This page features a collection of my favourite photo spots around Victoria. I've travelled around the state extensively, and I'm happy to share with you the spots that really stood out for me. I hope you find this page useful, and it gives you some ideas for great places to visit. There are so many more places around the state I've still got on my list, so please come back and check in as I add new favourites. I'm also keen to revisit some of these locations, so you may find some of the images updated from time to time.
I've written four stand alone guides to places that I really love to visit and I've been to multiple times. I've gone into a bit more detail and listed multiple spots in each that I've really enjoyed for photography. You'll find links for them below, or under the 'Best Victorian Photo Spots' link in the menu above.
I'd love to hear some of your feedback, suggestions and recommendations in the comments below, so please feel free to share!
Around Victoria
The Grampians is an amazing mountain range around 2 1/2 hours west of Melbourne. It's a destination in it's own right, and one of my top 4 spots in Victoria.
To read my standalone guide, click the image below, or click the link under 'Best Victorian Photo Spots' in the menu at the top of the page.
Search for Australia’s Top 10 Things to Do and Driving the Great Ocean Road will undoubtedly be in that list. For those who love to drive, and who love coastal seascapes the Great Ocean Road and beyond is an absolute killer for great photography.
From the Parks Victoria page: Magnificent views, birdlife and a mecca for walkers, horse riders and mountain bikers - welcome to the You Yangs! The distinctive granite peaks of this park rise abruptly from the flat plains below. Flinders Peak and Big Rock have panoramic views out to Melbourne, which is just an hour away.
The You Yangs small mountains that mark the landscape between Melbourne and Geelong, and are a great day trip. I always used to gaze out at them on trips between Melbourne and Geelong as a kid. I spent most of my holidays in Geelong or at Ocean Grove with my grandparents.
As an adult I've been there quite a few times for photography, and some of my images here have been featured in the Geelong Calendar, going out to over 100,000 homes.
Flinders Peak
This image was shot at the top of Flinders Peak, which is the highest point of the You Yangs. It's a 3km return hike to the top, and involves around 450 steps that are quite steep in parts. It should take you 30-45 mins each way. There are great views along the climb out over the plains in almost every direction. There are quite a few spots with large granite boulders that can make for good shots, or to shoot from the top of! Once you're at the top there is a small observation tower where you can take in the views.
Sunrise and Sunset are always the best times to be up here, especially if you happen to some great clouds that light up.
If you are going up for sunrise make sure you pay attention to the opening times, as there is a gate and you may have to park outside, and hike for 30 mins into the park to get to the start of the trail up the peak. Bring a head torch!
My favourite spot though is if you keep walking past the tower (there's a trail), there is a little flat area with some great rocks that you can use in your foreground, or as features in themselves. Depending on the time of the year, there will be vegetation that will be green and lush, or covered in brilliant yellow flowers (or if you're unlucky no vegetation and just bark and dirt!!). There are also some giant boulders underneath the tower. If you're nimble enough, they are great to set up your tripod to get a little further into the scene and above the vegetation around.
Big Rock
Big Rock is another great spot to shoot. It's a massive, smooth granite outcrop on the west side of the You Yangs. It's like a massively giant round boulder. It drops off directly onto the plains below, so you can see for kilometres to the west. It's really impressive, but it's also quite flat and there aren't many features in the landscape. So, you will need to look around for pools of water, or small trees, rocks or cracks that you can put into your foreground to give your shots a bit of interest. It's *really* easy to get to, only a 5 minute walk from the car park. The shot to the left is taken with a really wide angle lens, very close to a puddle in the rocks. The emphasised the foreground, left a little slice of the flat landscape in the middle and made a feature of the sky and reflection.
There is a trail that goes down below Big Rock and takes you back to the park entrance. There are some great plantation trees here, all in neat rows that could make for some great images in the right light. You can get here easily from the entrance and will most likely see quite a few people out on the walking tracks.
I want to go back one day to try a shot similar to this, but with beautiful side light coming through the trees illuminating the pale bark and casting shadows along the ground.
Dog Rocks in Batesford, just 15 minutes to the west of Geelong, it's a great little spot for photography. The area is a reserve with a small car park. It's only a 5 minute or so walk up to the main features, which are a collection of granite outcrops and boulders. The highlight of the area is a lone tree at the highest point that's reminiscent of the Wanaka Tree. The shot below is taken from near the car park, the rocks are just behind the trees, and the famous tree is just over the rise.
This spot is great during stormy weather, and golden hour. There are heaps of composition opportunities with the rocks and the tree. Try a wide lens for a sense of scale, but I find a longer lens to really compress the rocks and tree into a similar plane works well. I've seem some wonderful astro shots taken here if that's your thing too!
This has got to be one of my favourite spots to photograph in Geelong itself. The Eastern beach has so many great spots to capture. The key area stretches between Cunningham Pier and the Eastern Beach Public Swimming Pool.
This has got to be one of my favourite spots to photograph in Geelong itself. The Eastern beach has so many great spots to capture. The key area stretches between Cunningham Pier and the Eastern Beach Public Swimming Pool.
Corio is an industrial area where you can grab some images of huge impressive machinery and processing plants. I've only spent a few hours driving around here taking a few shots, but there is so much potential here! Pay attention to any signs forbidding photography, and be prepared to potentially talking to a few security guards here and there.
Point Lonsdale is on the Bellarine Peninsula along with Ocean Grove, Barwon Heads and Queenscliff. As a child I spent almost every holiday here at my Grandparent's holiday house, so the area holds very special memories for me. One day soon I'll spend some more time here and photograph some of the spots that still sick in my memory (if they're still there!).
The area is full of beautiful surf beaches, piers, bridges and rock pools. It's great for seascapes. There are quite a few great heritage buildings around if that's your thing.
One of my favourite spots to shoot here has got the be the Point Lonsdale Pier. Specifically underneath the pier! There is a great lighthouse just above that can make for some beautiful images also.
Lal lal is a bit of a hidden gem! 20 minutes out from Ballarat, there are a trio of waterfalls, and a large, spectacular reservoir. Naturally, on my visit all three waterfalls were barely a trickle, so I will need to visit again. The Lal Lal Falls are only a short walk from the car park, the Moorabool Falls and Granite Falls are a fairly long walk. Much, much longer than I was expecting. At least half an hour from memory. That wasn't so much fun, as I wasn't expecting it. What WAS fun though, was the scenery on the way was amazing. The path runs along the top of a deep valley down to one of the rivers feeding the reservoir (fenced off). There are beautiful huge trees lining the hills, and you can look down onto the water below. It's really quite stunning. It was so unexpected to feel like I was looking out over a natural untouched landscape in the middle of farm land. I really want to come back here and explore again (hopefully with some waterfall action!) I'm not sure if the Moorabool and Granite falls are worth the effort, but if you want to see some of the scenery below, the walk is worth it. You can also see some of the wind farms around the Bungal plantation at the top of the hills, and out in the open on the final stages of the walk.
Ok, now I have a bit of a thing for wind farms. Unlike certain Australian politicians, I think they look amazing. For me they are a symbol of hope that we are moving in the right direction as civilisation. They are visible proof that we are evolving towards a clearer future. I also love the contrast between these high tech giant machines, and the farm land they are generally on. The area between Fiskville to Ballarat and out to Waubra has some great wind farms that are easily accessible via the country roads.
Drive out west during spring and you'll be rewarded with fields of vibrant yellow canola flowers. They can be absolutely stunning on the right day. These images were taken in-between Rowsley and Fiskville. Since I was here last, I think there are some wind farms that have been constructed near the canola fields, so I'm keen to get out this spring and see if I can find a great composition. Ideally you can find a lone tree, hay stack or shed to bring into your composition. A polarising filter is recommended to really make the colour pop and cut down on any unwanted glare.
While you're driving around, keep your eyes open for unique little features. I particularly love the stone walls that dot the landscape. These are usually found on private property, so make sure you are shooting them from the right side of the fence! I made this mistake once and was on the receiving end of a lecture from a very irate farmer.
Myth has it that Australia’s stone walls were built by convicts, but it was teams of wallers from Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, Devon and Ireland who plied their skills in the Western District, and taught the locals. Cheaper post and wire fences in the 1880s resulted in a decline in wall building. The Depression largely brought an end to the waller's craft in the 1930s, though a few local experts continued into the 1970s; it has since re-emerged as a boutique craft.
The Silo Art trend is breathing artistic life into rural Australia. All around the country huge murals are being painted on massive grain silos out in the country. The trend started in Western Australia and then in the Wimmera-Mallee region of Victoria. Since 2018 the trend has spread across the country with art celebrating the people of our land on everything from inner city public housing towers to water tanks and rural silos. I visited the original Wimmera-Mallee silos in 2018, shown below. I wrote a blog post with a lot of detail that you can still find here. The Silos are just incredible, and really deserve a night or two as there is a lot of driving involved. Take the chance to see the country and some of the beautiful local towns. The highlights are the silos, but the country towns are worth a wander as there are some beautiful old heritage buildings and country houses to capture. I really recommend trying to get to some of the towers in the early morning or close to sunset to make best use of great directional light.
It's around a 3 hour drive to the first silo at Rupanyup, and then a further 2 hour drive to the furthest silo shown here at Patchewollock. So without stops it's a 5 hour trip.
There are some newer silos up Shepparton way, around a 2 hour drive to the north of Melbourne.
Mount Buffalo is one of my favourite places to shoot so far. There is just something about the alpine landscape that draws me in. There are stunning plains, the ghosts of bushfire burnt trees, and dramatic rocky outcrops. I haven't yet had the chance to explore some of the other alpine regions, but again, these are on my list to visit soon! I've included Marysville in this section as I often like to stay there overnight on my way up to Buffalo, and it's worth checking out in it's own right.
To read my standalone guide, click the image below, or click the link under 'Best Victorian Photo Spots' in the menu at the top of the page.
Lake Tyrrell is a new favourite, that I've only just managed to get to. The lake is a vast, shallow, salt water lake that in still conditions makes a perfect mirror. It can make for some amazing compositions, either as a portrait, landscape, or detailed shots. There's all sorts of abandoned industrial objects and natural objects that you can feature. The sunrises and sunsets can be amazing, and if you go outside a full moon, the opportunity for astrography is perfect from the lack of light pollution.
Lake Tyrrell is situated in the Mallee region, a vast expanse that borders New South Wales and South Australia. The landscape is wide, open and dry. It's dotted with small country towns, huge farms and flora and fauna reserves. It's a region I've grown to love and one that's worth spending 3 or 4 days at a time - deciding which towns to sleep in and exploring the landscape in between.
To read my standalone guide, click the image below, or click the link under 'Best Victorian Photo Spots' in the menu at the top of the page.
I've been to Mount Macedon almost every year for 23 years to perform an Australia Day concert with my band, the Melbourne Rainbow Band. Our usual venue is Forest Glade Gardens, a 6 hectare manicured garden that's open to the public. This spot is definitely worth a visit, particularly in Autumn when the colours of the leaves will be absolutely spectacular.
My favourite spot is Sanatorium Lake. the Lake was built to provide a water source for a tuberculosis hospital that was never built. It's enclosed on all sides by tall eucalypts and in the early hours can be quite eerie, particularly if it's foggy.
It can be tricky picking the right time to visit. As it's up near the top of the mountain, the weather is quite cool, and it's prone to cloud cover. I've been quite a few times at sunrise hoping for some beautiful light, but haven't been lucky yet. As it's surrounded by tall trees, on a clearer day it may take quite a while for the sun to rise high enough to shine through. I have found so far that this spot has been best for me on overcast or foggy mornings. Cloudy days can be your friend for long exposures, and foggy days can add some great atmosphere.
Another spot I've been to on a couple of occasions has been the Camel's Hump, which is a lookout near the top of the mountain that gives great views across the landscape below. As usual, a little bit of exploring past the official lookout can result in some great little spots that are more conducive to compositions. There are some great rocks and trees that you can use to your advantage in your foregrounds. Again, I've been relatively unlucky here with the weather, but I know on the right day, I could get some stunning images here.
The main historical attraction in the area is further up the road from the Camel's Hump. The Mount Macedon Memorial Cross is a huge cross on the reverse side of the mountain. The cross is a memorial to soldiers who died in the First World War. It's worth seeing from a historical perspective, and if you are interested in documenting historical monuments, but I personally did not find this spot interesting for my style of photography. Major Mitchell's Lookout is halfway between the car park and the cross, which I found a little more interesting, with a little rock field just beyond, and views across the hills beyond.
Macedon is halfway down Mount Macedon, and has perhaps one of the most famous streets in Melbourne, Honour Avenue. You will find an Honour Avenue in most country towns in Victoria, with a long line of trees honouring fallen soldiers. This particular street in Autumn is incredibly popular with beautiful coloured leaves creating backdrops for thousands of instagram images. Rather than repeating the same shot, this is an image captured during summer taken with an infra-red camera. Infra-red light reflects as white from the chlorophyl in the leaves, almost making it feel like the street is covered in snow.
The Malmsbury Viaduct was constructed between 1858 and 1861, and was at the time, the largest masonry arch bridge in Victoria. It's still in use by our country rail network, and can make for some great images.
It takes a bit of exploring to find a good angle to shoot this from. I found the easiest way is to park to the south of the Malmsbury botanic garden, and walk down the service road to the river. From there you can access a few different spots to shoot from either from the top of bank where you are almost level with the bridge, or from down below looking up.
O'Brien's Crossing is in the Lerderberg State Park to the north west of Melbourne. The Park is popular with 4-wheel drivers, had camp sites and a gorge with a great swimming hole. O'Brien's Crossing is accessible by ordinary car, although it is a fair way down dirt roads through the bush. There's a picnic area and camp sites, and a few walking tracks that you can try. I've followed the river along for a while, and there were heaps of great clearings, little white water spots, and some great vegetation. My favourite composition was right near the bridge where a series of stones led to a fall tree. I hopped across to a fairly dry spot in the stream and set my tripod up for this shot. This is a great spot for some wilderness images that's really not too far from Melbourne.
One of the most beautiful and varied landscapes in Victoria. The Wilsons Promontory National Park is spectacular for photography, whether you are looking for wide & dramatic scenes, minimalist compositions, flora or fauna. This area is accessible from Melbourne as a day trip, although you will need to be selective about what you want to see. This has to be at the top of your list.
To read my standalone guide, click the image below, or click the link under 'Best Victorian Photo Spots' in the menu at the top of the page.
Phillip Island and the Mornington Peninsula both contain stunning seascapes along beautiful coastline, both along Port Phillip Bay and Bass Strait. I would recommend exploring each separately if it's your first time. It is possible to take both in if you plan carefully, and plan a sunrise shoot in one area and a sunset shoot in the other. Both are around 1 to 1/2 hours from Melbourne.
To read my standalone guide, click the image below, or click the link under 'Best Victorian Photo Spots' in the menu at the top of the page.
William Rickets Sanctuary is a beautiful, serene and lush area on Mt Dandenong full of over 90 incredible sculptures. From VisitDandenongRanges.com.au "William Ricketts created the sanctuary as a place for quiet reflection and replenishing the spirit. He believed that all Australians should adopt Aboriginal philosophies, respecting the spirituality of Mother Earth and all things in the natural world. Some of his works throughout the grounds also depict his feelings on the takeover and devastation of white man into the natural environment." The sculptures feel like they are part of the forest, merging with the moss and trees. A great place to spend a few hours. The sanctuary has heaps of information about it's history, and an onsite cafe. This spot is quite dark, so it's perfect for a fast prime. Go wide open and bring these incredible statues into focus.
The Alfred Nicholas Memorial Gardens are a favourite Melbourne photo spot. The gardens are over 13 acres, and were developed from 1929 by the Nichols family who pioneered the Aspro aspirin formula. The gardens are stunning with winding paths through the beautiful trees. The centre piece of the garden is a beautiful pond with an ornamental garden, and stunningly picturesque boat shed. It's a beautiful spot to sit and relax after a moderately long walk down from the top of the gardens. This is one of the most popular spots to photograph in the Dandenongs.
I've been here only once or twice to shoot. The traditional shot is straight on across the lake. Bring your filters and a tripod to slow your shutter and turn the pond to glass. The best time to visit will be in Autumn when the trees will be aflame with gorgeous colours.
Toolangi is a gorgeous area just up the road from Healesville. It has an absolutely spectacular State Forest that contains some beautiful cold climate rain forest. There are heaps of walks in the area, including the Tanglefoot walk, around 9km or 3 hours. My favourite spot here so far is the Wirra-Willa Rainforest Walk
The Wirra-Willa Rainforest Walk is a great spot to visit, with a boardwalk that takes you through some of the cold climate rainforest. The trees are the main attraction here, with beautiful moss and growth climbing up their limbs. Some of these trees are thousands of years old, so take a deep breath and experience ancient Victoria.
If you can get here in the mid morning you can capture some beautiful images with the sun peeking through the trees. As the walk is in a gully, the sun will take a few hours to rise over the crest. If you are lucky, there will still be lots of mist in the air, helping to create beautiful beams of light. There are great opportunities to capture close up details with backlight illuminating leaves and foliage.
If you are an experienced bush walker, exploring some of the uncharted state forest can result in some beautiful spots with gorgeous ancient trees further into the forest. Be very careful as it's easy to get lost. As it's quite damp, be prepared for leeches, also lots of spider webs. If that's not your thing, keep to the official trails!
Noojee is a picturesque spot on the Latrobe River. It's full of huge towering trees (my drone is lost up the top of one of them!). The main attractions here are an impressive old rail trestle bridge that you can walk over, and some beautiful waterfalls between Noojee and nearby Toorongo.
Amphitheatre and Toorongo Falls are a short drive from the trestle bridge and are really quite beautiful when the Toorongo river is flowing. Toorongo falls is the closer of the two waterfalls, with Amphitheatre falls only a short 600m walk further along. The loop taking in both waterfalls is around 2.2km long. Both falls have sturdy & safe viewing platforms.
Toorongo Falls
Amphitheatre Falls
You do have access to the Toorongo River along the walk, so if you are confident you can get some great shots of the river in flow. There are many bends and turns with lots of rocks and logs for your compositions. Be careful and don't fall in! It's cold!!
Sun Path & Ray Map
The map is set to Flinders Peak, you can search for any location using the search box.
Zoom right in or out, or move the yellow icon around then press execute to see update sun information.
Remember to uncheck 'DST' if you are outside daylight savings time! Sunrise and Sunset times are listed. Experiment with some of the dates from my images above!
The Photographer's Ephemeris provides a great desktop app that you can access here. Unfortunately they don't yet offer the ability to embed into a website.