Victoria’s top town has just been crowned – and it’s a coastal gem

Taylah Darnell Taylah Darnell
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These tiny towns are packed with personality – and now they’ve got the title to prove it.

Every year, each Aussie state reveals its most beloved destinations across three categories – the Top Tourism Town, Top Small Tourism Town and Top Tiny Tourism Town. NSW announced its winners last month. Now, it’s Victoria’s time to shine. Drum roll, please…

Victoria’s Top Tourism Town

Warrnambool in Victoria
Seaside Warrnambool is Victoria’s Top Tourism Town of 2025.

Say hello to Victoria’s Top Tourism Town of 2025 – Warrnambool! Open to towns with a population of 5,000 or more, this category recognises stand-out destinations that offer something truly special – and it’s not hard to see why Warrnambool took out top honours. Situated along the iconic Great Ocean Road and a three-hour drive from Melbourne, Warrnambool offers the perfect blend of regional charm and coastal bliss.

Deep Blue Hot Springs in Warrnambool, Victoria
Take a dip in geothermal waters at Deep Blue Hot Springs.

Wander along the main drag to explore cosy cafes and vintage boutiques. Or head to the coast for beautiful beaches and scenic walking trails. It’s also a great jumping-off point for the Great Victorian Bathing Trail, a 900-kilometre tourist route that takes in some of the state’s best natural geothermal baths. Start in the heart of town at Deep Blue Hot Springs, a mineral-rich sanctuary of open-air rock pools.

Warrnambool combines coastal vibes with regional charm.

Add in friendly locals and a laid-back lifestyle, and Warrnambool’s win feels like a no-brainer. The regional city of Ballarat was hot on its heels, though, scoring the category’s silver award. Maybe 2026 will be your year, Ballarat!

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Victoria’s Top Small Tourism Town

Bogong Horseback Adventures in Mount Beauty, Victoria
Discover the countryside charms of Mount Beauty.

Next up is Victoria’s Top Small Tourism Town – a category reserved for towns with a population between 1,500 and 5,000. And this year, the award goes to Mount Beauty! It’s all in the name here. This charming township, around a 4.5-hour drive from the state’s capital, sits at the base of Victoria’s highest peak, Mt Bogong.

Bogong Horseback Adventures in Mount Beauty, Victoria
Join a scenic horse-riding tour with Bogong Horseback Adventures.

Mount Beauty is home to some of Victoria’s most bucolic landscapes that have long attracted nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts. From horse-riding tours with Bogong Horseback Adventures to bike tracks and hiking trails, visitors are spoilt for choice. Come the cooler months, the surrounding mountains are covered in snow, and with Mount Hotham only an hour away, it’s the perfect place to book for a cosy winter weekend.

Mt Hotham in Victoria
Head to nearby Mt Hotham to hit the slopes come winter.

Port Fairy on the Shipwreck Coast, named after the 700+ vessels submerged in its waters, took out silver in the Top Small Tourism Town category this year. And while it may be a world away from the winner, its rich offerings made for fierce competition.

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Victoria’s Top Tiny Tourism Town

Trentham in Victoria
Visit cosy country pubs in Trentham.

The final category shines the spotlight on Victoria’s pocket-sized towns – those with no more than 1,500 residents. Let’s hear it for the Top Tiny Tourism Town of 2025 – Trentham! Don’t let its size fool you. This historic village, under two hours north-west of Melbourne, sure packs a mighty punch. Sitting pretty atop the Great Dividing Range, Trentham has been enchanting visitors since it was established by gold prospectors in the 1850s.

Trentham in Victoria
The tiny town is home to a range of boutique stores.

Focus soon shifted to gems of a different kind – cosy country pubs, boutique stores and stylish accommodation like The Cosmopolitan Hotel – which solidified Trentham as a regional treasure. But there’s more to the suburb than its charming streetscapes. Aptly named Trentham Falls is the highest single-drop waterfall in Central Victoria, plunging more than 32 metres. Who knew one of Australia’s best waterfalls was just a five-minute drive from town?

Trentham Falls in Victoria
Trentham Falls cascades over a basalt cliff for more than 32 metres.

Halls Gap claimed silver for the Top Tiny Tourism Town award. Known as the gateway to the Grampians, the village is another natural wonder. And while an abundance of waterfalls can also be found nearby, they couldn’t quite compete with Trentham’s crown jewel this year.

Bronze commendations for each category were awarded to Echuca, Portarlington and Whitfield, respectively, with all winners decided by the Victoria Tourism Industry Council.

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Taylah Darnell
Taylah Darnell is Australian Traveller's Writer & Producer. She has been passionate about writing since she learnt to read, spending many hours either lost in the pages of books or attempting to write her own. This life-long love of words inspired her to study a Bachelor of Communication majoring in Creative Writing at the University of Technology Sydney, where she completed two editorial internships. She began her full-time career in publishing at Ocean Media before scoring her dream job with Australian Traveller. Now as Writer & Producer, Taylah passionately works across both digital platforms and print titles. When she's not wielding a red pen over magazine proofs, you can find Taylah among the aisles of a second-hand bookshop, following a good nature trail or cheering on her EPL team at 3am. While she's keen to check out places like Scotland and North America, her favourite place to explore will always be her homeland.
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This geological wonder is hiding in the heart of Victoria

    Michael Turtle Michael Turtle
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    Mythical, historical and most of all, spectacularly beautiful, Buchan Caves demands you take your time – and a tour. 

    In the pools of water, so still they could be mirrors, the reflections of the stalactites make these limestone towers seem even taller. Almost 400 million years ago, an underground river carved through the rock to create the Buchan Caves. Now, artworks created by dripping water adorn these subterranean galleries: stalactites hanging from the ceiling, pillars connecting some to the ground, even curtain-like wave formations clinging to the stone.

    Caves House
    Visit the caves for the day or stay onsite in the campground or at the self-contained Caves House. (Image: Ben Savage)

    “This is called the Fairy Cave because it’s full of fairy dust,” a guide tells visitors as they enter a cavern glittering with “calcite that’s solidified into thousands of tiny little diamond shapes”.  Buchan Caves is Victoria’s largest cave system, but Fairy Cave is a highlight and, along with nearby Royal Cave, is accessible only by tour. Naturally cold, naturally dark, these caverns deep below the surface light up as the local experts tell their stories. 

    couple walking in cave
    You’ll need to book a guided tour to see the caves. (Image: Tourism Australia)

    Among the hundreds of caves, some can be easily accessed from the surface. For instance, a casual stroll along the FJ Wilson Interpreted Walk, as kangaroos watch on from beneath acacia trees, leads into the 400-metre-long Federal Cave and its natural steps of white limestone. A slightly longer track, the Granite Pools Walk heads through soaring forest down into moss-covered gullies where the calls of lyrebirds trill through the leaves. 

    A quick history lesson on Buchan Caves 

    Buchan Caves
    Buchan Caves are a must-visit attraction in Gippsland. (Image: Tourism Australia)

    Among the geology and the nature are millennia of history. This part of East Gippsland connects the high country to the coast and was long a place of refuge for the local Gunaikurnai people on seasonal migrations to the mountains. Archaeological studies show humans lived here up to 18,000 years ago, with artefacts such as small stone tools found around the site. But not too far into the caverns – oh no! The Gunaikurnai didn’t dare venture deep into the dark at Buchan Caves, telling stories they were inhabited by gnome-like nyols (small grey-skinned creatures that could steal memories). 

    Buchan Caves Hotel
    The Buchan Caves Hotel was rebuilt after burning down in 2014. (Image: Jess Shapiro)

    By the early 1900s, more people had started to hear about these incredible caves and so the Moon family set up home at the site and started to run tours below ground for intrepid visitors. More than a century later, their historic residence is available as accommodation, with the three-bedroom house sleeping up to eight people and now equipped with modern amenities the Moons could only have dreamt of. 

    But whether you stay overnight or just spend the day here, it’s worth taking your time to explore more than just the main caves, to get a deeper understanding of one of Victoria’s fascinating geological attractions.