Agents on the Spot: Victoria, Australia

Tourism Victoria took a group of travel agents and tour operators on a nine-day familiarisation trip to Victoria in conjunction with Singapore Airlines. The trip included one night in Singapore and seven nights in Melbourne, with visits to Phillip Island, the Great Ocean Road, Grampians National Park and Ballarat. Travel Weekly asked three travel consultants to give their impressions before and after the trip.

Before: I didn’t know what to expect. It was my first visit to Australia and although you hear lots about places like Sydney, I knew very little about Melbourne city or Victoria. I knew it was popular among older couples who often book organised tours of the region and that many arrange a flydrive to visit attractions such as the vineyards and the Great Ocean Road. But in general I knew very little about the area, except that it has a gold-mining history and I was going in autumn, the start of Australia’s summer, so I expected it to be warm.

After: Melbourne was colder than I expected. It is great for younger people as well as older visitors with its nightlife, casinos, cafes and bars. It also has attractions such as the Melbourne Cricket ground and the Grand Prix circuit, which I thought still took place in Adelaide. It’s a great place for shopping and both food and drink were far cheaper than expected – we ate lobster for around £16 on Phillip Island. We visited the Yarra Valley and its vineyards, but we went on some great bush walks in the Grampians National Park and visited Halls Gap, with the stunning Brambuk Aboriginal Cultural Centre.

Before: It was my first trip to Australia and would not have been my first port of call. As a first-timer to the country, I would have chosen to visit Sydney, Ayers Rock or Cairns as I didn’t think Victoria had a lot of attractions. I have been selling Australia for 26 years so know quite a lot about the country.

After: I was pleasantly surprised with the trip to Victoria. The state is actually very varied – there is a lot more to it than I had imagined and I would recommend it to most people of all ages. We visited the vineyards and Great Ocean Road, which was actually far longer than I thought with attractions such as the Twelve Apostles. I was particularly impressed with Sovereign Hill in Ballarat, a re-enactment of a gold-mining settlement with people in authentic gear. It was something I had not heard much about before but it was very interesting – ideal for families as well as older people.

Before: This was my second visit to Australia – my first trip was to Cairns. Melbourne is not a place I would have chosen to visit – unless it was to see the Grand Prix. I work in London and I think of Melbourne as quite a similar city but without as many sights. I was quite interested in seeing the state of Victoria as I knew it had attractions like the Great Ocean Road as well as some national parks. I wouldn’t recommend it to backpackers.

After: I still think Victoria is more of a destination for middle-aged people and those who enjoy the country, scenery, wineries and good food. Ballarat Wildlife Park was superb. You can even get to touch the wild animals. However, you would need a car to get there and to a lot of the other sights in Victoria so I would recommend flydrive. It was very cheap to eat out in Melbourne, but I would warn visitors about the taxis as many are not licensed and they don’t know where they are going. But there was a free tram which runs around the city – you can jump on and off when you like. Other attractions included a market on the South Bank on Sunday mornings, which is similar to Covent Garden with bands, juggling acts and a market.