# Melbourne in November and the Ghan



## Maho4x4 (Jul 14, 2010)

Hi there, I just found this great forum and thought that somebody can give me some advise on what to do and to see in Melbourne in November. I will stay there for 4 weeks and may move there in 2011 if i get a visa. I have friends living there and they will surely show me around a bit but I thought I will inform myself beforehand as best as possible.
I would like to see the beautyful nature and wildlife surrounding Melbourne apart from the monuments and must-see places in the city. Any suggestions would be very welcome.
I also think about making the trip from Melbourne to Alice Springs on train and would like to spend a week or so on that, including the visit of Uluru and the Olgas, maybe even Kakadu. Has anybody done that and how was the experience?
Many thanks in advance 
Mario


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## Wanderer (Jun 16, 2007)

Maho4x4 said:


> Hi there, I just found this great forum and thought that somebody can give me some advise on what to do and to see in Melbourne in November. I will stay there for 4 weeks and may move there in 2011 if i get a visa. I have friends living there and they will surely show me around a bit but I thought I will inform myself beforehand as best as possible.
> I would like to see the beautyful nature and wildlife surrounding Melbourne apart from the monuments and must-see places in the city. Any suggestions would be very welcome.
> I also think about making the trip from Melbourne to Alice Springs on train and would like to spend a week or so on that, including the visit of Uluru and the Olgas, maybe even Kakadu. Has anybody done that and how was the experience?
> Many thanks in advance
> Mario


I've been to both Uluru and Kakadu Mario but not by the Ghan and you probably ought to allow a minimum of about two weeks for that part of your trip if you decide to do it for November is not really the best time of the year for heading that way, already getting quite hot inland and November is what is referred to as the build up period for the wet season in the afr north and one of the most testing climatic periods.
It could even be that there will be road closures in Kakakdu because of the approaching wet season and you will find the countryside very very dry and little water in the waterfalls if you can get to them.
I'd suggest that you consider saving a trip in that direction for another time and there ample areas to visit from South Australia and Kangaroo Island right around the south east and up into Queensland, November not too bad a time to get yourself to places like Fraser Island and see the Great Barrier Reef.
But before you get that far, Victoria itself has much to offer as well as Tasmania too if you like nature and wildlife.
Melbourne Tours - Sightseeing Bus Tours Melbourne do a range of tours as do many companies but Bunyip started out servicing more the nature lovers and though having expanded I'd hope they still cater to nature - for instance, not too many will offer a combined Phillip Island and Wilsons Promontory tour, WP having been ravaged by fires a couple of years ago but it will have started to recover and a pristine piece of Australia.
Tasmania if you can get there also has many great short and longer walks
Parks & Wildlife Service - 60 Great Short Walks
Parks Victoria: Parkweb.vic.gov.au is a good guide to what to visit around Melbourne and elsewhere in Victoria and you can even make some great walks in parkland areas part of city visits, the eastern Melbourne and Yarra river parklands with the Royal Botanical Gardens being one of the worlds best.
Whilst looking for something on one of the more beautiful forested areas I've ever come across - the Mushroom rocks, I found a few sites that mention those and also more on the Walhalla area.
Mt Erica 03.02.2002 
Walking Trails Walhalla & Mountain Rivers Region
Safari to Walhalla on Horse Back
So if you're a driver, hire yourself a car for a few days and go a wandering.
you'll find youth hostels in a few places and other not too expensive guesthouses etc. that you can stay in.
Australia's Best Backpacker Hostels - YHA Australia
And real close to Melbourne, even a train to Belgrave and exploring Sherbrooke Forest is well worth doing.


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## Maho4x4 (Jul 14, 2010)

Wanderer, many thanks for your very complete and helpful advise.
I think you are right and I should concentrate on the Victoria and Tasmania areas for this time. As I am planning to go and live there anyway I will have plenty of time to do this later. 
Great forum, I will surely share my experience here when I am back.


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## Wanderer (Jun 16, 2007)

Talking of undulating hotels
Welcome to Gday Pubs | G'day Pubs - Enjoy our Great Australian Pubs is a site I rember from time to time, not so much for any specific country hotels but that out in country towns you can find many pubs with reasonable rooms from as low as $30 and even lower if lucky, some even with a simple breakfast chucked in.
And on relaxing near the city, if you feel like a nice walk and swinging a club or a row and a feed, check out the Yarra Bend public Golf Course and/or Studley Park Boathouse, links for both and more on Parks Victoria: Yarra Bend Park page


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## Maho4x4 (Jul 14, 2010)

JackDarcy said:


> This is a fabulous journey, giving you a real intellect of the vastness of Australia which a flight simply doesn't deliver. With a cozy bed at night, a restaurant for your meals and a lounge in which to relax during the day, it's an undulating hotel.


Thank you, this is why I would love to take this trip, but I might stick to the advise of WANDERER and concentrate on the Victoria / Tasmanian area this time and take the trip on the Ghan when it is cooler out there.


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## Maho4x4 (Jul 14, 2010)

Many thanks again, Wanderer.
Now I have a lot of very useful links to study and will surely get enough ideas on what to see that my trip of four weeks will be much too short in the end....


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