The Best Glamping spots in Victoria you need to visit

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 – 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.

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.

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?

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.

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

Slow down and find your rhythm on a Murray River journey through time and place.

Trust is a funny thing. It seems not that long ago that my mother was insisting on pouring the milk into my cereal bowl, because she didn’t trust me not to slosh it over the table, and yet here I am on the Murray River at Mildura in far north-west Victoria, being handed the keys to a very new and very expensive luxury houseboat.

After a crash course in how not to crash, I’m at the wheel of the good ship Elevate – pride of the All Seasons fleet – guiding her upstream past red-ochre cliffs as pelicans glide above the rippled river and kookaburras call from reedy banks. There’s a brief moment of breath-holding while I negotiate a hairpin turn around a jagged reef of skeletal, submerged gum trees, before a cheer rings out and calm descends as the timeless river unfurls in front of us.

The Murray River winding through Yarrawonga. (Image: Rob Blackburn)

Setting sail from Mildura

Murray River birds — Home to a large number of bird species, including pelicans. (Image: The Precint Studios)

A journey along the Murray River is never less than magical, and launching from Mildura makes perfect sense. Up here the river is wide and largely empty, giving novice skippers like myself the confidence to nudge the 60-tonne houseboat up to the riverbank where we tie up for the night, without fear of shattering the glass elevator (the boat is fully wheelchair accessible) or spilling our Champagne.

My friends and I spend three days on the water, swimming and fishing, sitting around campfires onshore at night, and basking in air so warm you’d swear you were in the tropics. The simplicity of river life reveals an interesting dichotomy: we feel disconnected from the world but at the same time connected to Country, privileged to be part of something so ancient and special.

Stop one: Echuca

19th-century paddlesteamers — A historic 19th-century paddlesteamer cruises along the Murray River. (Image: Visit Victoria)

The six-hour drive from Melbourne to Mildura (or four hours and 20 minutes from Adelaide) is more than worth it, but you don’t have to travel that far to find fun on the river. Once Australia’s largest inland port, Echuca is the closest point on the Murray to Melbourne (two hours 45 minutes), and you’ll still find a plethora of paddlesteamers tethered to the historic timber wharf, a throwback to the thriving river trade days of the 19th century. The PS Adelaide, built in 1866 and the oldest wooden-hulled paddlesteamer operating in the world, departs daily for one-hour cruises, while a brand-new paddlesteamer, the PS Australian Star , is launching luxury seven-night voyages in December through APT Touring.

The town is also a hot food and wine destination. St Anne’s Winery at the historic Port of Echuca precinct has an incredibly photogenic cellar door, set inside an old carriage builders’ workshop on the wharf and filled with huge, 3000-litre port barrels. The Mill, meanwhile, is a cosy winter spot to sample regional produce as an open fire warms the red-brick walls of this former flour mill.

Stop two: Barmah National Park

Just half-an-hour upstream, Barmah National Park is flourishing, its river red gum landscape (the largest in the world) rebounding magnificently after the recent removal of more than 700 feral horses. The internationally significant Ramsar-listed wetland sits in the heart of Yorta Yorta Country, with Traditional Owners managing the environment in close partnership with Parks Victoria. Walkways weave through the forest, crossing creeks lined with rare or threatened plants, passing remnants of Yorta Yorta oven mounds and numerous scar trees, where the bark was removed to build canoes, containers or shields.

The Dharnya Centre (open weekdays until 3pm) is the cultural hub for the Yorta Yorta. Visitors can learn about the ecological significance of the Barmah Lakes on a 90-minute river cruise, led by a First Nations guide, or take a one-hour, guided cultural walking tour along the Yamyabuc Trail.

Stop three: Cobram

Continue east to Cobram to find the southern hemisphere’s largest inland beach. Swarming with sun-seekers in summer, the white sand of Thompson’s Beach is shaded by majestic river red gums and dotted with hundreds of beach umbrellas, as beachgoers launch all manner of water craft and set up stumps for beach cricket. But the beach is at its most captivating at sunset, when the crowds thin out, the glassy river mirrors the purple sky, and the canopies of the gum trees glow fiery orange.

The region is also home to some fine resorts and indulgent retreats. Yarrawonga Mulwala Golf Club Resort has two riverside championship golf courses, luxury apartments and self-contained villas. While not strictly on the Murray, the historic wine town of Rutherglen is rife with boutique (and unique) accommodation, including an exquisitely renovated red-brick tower in a French provincial-style castle at Mount Ophir Estate. Fans of fortified wines can unravel the mystery of Rutherglen’s ‘Muscat Mile’, meeting the vignerons and master-blenders whose artistry has put the town on the global map for this rich and complex wine style.

Stop four: Albury-Wodonga

First Nations YindyamarraSculpture Walk — First Nations Yindyamarra Sculpture Walk is part of the Wagirra Trail. (Image: Carmen Zammit)

Follow the river far enough upstream and you’ll arrive at the twin border cities of Albury-Wodonga. The Hume Highway thunders through, but serenity can be found along the five-kilometre Yindyamarra Sculpture Walk – part of the Wagirra Trail that meanders through river wetlands just west of Albury in Wiradjuri country. Fifteen sculptures by local First Nations artists line the trail, conveying stories of reconciliation, enduring connection to culture, local Milawa lore and traditional practices. It feels a long way from Mildura, and it is, but the pelicans and kookaburras remind us that it’s the same river, the great conduit that connects our country.

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

New Mildura motel Kar-rama. (Image: Iain Bond Photo)

Kar-Rama is a brand-new boutique, retro-styled motel in Mildura, with a butterfly-shaped pool and a tropical, Palm Springs vibe. Echuca Holiday Homes has a range of high-end accommodation options, both on the riverfront and in town.

Playing there

BruceMunro’s Trail of Lights in Mildura — Bruce Munro’s Trail of Lights in Mildura. (Image: Imogen Eveson)

Artist Bruce Munro’s Trail of Lights installation, comprising more than 12,000 illuminated ‘fireflies’, is currently lighting up Mildura’s Lock Island in the middle of the Murray. Murray Art Museum Albury (MAMA) is a hub for contemporary art, with a rotating roster of exhibitions, and is a major outlet for young and First Nations artists.

Eating there

Mildura’s diverse demographic means it’s a fantastic place to eat. Andy’s Kitchen is a local favourite, serving up delicious pan-Asian dishes and creative cocktails in a Balinese-style garden setting. Call in to Spoons Riverside in Swan Hill to enjoy locally sourced, seasonal produce in a tranquil setting overlooking the river.

The best glamping spots in Victoria