Q...Camping in Victoria

gday mr hull.
why not check out the high country.mansfield/jamieson/howqua.
plenty to see there and nice river to fish in.
we used to camp up there before we had our 4wd and we also camp at grampionsšqUC3<BuIL

If you want less of a crowd, dont go on holidays at Christmas.. Simple as that.

Grampians will be full, high country will be full of the Toorak Tractor crowd on their once a year pilgramage to the "MECCA" of 4wding with their shiny discos, and no recovery gear.

High Country there is lots to see, but yea its always packed on any long weekend.

You could try a journey down the great ocean road, or even across to Tassie, BILLIONS of things to see over there, adn all good.

great minds think alike Diamond . I was going to say High country , then no 4x4 was added , Howqua track is easy enough , down to sheep yard flats , i dont know about the not many other campers though.


sitting here scratching my head **********

Try Paradise valley just befor licola , Nice place . you can camp by the river , some trout fishing also , and full facilities there also , Toilets showers hot water , power . It dosnt look like your tipical caravan park , you can find a spot way from everyone and still get around on most of the path by wheel chair ,

good luck & happy holidays .

if you keep us informed as to when your here , some one from this forum should be up that way, might even get to see some 4x4 action, :-) who knows

Try heading up Lady Talbot Forest Drive just out of Marysville about 1hr East of Melbourne.

It is a lovely place with beautiful bush surroundings and easy access.

Good fishing for trout, both brown and rainbow (mostly rainbow) in the Taggerty River, it's tributaries and many other streams in the region.

Probably a little busy over Christmas, but it will be difficult to find anywhere with good access that is not busy at that time of the year ....

Good luck :-)

Cheers,

Luke.

The Murray river....Passage Camp near Boundary Bend , nice spot....anywhere behind the Hattah lakes along the river , the roads should be dry at that time...below the weir at Wentworth...good spot , not far from the town...further out is lock 9 ..good camping area...a bit furter along is Neds corner...all those spots are free...Rocklands resevoir at Glendenning ..I hear the lake has risen some what , plenty of camp spots there , although has been known to get a little crowded at Xmas ..but still not a bad spot and free...take your rubbish out with you . cheers

hey mr hull,
there are heaps of places to camp and fish. the gippsland lakes and mallacoota area, the murray river, the otways and the high country just to name a few.
i would suggest the best thing for you to buy is the camping guide book of victoria which this site sells. it is brilliant. tells you of hundreds of camp sites, what's there and what facilities, including wheelchair access, are available.
some good internet sites to visit are,
http://users.tpg.com.au/viccamp/analpha.html
http://www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/
http://www.atn.com.au/index.htm
and of course this site has great info as well.
enjoy victoria, the best state in australia.

Mr. Hull, being "English" could mean that you will find the temperatures a little warm around Christmas time. Only you know what weather conditions you can tollerate, but if that may be a problem (and only for that reason) I would stick to the high country or the coast, and avaid places further inland such as the Murray River areas.

Peter L

You could try the run from Omeo across to Nariel and camp in the upper Murray valley near Corryong or even Tom Groggin on the river. The cooler climate will more likely suit your tastes.

Alternatively turn right at Benambra and go across to the lower Snowy Valley and down to McKillops Bridge.

Try Ouyen and the big desert in the north west. It will be nice and cool over Christmas. Great fishing at Dimboola

Oh Yeah watch out for the drop bears and one eyed trouser snakes in the summer too. Bush pigs can be a bit rough in th ewest of the state so better off having a fire going at night. Dave

Hi Mr Hull:

Truckster's suggestion on the Great Ocean Road is a good one - and not intensely 4WD either. It is absolutely awesome. You may have to do a bit of forward planning for camping facilities, but I went there in January of this year and loved it.
(And I live here ....).
Have a safe and enjoyable trip.
JackAustralia - If you don't love it, leave!!!

Mr Hull.

I have a sugestion for you but If I post it it will be crowded, so email me on emer@netspace.com.au and I will give you the details. Eric.

As everyone says, it's hard to avoid crowds at Christmas, especially without going to 4WD only areas. But then crowds in Australia are not as bad as the crowds you might be used to in, say, south of France or Spain in August.

Regarding your query about wildlife. There are actually quite a few places very close to Melbourne where you can see kangaroos/wallabies, wombats, koalas, parrots, possums, etc, in the wild (without going to Healesville Sanctuary, which is really a glorified zoo). For example:
- Wombats, roos, cockatoos and crimson rosellas (a red parrot) are common around Kinglake National Park. At night you may find gliders and even owls spotlighting.
- You can often find koalas at Pound Bend in Warrandyte State Park.
- There are several different sorts of parrots (including sulphur-crested cockatoos) on the Yarra River at places like Studley Park.
- Lyrebirds can often be found in Sherbrooke Forest in the Dandenong Ranges NP.

A little further away:
- Phillip Island (about 1.5 hours south of Melb) has a very commercial "penguin parade", when Little Penguins come ashore at dusk to the gasps of many busloads of tourists, but also plenty of koalas and (less well-known) a huge breeding colony of short-tailed shearwaters - going there over summer with a torch about dusk is a wonderful experience.
- Wilson's Promontary NP (2.5 h S-E of Melb): a great place, with great wildlife. Rosellas, yellow-tailed black cockatoos, wombats, swamp wallabies, possums (including Eastern Pygmy Possums), roos and emus are all easy enough to find.
Camping in the main areas is often booked out at Christmas, but there is plenty of accommodation nearby.
- Central Victoria goldfields (1-2 h N-NW of Melb): a very interesting area generally, and quite different to the above (much drier woodland). Good birding in and lots of roos in the box-ironbark forests.

Agree with other people's tips too. East Gippsland and High Country are my personal favorites, with some quite remote areas. However, note that much of the High Country in Vic, southern NSW and ACT was devastated by fires last summer; wildlife was badly affected. (Here are maps of the area burnt in Vic.)

For information about places in Victoria, I suggest you look at the Parks Victoria web site: you can download an amazing amount of info about almost every park in Vic.

I also strongly recommend Lonely Planet's book, "Watching Wildlife in Australia". It has many suggestions on places to go, and a wealth of info about habitats, birds and animals. If you read it first, it will really enrich your trip.

Enjoy!