiers who lost their lives in World War One, this iconic road was built by returned soldiers from 1919 onwards and officially opened in 1932. The road is both a feat of engineering and a poignant monument to the many who made the ultimate sacrifice. Spend some time and you’ll view the Great Ocean Road in a whole new light.

Take a stroll along Lorne Pier

Lorne’s first pier was built back in 1879 to serve the logging industry. Over time that pier slowly degraded, but this new pier retains a small section of the old pier as a historical reminder of Lorne’s industrial past. Take a wander along the pier which quite a few people still use to fish for whiting, bream, flathead and mullet. By night, the pier is lit up so take a stroll after dinner to enjoy balmy breezes and a spot of stargazing.

walking at sunrise in Lorne Pier — Take in balmy breezes as you wander along the Lorne Pier. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Learn to surf at Lorne Beach

Since Lorne is one of the more sheltered beaches along the Great Ocean Road, it’s the ideal spot for beginners and kids to learn the basics without being wiped out by the big swells you see at places like Bells Beach.

a scenic landscape of the Lorne Beach — Lorne Beach offers an idyllic surfing spot. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Whether you’re a casual surfer looking to brush on your technique or a total newbie hoping to stand up on a board for the very first time, Go Ride A Wave has a lesson to suit you.

surfers at Lorne Beach — Newbies are welcome to book a private lesson. (Image: Tourism Australia)

Join a group class or book a private lesson for some one-on-one tuition; either way, you’ll have a classic Surf Coast experience that will put you in good stead for years to come.

Take a dip at Lorne Sea Baths

Want a break from the beach? Open seven days a week, these historic sea baths offer so much more than lap swimming. Here you can also stretch yourself in a seasonal poolside yoga class, revive your tired muscles with hydrotherapy or play a round of mini golf with your kids. Hungry? Head to the kiosk for an ice cream or enjoy a special lunch with water views at the onsite restaurant, Almyra.

Walk the Swing Bridge Circuit

This gentle, pram-friendly 1-kilometre loop is the perfect way to start the day. Starting at the visitor centre, stroll through the Lorne Foreshore Caravan Park towards the Swing Bridge. Grab a takeaway coffee from the Swing Bridge Café , then wander along the boardwalk, through the caravan park, over the Erskine River Bridge back to where you started at the visitor centre.

the Swing Bridge Cafe in Lorne — Stroll through the Lorne Foreshore Caravan Park towards the Swing Bridge.

Get in the swing of things at Lorne Country Club

Fancy a game of social tennis? Or perhaps you want to refine your golf swing on the green? With a 9-hole golf course and several synthetic grass and clay tennis courts, the Lorne Country Club is a great spot to spend an afternoon in the sun.

an aerial view of the Lorne Country Club — Come for golf or tennis at Lorne Country Club. (Image: Visit Victoria)

High up on a hill, this bush-fringed spot has incredible ocean views too. Come for tennis or golf, stay for a beer and meal at The Peak bistro.

a man playing golf at Lorne Country Club — Refine your golf swing on the green.

Catch a show at Lorne Theatre

This Art Deco picture palace has entertained Lorne locals and visitors to the Great Ocean Road since 1937. During summer, this charming theatre shows a select range of Hollywood and arthouse films. If you love live music, be sure to check the website before you head to Lorne – you might be able to catch a live set here too since the theatre hosts international and local acts.

Need coffee? Here are 9 Lorne cafes to get your caffeine fix.

The charm of Mildura is hidden in plain sight along the Sturt Highway. The capital of Tropical North Victoria is in a league of its own.

From the moment you arrive in Mildura , the warm air and palm trees invite you to slow down. While most Australians might drive right past it, Mildura is full of surprises. Here you’ll spend one day witnessing over 50,000 years of First Nations history in a UNESCO-listed National Park, and the next dining in a hatted restaurant after wandering through 12,500 fireflies as the outback sunset bursts to life above. From roadside fruit stalls and family-run wineries to houseboats and galleries, it’s time to explore Mildura.

Feast Street, at the heart of Langtree Avenue in Mildura. — Taste, wander and be surprised in Mildura.

Taste Mildura’s produce

It makes sense to start your trip by addressing the most important question: where to eat. In the beating heart of Australia’s food bowl, sample the local produce directly from the source. And then, of course, experience it through the menu of a hatted chef. Or sandwiched between pillowy slices of Nonna’s ciabatta.

Rows of orchards and olive groves invite you to spend the day traipsing from farm to farm. Taste olives propagated from Calabrian trees brought over in the 40s, oranges picked right from the tree and squeezed into juice and spoons full of honey . Bring the holiday back to your kitchen by stocking your pantry at roadside produce stalls, or calling into the ‘silver shed ’ (Sunraysia’s gourmand Mecca).

Thanks to the warm, balmy air and fertile soils, the wineries dotted along these hills produce award-winning local wines. Like Chalmers , a family-run, innovative winery dedicated to making their wines as sustainable as possible. And picturesque Trentham Estate offers views of the snaking Murray River as you sample their vintages.

Venture beyond the gnarled shadows of olive groves and fragrant rows of blossoming fruit trees and you’ll find an otherworldly side to Mildura. With Discover Mildura as your guide, visit Murray River Salt’s Mars-like stacks. The naturally pink salt is formed from an ancient inland sea and evaporated entirely by the sun to create one of the region’s most iconic exports.

Start your day with just-squeezed sunshine.

Hatted dining & Italian history

Mildura is home to a proud community of Calabrians and Sicilians. This, paired with the exceptional local produce, means that you can find paninos on par with those in Italy. The Italian is a Paninoteca serving up made-to-order, hefty, authentic Sicilian paninos. Nonna Rosa’s pork meatballs, slowly cooked in tomato ragu and served in a crusty, fluffy roll topped with gratings of Grana Padano cheese and salsa verde, will call you back to Mildura for the rest of your days.

To find hatted dining in Mildura, simply follow the staircase down into the basement of the historic Mildura Grand Hotel to find Stefano’s . Following the muscle memory and instinct of his Italian roots, he delivers on the principle of ‘cucina povera’. That is, the Italian cooking ideology that turns simple, local ingredients into magic.

Things to do in Mildura include dining at the acclaimed Stefano’s, where simple local ingredients are transformed into Italian culinary magic beneath the historic Grand Hotel. — Bite into Mildura’s Italian heritage.

Discover a thriving culture scene

The city is alive with culture. Whether it’s painted on the town’s walls, told in ancient yarns, or waiting for you in a gallery.

The Mildura Arts Centre was Australia’s first regional art gallery. Behind the walls of Rio Vista Historic House, you’ll find a lineup of ever-changing exhibitions. The gallery’s wall space pays tribute to the art and songlines of local First Nations People, the region’s awe-inspiring landscapes and more. Outside, on the gallery’s lawn, find 12 contemporary sculptures in the Sculpture Park.

Mildura’s streetscapes are a punch of colour. Swirling strokes of paint blend the winding artery of the Murray River, red dirt and local characters into a story you can see with your own eyes, thanks to the Mildura City Heart’s Mural Art Project . Pick up a copy of the Murals of Mildura guide from the Visitor Information Centre.

Follow the border of NSW and Victoria on a map and you’ll see it hugs the curves of a tiny island on the Murray. That’s Lock Island, where, as the sun and moon trade places, the island comes alive as darkness falls. The island is dotted with 12,500 firefly lights that lead you on a meandering path through the outback sunset. The installation is known as Trail of Lights and was created by the same visionary who dreamt up Field of Light at Uluṟu, Bruce Munro.

Things to do in Mildura include exploring its rich cultural scene. From vibrant street art and ancient stories to exhibitions at the Mildura Arts Centre, Australia’s first regional gallery. — Find culture around every corner.

Wonder at ancient landscapes

The landscapes of Mildura feel almost transcendental. The skyline bursts to life with reds, pinks, and deep, sparkly night skies.

The nature will leave you in awe. See hues of pink water changing with the weather at Pink Lakes inside Victoria’s largest national park, Murray Sunset National Oark. Cast a line into Ouyen Lake. Watch the sunset against 70-metre tall red cliffs that reflect the setting sun. Or get the heart racing and sandboard down the Perry Sandhills dunes, formed 40,000 years ago at the end of an ice age.

Just don’t leave without following the twists and turns of the Murray. Stroll or ride along the Shared River Front Path, or jump onboard a boat for a scenic ride.

Your itinerary will be incomplete without a visit to UNESCO World Heritage-listed Mungo National Park . Head out with an Indigenous ranger to witness ancient campsites and footprints, before standing in awe of ancient civilisation near the discovery site of Mungo Man—Australia’s oldest human skeleton at 42,000 years old.

Mungo National Park at night is a vast, silent landscape where ancient dunes glow under moonlight and stars blanket the sky in breathtaking clarity. — Walk in the footsteps of ancient civilisation.

Meet your home away from home

On equal par with planning your meals and adventures, is finding the perfect place to relax at the end of each day.

Sleep inside a Palm Springs postcard at Kar-Rama . A sleek boutique hotel complete with a butterfly shaped, sun-soaked pool. Here you’re staying right in the heart of Mildura but you’ll feel worlds away. Or if you really wish to connect with nature, a night glamping under the stars at Outback Almonds will have you spellbound.

When in Mildura it’s only right to stay on one of the Murray River’s iconic houseboats . Wake up each day to the calm waters of the Murray lapping outside your window. Enjoy days full of river swims, fishing and exploring. All boats are solar-powered and can be self-skippered or moored along the river.

A solar-powered houseboat on the Murray River in Mildura. — Stay and play on the Murray in a solar houseboat.

Start planning the perfect getaway at mildura.com .

The best things to do in Lorne on your next seaside trip