South of the border
The Great Ocean Road
Tourism authorities claim this is the greatest ocean drive in the world: it’s a big call but, if you’re not impressed by its sweeping coastline and hamlet-style fishing villages, you’re obviously a tough nut to crack.
Known these days as the Gay Ocean Road due to the influx of queer visitors and sea changers who have opened G&L-friendly accommodation, the coastal journey begins at either Queenscliff, with its rich maritime history, or the surfing epicentre of Torquay, home to the famous Bells Beach. From Torquay to Nelson, almost 300km to the west, the road snakes past cliffs, lookouts, waterfalls and sunken ships.
The towns of Port Fairy, Apollo Bay and Lorne are excellent stopovers for Devonshire tea and spectacular beaches. But the main attraction is the Twelve Apostles, freestanding pillars of limestone sculpted by winds and the unrelenting Southern Ocean. Stop at the main lookout, walk along the boardwalks provided or take a helicopter flight over the top.
Mornington Peninsula
The water temperature may be a tad under tropical, but Port Phillip Bay’s south-eastern stretch has plenty to tempt the interstate traveller. Base yourself at Rye, Sorrento or Portsea, small resort-style towns only 1.5 hours from Melbourne with gourmet traditions, magnificent beaches and rich locals (Portsea has the highest valued real estate in the country per capita).
From Sorrento you can swim with wild bottlenose dolphins on a boat cruise, hire a bike to ride on the foreshore or whip out your Visa card for a trip to the local art galleries.
Head into the Mornington Peninsula’s hinterland hills to sample wines at Red Hill Estate, one of 60 cellar doors in the area. Its restaurant is run by gay chef Max Paganini.
Take a dip in a healing thermal pool at Peninsula Hot Springs at Rye, or head up the road to Phillip Island for its famous nightly march of fairy penguins aptly called the Penguin Parade.
Daylesford
Daylesford is a second home to Melbourne’s queer social set and is only an hour north of the city. It’s home to the annual Chill Out Festival in March which follows Midsumma, Melbourne’s premier gay and lesbian cultural festival. Chill Out is cancelled in 2007 but will be back with a vengeance in 2008.
The towns of Daylesford and Hepburn Springs are known as the spa capital of Victoria. The surrounding area contains 80 percent of Australia’s natural mineral springs, and several day spa centres have sprung up here.
The region is renowned for its tolerance and diversity: it boasts the highest percentage of gay and lesbian residents in rural and regional Australia and there are plenty of gay- and lesbian-owned businesses here, including accommodation.
There’s no shortage of scenery either: the vast Wombat State Forest, the tree-covered Wombat Hill and Mount Franklin (an extinct volcano), and the majestic lakes Daylesford and Jubilee.
The Grampians
Just under three hours’ drive north-west from Melbourne is the Grampians National Park -“ Victoria’s answer to Cradle Mountain in Tasmania.
Bushwalking lesbians will love this area, which is renowned for craggy mountain ranges and stunning wildflowers (at their best between August and October).
The Grampians are a series of four spectacular sandstone ridges running north to south with steep ragged peaks and valleys on the eastern side and gentler slopes to the west.
There are plenty of Kodak moments here, and the park offers 160km of walking trails and abundant wildlife including kangaroos, koalas, emus and wedge-tailed eagles. Aboriginal occupation of the Grampians dates back beyond 5,000 years and the area contains the majority of Aboriginal rock art sites in south-east Australia.
You can camp in the park or, if you prefer a real mattress, the nearby town of Halls Gap has many accommodation options.
Check out these websites for more information: www.visitvictoria.com.au, www.greatoceanrd.org.au and www.visitmorningtonpeninsula.org.
