Victoria Road trip from the Victorian Alps to the Most Haunted Town

It is probably the first time we finished our Travel Guides of specific locations before their accompanied Blogs and Vlogs. Yet, better late than never here’s everything about how we explored parts of Victoria and how we got to see the Victorian alps and its most haunted town. The journey was challenging and was highly influenced by the Formula One weekend in Melbourne and the Easter holidays. Still, we had a wonderful time and are more than happy to take you on our Road Trip adventure!

1. The car hunt that changed everything:

After our trip to remote Flinders Island and an unforeseen stop in Launceston and its pods, it was time to start our adventure on the Australian mainland. The plan was to travel the entire 6000km between Melbourne and Darwin.

Because I already did the East Coast of Australia by bus in 2019, we decided to travel by car. Having a car would allow us to see some of the harder-to-reach locations and to save money on accommodation by camping. Besides, along the way, some of my family members would join us for a couple of weeks, making a car even more convenient.

After telling my brother that we would meet him in Sydney, we suddenly had a time limit. We had over two weeks to find a vehicle per our original plan. However, as we had to fly to Launceston between Flinders Island and Melbourne, that time had significantly shrunk. We only thought a little of it, as finding a car isn’t the most challenging thing, but oh boy, that turned out differently.

Lost in Melbourne: The Search for a Car:

Upon arriving, we brought our bags to the nearest hostel and made our way to the Library at the Dock. It’s my favourite Library in Melbourne as its view over the Melbourne Docks is inspirational and helps get some work done. Our only goal was to get a decent car as fast as possible.

We sent out plenty of messages to various car advertisements, and our next day’s itineraries multiplied with every response. I’ve never seen so many cars in such a short time. But I’ve also never turned down so many vehicles in such a short time.

Too expensive, hidden costs, no registration, no paperwork, no roadworthy or just an absolute crap car, we saw it all in a couple of days. The only remarkable thing about the adventure was the number of Melbourne suburbs we saw and how we got to play around with all trams, trains and busses around Victoria’s capital.

Suddenly, we found a great deal! We found a car that looked good and would have effortlessly made it from Melbourne to Darwin. It had no roadworthy certificate, but the owners were confident we would get through vehicle inspection quickly.

However, after all the cars we had seen and the owners we had talked to, we could convince them to go to the vehicle inspection. If the car passed as they said, we would pay those costs on top of the price. From there, the wait was on, and we would get an answer just in time to escape the Melbourne Grand Prix Formula 1 weekend! At least, if the car didn’t make it through the inspection, we wouldn’t end up with a useless car, so both solutions were a win for us.

Racing for a Roof: The F1 Accommodation Struggle:

It got to Friday afternoon, and we had yet to hear back. As we had already called a couple of times since our appointment, we didn’t want to pressure the couple too much and waited. It was around 4 pm that we heard back. We couldn’t wait to leave Melbourne that night!

We are still determining the exact reason, but we only got a short phone call saying the deal was off. Either the car didn’t pass a vehicle inspection, they didn’t want to sell any more, or they found another buyer. We only knew that we were on one of Melbourne’s busiest weekends, without any accommodation and almost no trains out of Melbourne left. It was the first time in three years of travel that no options were left on my booking apps.

It was when we were determining where we would try to pitch our tent around one of Australia’s largest cities that we suddenly found a last-minute cancellation pop-up. The solution was way over budget, but it was our only option. The universe’s signs of not buying a car couldn’t have been more significant. My travels have always provided for themself, and there was no denying this meant something.

A Friend to Remember: The Ocean Grove Story:

As we went over our options that night, we decided to call our friend Josie. Josie was living in Ocean Grove and studying in Geelong, a train away from Melbourne. We all worked together on King Island, and Avalon and Josie have been lifelong friends.

Having friends is one of the world’s greatest feelings; we were on our way for a couple of nights in Ocean Grove the next day. We couldn’t be more thankful for Josie’s generous offer. Not only did she offer us a sleeping place, but she also showed us around the area. It was just what we needed at the right time, and it allowed us to relax a little after all the stress of travelling around Melbourne searching for a car.

It was nice to be around that area again, as it reminded me of my adventures on the Great Ocean Walk. Besides, I had the chance to take to ferry towards the Mornington Penisula. Ultimately, we almost stayed at Josie’s for a week and had a terrific time.

2. Road Trip Solution Found: Time to Plan!

Our travels would have looked entirely different if not for the great people around us. Shortly after Josie’s offer, we were lucky enough that our friend Abbey Morris had a car in Melbourne that we could use for a few weeks. It’s crazy to look back now and see how things were suddenly in our favour after we let the car idea slide.

We already knew where we wanted to go. It was just a matter of re-planning as we had to return to Melbourne afterwards and develop a new plan. Problems for later, as we were already happy with Abbey Morris’s Volkswagen that allowed us to travel to the corners of Victoria, we still needed to see.

3. The Perfect Victoria Getaway: A Road Trip:

All plans were on the table, and we knew where to go. Since everything was a very last-minute arrangement, we hadn’t booked anything. Not that that was a problem. I had travelled before without any plans. What was the worst that could go wrong?

Starting a Road Trip on Easter Weekend? Think Again

Like people do at the start of every good road trip, we started our adventure stocking up on food and drinks. We drove to the nearest supermarket to buy our groceries, only to find out it was Good Friday. Really? After the Formula 1 weekend in Melbourne, we also managed to start a road trip on what’s famous as Australia’s camping weekend. We had no idea as you tend to overlook these things when travelling.

Our dinner on Good Friday was just that of a truck stop on the way to our first camp place that happened to answer the phone on Good Friday. It wasn’t much, but we were out camping and were more than happy with all the small things. We had finally left Melbourne and were spending the night at Moe’s Garden Campsite in the town of Moe.

Discovering the Beauty of Tarra-Bulga National Park

Our first stop was the Tarra-Bulga National Park. This park is a true hidden gem in the Gippsland region and is famous for its ferns and towering trees. With a diverse range of wildlife and flora, it was the best escape we could have wished for.

We planned to hike to the Corrigan Suspension Bridge, the park’s main attraction, but as all nature was so lovely, we did the big circuit track, which combines all walks. We came across various lookouts, ferns and bird species on the way.

The Tarra-Bulga National Park is not just a place of natural beauty but also holds cultural significance for the area’s Indigenous people. The park is home to numerous ancient trees, including the tallest tree, the Grandfather Tree. This tree serves as a symbol of strength and resilience. Some things are just meant to be.

The Old Gold Rush Town: A Visit to Walhalla

After we visited the Tarra-Bulga National Park, we drove towards the Mountain Rivers Tourist Park. Besides being one of the only campsites available over the Easter weekend, it was near our next stop, Walhalla.

For me, Walhalla was the start of the Australian Alps Walking Track. However, at our campsite, we learned that our Easter getaway once was a thriving-gold-mining village surrounded by the beautiful Baw Baw ranges. It also has the reputation of being Australia’s most haunted town. Several ghost stories have been passed down through generations, and we couldn’t wait to see it all for ourselves.

Visiting Walhalla was like taking a step back in time. The town is filled with historic buildings, such as the Walhalla Schoolhouse and the Star Hotel, preserved for over a century. We walked down the streets and tried to imagine what life would have been like for the miners and their families that once lived and worked there. One of our highlights was the scenic railway from Walhalla to Thompson. The historic train winds through the forest, giving us stunning views of the surrounding landscapes.

It’s funny how travelling gives you the best and the worst within the same day, from inspirational historical towns to being rained out that same night. Back at the Mountain Rivers Tourist Park, things took a different turn. The weather proved more powerful than Avalon’s tent, and the next day, we had to go shopping in Traralgon to upgrade’s Avalons camping gear.

The Misty Magic of Wilson’s Promontory

Since arriving in Victoria’s capital of Melbourne, I have put two national parks on my Bucket List; The Grampians and Wilson’s Promontory. As I had done the Grampians around Easter last year, it was Wilson’s Promontory turns this year. That feeling was even more sparked as we could see The Prom from the Northern tip of Flinders Island.

Wilsons Promontory is often referred to as one of the better National Parks in Australia. The scenery is breathtaking. The park has crystal-clear beaches and towering cliffs, and it is worth the extra time to get there.

We arrived at Wilsons Promontory on a very misty day, and although it made it feel like Frozen’s Enchanted Forest, we couldn’t see anything on the lookouts we reached. Besides, as it was still Easter weekend, we had to find a campsite outside the park as all campsites were fully booked. It made us sad until we saw how packed everybody was at the camps. We were happy to drive further and ended up at Shallow Inlet. The next day we tried again, but the mist had gotten worse.

Alas, we never had the chance to cross Wilson’s Promontory off our list. We only got a glimpse of the park’s misty magic. It was worth going, but we would like to return in 2023 on a sunny day. Another Road trip is on the agenda!

The Nargun Den: A Journey Through Time

After stops in Sale and Seaspray, we slowly reached our next destination, the Den Of Nargun. The Den Of Nargun is a legendary site from Indigenous Australians Dreamtime stories and is a cave where a powerful and dangerous spirit called Nargun resides. It is said that the spirit guards a treasure of great power and is hazardous to anyone who approaches without the proper respect or offerings. Nargun itself is a half-human, half-stone female who abducted unsuspecting children.

The walking track towards the Den Of Nargun takes you about 80,000 years back in time through tranquil bushlands, rainforests, and a gorge surrounding the Mitchell River.

The Spontaneous Journey: A Road Trip Through the Alps

One of the last things on my Victorian bucket list that I could not tick off before was Mt Buffalo. Even when we first picked up Abbey’s car in Melbourne, I thought it was a too-long shot to get to the Alps. Especially since Wilson’s Promontory was also on our itinerary. However, after a night in Seaspray with some of Avalon’s close family friends, we set off on our 4-hour adventure through the back roads of Victoria to Bright. The road that was crossing the alps was pretty hard, but after super slow driving, we eventually made it.

Bright is the most beautiful little town I’ve seen in Australia, and we loved every second we spent here. The campground we stayed at was one of the best we stayed in the whole time we travelled, and it was in the perfect location to make a day trip to Mt Buffalo. Mt Buffalo was a crazy and incredible experience and climbing it gave us such unique views I never expected to see in Australia, even after travelling to Tasmania the year before.

The views at The Horn we fantastic – looking out over the Australian Alps and the Buffalo National Park was a great experience and put into motion our next adventure – climbing Victoria’s highest peak.

The Ultimate Challenge: Victoria’s Highest Peaks Await

After Mt Buffalo’s success and not wanting to leave Bright, we decided that our next challenge, and final before heading back to Melbourne, was going to be Mt Bogong, Victoria’s highest peak. At just under 2000 meters above sea level, climbing Mt Bogong was quite challenging. Taking the wrong path on our first attempt didn’t help us much. We walked about 3km in the wrong direction before we realised we were walking away from the mountain. By the time we got back to the mountain base, it was too late in the day to start the actual climb. As a result, we headed back to Bright for one last night, then climbed Mt Bogong the next day.

Getting to the mountain early the next day, we killed the ascent and reached the peak in far less time than we expected. After meeting a well-underprepared climber along the way, we took it all in at the top. We spent almost an hour eating and talking with other climbers at the top of the mountain. The descent took a lot longer, as Avalon was super cautious with her ankle (which she had previously broken), but we still made it down well before dark for a lovely dinner and campfire. After packing the car for the morning, we got into our tent for the last night of camping on our Victorian road trip.

Exploring Victoria in style: Final Thoughts:

After a very successful and sometimes stressful road trip, we finally returned to Melbourne to plan our next steps towards Darwin. Looking back, this trip was one of the biggest highlights of the entire trip; with Avalon starting her backpacking journey and me getting back into it, it was great energy all around. Even now, Avalon says that this road trip was her favourite part of the trip! If this sounds like a trip you want to do, check out all our travel guides to get all the information before you go! The sequel on this trip will be published here shortly!

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