The best glamping spots in Victoria

Megan ArkinstallBy Megan Arkinstall
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A handful of the most unique glamping (that’s glamorous camping) stays in Victoria where a bottle Bollinger or a boiling billy is equally on the cards.

If you’re looking to go glamping in Victoria, you’ve come to the right place.

 

From wilderness retreats and zoo safaris to seaside valleys, here we give you the top locations for glamping in Victoria.

1. Cosy Tents, Daylesford

Cosy Tents glamping Daylesford
Cosy Tents nestled in the rarefied bushland surroundings of Daylesford.

Nestled in the hills of the Hepburn Shire, in a wide, open paddock encircled by Australian bush and a dam, the five ‘Cosy Tents’ for hire here are just too cute for words. Linen of 1200 threads, duck-down quilts, wood-fired stoves, mood-setting lanterns and Bose Bluetooth speakers to play a bit of Paul Kelly: they’ve thought of everything. Except who you’re going to bring. From $185 a night.

 

Address: 6A Kanga Rd, Yandoit

2. Pebble Point, Great Ocean Road

Pebble Point glamping, a suitable night's accommodation on the Great Ocean Walk.
Pebble Point glamping, a suitable night’s accommodation on the Great Ocean Walk.

Doing the Great Ocean Walk? (You should, it’s spectacular… just saying.) At the end, just three kilometres from the Twelve Apostles, in between three national parks, you’ll find this hidden bush retreat with five luxury tents.

 

Each tent at Pebble Point has all the glamping ‘usuals’ – king-sized beds, spacious ensuites with full-sized shower and toilet, and a private deck with stretching views of the peaceful valley – as well as a shared lounge/dining tent, with fridge, microwave, toaster and tea/coffee facilities to refuel and get out exploring again. From $140 a night.

 

Address: 20 Old Coach Rd, Princetown

 3. Wilderness Retreats, Wilsons Promontory National Park

Wilderness Retreats glamping, Wilsons Promontory National Park
Wilderness Retreats glamping, Wilsons Promontory National Park – So much more than your usual ‘two-minute noodle’ camping trips.

Spend a day walking through rainforest, snorkelling at Norman Bay, or swimming in the azure waters of Squeaky Beach, then come back to your safari-style tent and be lulled to sleep by the sounds of the boundless nature in Wilsons Promontory National Park.

 

Add in the well-equipped communal kitchen, to cook up a gourmet feed, and your usual ‘two-minute noodle’ camping trips will just be memories in the dust. From $182 a night; visitvictoria.com

 

Address: 32 Ring Rd, Tidal River

4. Werribee Open Range Zoo, Werribee

In with the animals, Slumber Safari, Werribee Open Range Zoo.
In with the animals, Slumber Safari, Werribee Open Range Zoo.

For little people, sleeping at Werribee Open Range Zoo just might be the best thing since sliced fairy bread – but this one’s for big people, too. The zoo’s ‘Slumber Safari’ package includes zoo entry for two days, exclusive wildlife viewings and an overnight experience in one of eight family-sized tents.

 

Enjoy a sunset drink on your deck overlooking the ‘savannah’, feast on African-inspired cuisine then head out on a night walk and toast marshmallows on the fire. $300 per adult, $145 per child.

Giraffe Slumber Safari Werribee Open Range Zoo
Meet your giraffe neighbours at ‘Slumber Safari’, Werribee Open Range Zoo.

 

Address: K Rd, Werribee South

5. Happy Glamper, Mornington Peninsula

Happy Glamper at Mornington Peninsula yurt style glamping
Happy Glamper at Mornington Peninsula hires fitted-out yurt-style tents and, luckily, does all the hard work for you.

Want a bit more flexibility with your location? Happy Glamper is your company: they hire out bell tents and yurt-style tents with beds, fresh linen, rugs, lighting and any other homey essentials you may need, to be set up at your chosen seaside location in the sparkling Mornington Peninsula.

 

We know what you’re thinking: setting up your own tent isn’t very glamporous, is it? Don’t worry, they do all the work for you. They’ll even tow a vintage Airstream to your chosen site if that’s more your style. From $290 for two nights plus site fees.

Happy Glamper's 'Lotus Belle' interior - this one suits a family of five.
Happy Glamper’s ‘Lotus Belle’ interior – this one suits a family of five.

6. Phillip Island Glamping, Phillip Island

If it’s views of a pristine sand and beaches you seek, rest your head at Phillip Island Glamping.

 

With three sites on offer (each as breathtaking as the next), you really will be spoiled for choice.

Phillip Island luxury

Fall asleep to sounds of the ocean and wake up just steps from the sand. You will also be right in the thick of all island activities, including the Penguin Parade and the Cowes Farmer’s Market.

 

Equipped with a Queen size air mattress, heaters, crockery and card games, these tents come with the 5-star treatment you deserve.

 

Address: Cowes Caravan Park, 164 Church Street, Cowes

7. Into the Woods, North East Victoria

The glamping concept from Into the Woods  involves picking the luxury tent that suits (all are decorated in a cosy Scandi style) then choosing between campsites at Yackandandah Holiday Park and Discovery Parks Lake Hume, both in the Albury-Wodonga region.

 

Or for something different, Into the Woods will bring glamping to you, setting up camp on your property.

8. French Island Glamping, French Island

If you’re keen to truly go off-grid, what could be better than a glamping island adventure?

French Island interiors

A short ferry ride from Stony Point on the Mornington Peninsula lives French Island National Park – the state’s largest coastal island.

 

You’ll feel completely removed from crowds, truly immersing yourself in the famous natural landscape.

 

Adding to this is the lack of, well, services. There’s just one grocery store on the island, which means guests are encouraged to pack their own food to cook in the communal kitchen and barbecue area. As for everything else, well French Island Glamping takes care of it…

 

Address: 59 Barge Access Rd, French Island

9. Mornington Peninsula Glamping, Rosebud

New to the accommodation offerings on the peninsula is Mornington Peninsula Glamping. The first glampsite to pop up on the peninsula, it’s located on the Blue Range Estate Winery , run by the Melone family.

Mornington Peninsula Glamping
Blue Ridge Estate Winery now have their own glamping site

An adults-only retreat, each of the glamping tents accommodates two people maximum. Within the five-by-five-metre tents is a queen-size bed, two lounge chairs and a coffee table. You won’t need to go device-free either, with solar power to ensure you can remain connected if you desire. Within easy walking distance is a shared cooking and dining area (barbecues, hot water and boutique coffee and tea) plus bathroom facilities, which are just as snazzy and chic as the tents.

 

Between Friday and Sunday, you can eat at the winery’s restaurant if embracing the great outdoors as your kitchen doesn’t appeal to you.

 

Address: 155 Gardens Road, Rosebud

 

Megan Arkinstall
Megan Arkinstall is a freelance travel writer who you’ll often find at the beach, bushwalking or boating with her young family. She loves reliving travel memories through writing, whether that be sipping limoncello in a sun-drenched courtyard of Monterosso or swimming with green turtles in the aquamarine waters of Tropical North Queensland.
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This luxe trawler tour is redefining Victoria’s seafood experience

    Chloe CannBy Chloe Cann
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    Victoria’s ‘mussel capital’ is the source of exceptional shellfish used by top chefs far and wide. Step aboard a beautifully refurbished trawler to see how these plump and juicy bivalves are sustainably cultivated.

    A curtain is slowly winched from the placid, teal waters just off Portarlington , like a floating garland beside our boat. The ropes heave with blue mussels, the star attraction of our tour. But as we reach to pluck our own, it’s quickly clear they’re not alone; a mass of weird and wonderful creatures has colonised the ropes, turning them into a living tapestry. ‘Fairy’ oysters, jelly-like sea squirts, and tiny, wriggling skeleton shrimp all inhabit this underwater ecosystem.

    We prize our bivalve bounty from the ropes, and minutes later the mussels arrive split on a platter. The plump orange morsels are served raw, ready to be spritzed with wedges of lemon and a lick of chilli as we gaze out over the bay. They’re briny, tender and faintly sweet. “This wasn’t originally part of the tour,” explains Connie Trathen, who doubles as the boat’s cook, deckhand and guide. “But a chef [who came onboard] wanted to taste the mussels raw first, and it’s now become one of the key features.”

    A humble trawler turned Hamptons-style dreamboat

    inspecting bivalve bounty from the ropes
    Inspecting the bounty. (Image: Visit Victoria/Hannyn Shiggins)

    It’s a crisp, calm winter’s day, and the sun is pouring down upon Valerie, a restored Huon pine workhorse that was first launched in January 1980. In a previous life she trawled the turbulent Bass Strait. These days she takes jaunts into Port Phillip Bay under the helm of Lance Wiffen, a fourth-generation Bellarine farmer, and the owner of Portarlington Mussel Tours . While Lance has been involved in the fishing industry for 30-plus years, the company’s tour boat only debuted in 2023.

    holding Portarlington mussels
    See how these plump and juicy bivalves are sustainably cultivated.

    It took more than three years to transform the former shark trawler into a dreamy, Hamptons-esque vessel, with little expense spared. Think muted green suede banquettes, white-washed walls, Breton-striped bench cushions, hardwood tables, bouquets of homegrown dahlias, and woollen blankets sourced from Waverley Mills, Australia’s oldest working textile mill. It’s intimate, too, welcoming 12 guests at most. And yet there’s nothing pretentious about the experience – just warm, down-to-earth Aussie hospitality.

    As we cruise out, we crack open a bottle of local bubbles and nibble on the most beautifully curated cheese platter, adorned with seashells and grey saltbush picked from the water’s edge that very morning. Australasian gannets soar overhead, and I’m told it’s not uncommon for guests to spot the odd seal, pod of dolphins, or even the occasional little penguin.

    The sustainable secret behind Victoria’s best mussels

    blue mussels off Portarlington
    Blue mussels sourced just off Portarlington.

    Connie and Lance both extol the virtues of mussels. They’re delicious. A lean source of protein and packed with omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B12, iron, selenium, and zinc. They’re cooked in a flash (Connie steams our fresh harvest with cider and onion jam). And they’re also widely regarded as one of the most sustainable foods in the world.

    Portarlington mussels with lemon and chilli
    Mussels served with lemon and chilli.

    “Aquaculture is [often] seen as destructive, so a lot of our guests are really surprised about how environmentally friendly and sustainable our industry is,” Lance says. “[Our mussels] would filter 1.4 billion litres of water a day,” he adds, explaining how mussels remove excess nitrogen and phosphorus from the water. “And through biomineralisation, we lock carbon into mussel shells.”

    a hand holding a Portarlington mussel
    Mussels are a sustainable food.

    Despite their glowing list of accolades, these molluscs have long been seen as the oysters’ poorer cousins. “It was a really slow start,” explains Lance, who says that in the early days of his career, “you could not sell mussels in Victoria”.

    But word has slowly caught on. Chefs as globally acclaimed as Attica’s Ben Shewry and even René Redzepi of Noma, Denmark, have travelled to these very waters just to try the shellfish at the source, sharing only the highest praise, and using Lance’s mussels in their restaurants.

    guests sampling Portarlington mussels onboard
    Sampling the goods onboard. (Image: Visit Victoria/Hannyn Shiggins)

    According to Lance there’s one obvious reason why the cool depths of Portarlington outshine other locations for mussel farming. “The water quality is second to none,” he says, noting how other regions are frequently rocked by harvest closures due to poor water quality. “We grow, without a doubt, some of the best shellfish in the world.” And with Lance’s bold claims backed up by some of the industry’s greatest names, perhaps it won’t be much longer until more Aussies uncover the appeal of Portarlington’s mussels.