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Victoria

Victoria’s most romantic drives

The open road
Lucy Cleeve

February 09, 2021

This Valentine’s Day, take a ride on Victoria’s freeways of love.

Forget expensive flowers and crowded restaurants – think outside the box of chocolates on 14 February and celebrate your love on a long and winding road. There’s something incredibly romantic about heading out for a carefree drive with no agenda and no time pressures.

Victoria’s breathtaking backdrops have been the setting for countless love affairs through the ages, and we’ve rounded up four of the most romantic drives to inspire true amour.

Black Spur Drive – from Healesville to Marysville

Distance: 30 kilometres

Towering mountain ash and lush ferns create a cool and dappled corridor straight out of a fairytale along the stunning Black Spur Road. Start your journey with a long and leisurely brunch at Healesville in the heart of the the Yarra Valley’s food and wine district, then wind your way through the glorious Great Dividing Range towards Marysville. On the way, energetic Romeos may enjoy Mount Juliet, a challenging bushwalk up 1120 metres to the historic stone-cairn summit (8.7 kilometres return). Or a leisurely lunch at Fernshaw picnic area on the picturesque Watts River is just as enchanting.

Plus, check out the Yarra Valley's best boutique wineries. Or, if vino isn’t your thing, here are eight things to do in the Yarra Valley other than drink wine.

Pink Salt Lakes – from Ouyen to Murray-Sunset National Park 

Distance: 66 kilometres

Famed Murray River Pink Salt flakes originate in lakes pink enough to thrill any Barbie fan. Setting off from the farming town of Ouyen, travel west along the Mallee Highway. The stunning spring wildflowers won’t be on display this month, but on reaching Murray-Sunset National Park you’ll find yourselves in couple-selfie heaven, with striking rose-hued lakes to sit beside or even walk on, depending on rainfall. Take a couple of hours to enjoy the Kline Nature Walk by Lake Crosbie and be rewarded with sensational lake views as well as kangaroo, emu and exotic bird spotting.

Car in Kin Valley

Point Nepean

King Valley – from Wangaratta to Whitfield

Distance: 54 kilometres

Experience la dolce vita in Victoria with a picturesque joyride along King Valley’s ‘Prosecco Road’ – found on Google maps as the less romantic Wangaratta-Whitfield Road. Reminiscent of the scenery of Northern Italy, it was here that winemaker Otto Dal Zotto planted the first prosecco grapes in 1999. Neighbouring wineries thankfully followed suit. The road houses famed destinations such as Brown Brothers, Pizzini, Milawa Cheese Factory and many more. Savour local, seasonal dishes, a glass of prosecco and a game of bocce with your love.

The Crags – from Port Fairy to Yambuk

Distance: 15 kilometres

The Great Ocean Road deserves its place on any ‘scenic drive for two’ list. But just beyond, the lesser-known stretch of road from Port Fairy to The Crags offers plenty of appeal for romantics. From the charming bluestone village of Port Fairy, pass by abalone and dairy farms before your turnoff towards The Crags. Here you and your Valentine will be rewarded with dramatic rocky cliffs and rugged, proposal-worthy ocean vistas. At the lookout you’ll have views of the striking remains of Australia’s only submarine volcano, Lady Julia Percy Island (known as Deen Maar or ‘This Man Here’ by Indigenous Australians).