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 Victoria although the smallest mainland Australia state, is also the country's most diverse, providing a enormous variety of scenery, activates and entertainment. Fine restaurant and lively night-life in Melbourne contrast with a the simple pleasure found in 150- old inns in quit fishing
villages there is skiing and white water canoeing in the mountains, and water sports along the lovely coastline; where Ned Kelly, archetypal Australian anti-hero, once defined the law, old wineries laze peacefully in the sun; the gnarled shapes of flowering gum trees are silhouetted against the sea, fruit flourishes in sheltered valleys and stand of popular, beach and oak grace Melbourne's parks; wild gold rush days are brought to life at Sovereign Hills- and more gently recalled in handsome colonial mansions; the Great Oceans Road leads travelers past spectacular costly scenery; penguins waddle ashore across sandy beaches and koalas nestle in fragrant eucalyptus trees; the craggy Grampian Mountains, forming a controlled landscape of waterfalls and wild beauty, hoard the Dreamtime legends of the Aborigines, whilst the lakes and rolling hills of south-east Victoria presents more gentle perspectives.
Cosmopolitan Victoria offers variety in just about everything from sporting spectaculars (the Melbourne Cup is one of the world's greatest horse-races) and culinary possibilities (the state is home for many of the country's finest restaurants) to a year-round programme of arts and culture events featuring performance to suite every taste. Shoppers will find an enormous range of goods from the smartest designer products in stylish boutiques to bargain factory seconds in lively markets. And the Victorian weather, too, is famously diverse- often leaving visitors with the impression that they have experienced all four seasons in a single day!
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