Full of awe-inspiring scenery and cityscapes, Melbourne and Victoria make an excellent choice for a summer getaway this year. In 2025, visitors can look forward to a plethora of new experiences and openings, including beautiful design hotels, wellness hotspots, must-try restaurants and activities worth dreaming about
Has Australia been calling your name? It’s time to pack a travel pillow and book that flight. Victoria packs incredible diversity into a compact region, making it easy for visitors to travel from high in the mountains to the rugged southern coast in a short space of time. The vibrant city of Melbourne meanwhile is the perfect gateway to stunning nature, excellent food and wine, and exhilarating activities.
In 2025, visitors can look forward to a plethora of new experiences and openings, including chic design hotels, glamorous city rooftop restaurants, immersive culinary explorations and a range of exciting adventure activities. Here’s what’s awaiting you:
Design hotel dreams
Melbourne Place (Opened October 2024) is a destination where guests can really experience the vibrant soul of Melbourne. This luxury hotel is located on Russell Street, also known as the ‘Paris End’ of Melbourne, in the east end of the city’s CBD. It is a layered precinct bound together by urban lifestyle accommodation, exemplary dining experiences and contemporary retailers in the heart of the city. 191 rooms span 14 floors with Rooftop restaurant “Mid Air” on the 12th floor offering stunning views of the Melbourne skyline.
1 Hotel Docklands (Opens May 2025) is nestled on the banks of the Yarra River. This architecturally stunning hotel immerses guests in the natural beauty of the area. With direct access to scenic river walks, it is a sustainable sanctuary right in the heart of the CBD. Every design detail emulates and preserves the natural beauty, vibrancy and heritage of Victoria. The hotel will be made up of 280 guest suites, a state-of-the-art wellness centre, a 1000 seat function centre, a sleek lobby cocktail bar and multiple dining venues.
Hannah Street Hotel (Opening September 2025) is a chic 188-room boutique hotel occupying 10 floors within a 62-level residential tower on the Southbank. This $150 million development will feature a stylish neighbourhood bar, restaurant, and rooftop terrace, along with a lap pool, gym, and co-working space. Named after the adjacent Hannah Street, which honours Patrick Hanna, a Glasgow immigrant who arrived in Melbourne in 1853, the hotel’s interiors will be designed by Flack Studio, the powerhouse behind Ace Hotel Sydney and Troye Sivan’s residence. The design will spotlight materials such as brass, steel, and stone, reflecting Southbank’s industrial heritage. The hotel’s launch will coincide with the $1.7 billion revitalization of the Arts Precinct, including a new contemporary art gallery, urban garden, and enhanced access to cultural institutions.
IHG Hotels & Resorts will be Melbourne Walk’s (Opens 2025) first occupant, with its first dual-branded hotel in Australia – the Holiday Inn and Hotel Indigo brands – offering a total of 452 rooms across levels 2 to 10 of the redeveloped site. Holiday Inn Melbourne Bourke Street Mall will be a new and modern 273-room hotel designed to cater to both business and leisure travellers while Hotel Indigo Little Collins will offer 179-rooms in a boutique style experience, alongside a restaurant and bar. Melbourne Walk will be the first built project in Bourke Street Mall for more than 50 years.
Brand new Melbourne city tours
Flavours of Melbourne Night Trailis a new 3.5 hrs evening walking tour through Melbourne with a local guide from Foodie Trails. This tour provides a unique opportunity to learn about Melbourne’s past and present through the lens of food. Guests will experience a progressive 4-course dinner including the city’s renowned coffee, a visit to the bustling heart of Chinatown, Instagram-worthy desserts and a stop at a quintessential Melbourne speakeasy bar with a secret entrance.
Depot Adventures provide bespoke Melbourne walking tours guided by passionate and experienced locals. A selection of their newest and most popular tours include:
• The Complete Melbourne Walking Tour, a three-hour tour that teaches guests everything they need to know about Melbourne
• The Laneway Bar Tour, a three-hour tour that takes visitors to four “hidden” bars that are often missed by non-locals
• Melbourne Night Bites Tour is a three-hour culinary journey that showcases the city’s finest late night eats. Indulge in three delicious evening bites ranging from mouthwatering pizza to dumplings as visitors explore Melbourne’s vibrant food scene after dark.
The Royal Botanic Gardens is introducing a range of exciting, all new events and experiences for 25/26.
Lightfall, the highlight of the events calendar is an enchanting journey that will transform Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne into a mesmerising illuminated landscape. Visitors will wander through large-scale light sculptures, immerse themselves in a captivating soundscape, and witness the gardens come to life beneath the vast autumn night sky, promising a truly magical evening for all ages. This event will be open every day between 06 – 20 April.
Lightscape will return to the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne for its fourth year. The immersive Melbourne winter hit returns to transform the gardens after dark with a reimagined trail and brand-new installations. Visitors make their way along a 2km winding trail awash in artistic lighting design. Along the way, they will encounter large lighting sculptures, colourful lighting effects and an accompanying soundscape.
Go Road Trippin’
Re’em Yarra Valleyis situated in the heart of the Yarra Valley on the Helen & Joey Estate, offering a boutique escape with 16 newly designed rooms. Each features a private balcony or patio, providing breathtaking views of the surrounding landscape and vineyards.Tailored packages are available, offering thoughtful inclusions to immerse guests in the charm of Re’em and the vibrant Yarra Valley community. Enjoy dining at the on-site restaurant, where menus are curated to complement Helen & Joey Estate wines. The cellar door is open for wine tasting seven days a week.
Hop it offers a fresh new approach to wine tours in Victoria. It is asmall hop-on-hop-off bus service that starts in Melbourne and travels to the Yarra Valley, the Mornington Peninsula or Bellarine Peninsula, allowing guests to discover vineyards, breweries, restaurants and more. With a flexible itinerary, guests can choose their own route and visit around 4 stops in a day, hopping on and hopping off wherever they like as buses come round every hour.
Pt Nepean Discovery Tents have created room for visitors to stay overnight inside the National Park, thanks to the expansion of the unique campground. Thirteen tent platforms have been added within the historic Quarantine Station precinct, creating a ‘Woodland’ camping area among the Moonah trees. These pre-pitched tents come with a simple bed, communal kitchen, and hot showers. Pt Nepean Discovery Tents offer a unique way to experience the Mornington Peninsula between September to April, located at the tip of the peninsula and surrounded by the Southern Ocean and Port Phillip Bay
The new Twelve Apostles Lookout offers visitors a fresh perspective of Victoria‘s iconic landmark. The two new platforms, resembling clapsticks, extend further than previous viewing platforms and provide an even more impressive view of the stunning rock formations along the Great Ocean Road.
Great Private Toursoffer high-end luxury and private excursions including an itinerary where guests can fly-drive the Great Ocean Road in a day. They now also operate Luxe Bus Tours which are more affordable but still offer that exclusive feel.
Mount William Stationis nestled within the breathtaking Grampians National Park. Established in 1842, this historic working sheep farm offers a charming escape into nature. After extensive upgrades, the Shearer’s Quarters now feature eight rustic bedrooms, providing an authentic retreat for travellers on Victoria’s Great Southern Touring Route, whilst the seven rooms in the homestead stylishly take guests back to the 19th century. Guests can climb a summit in the Grampians, savour the finest wines from the Great Western Grampians wine region, and indulge in gourmet country dining at Mount William Station, featuring fresh, locally sourced ingredients. Located in Willaura, Mount William Station is just 25 minutes from Dunkeld and 45 minutes from Halls Gap.
Silo Art Trail, Victoria’s ever-growing Silo Art Trail now encompasses 23 extraordinary murals by renowned street artists from around the world. These works of art are dotted across rural towns throughout Victoria, including Dimboola and Sea Lake.
Take on adventurous activities
Buller Rockwire is Australia’s first and only Via Ferrata, offering an exhilarating adventure in the High Country. Visitors can now conquer Mt Buller’s summit by traversing and climbing the west face of Mt Buller at an altitude of 1800m.
This guided climb follows a secure route featuring fixed anchors, steel cables, ladders, bridges, and other elements like steps and handholds. Starting from Mt Buller Town Square, the entire hike covers 2.8 km, including a 1.2 km hike in and out, and 400m on the Via Ferrata itself.
Dumawul Walking Tours offer a range of new indigenous guided tours from Bendigo. Tours include:
• Kooyoora Walking Tour, a 2.5 hour guided walking tour to the “Mountain of Light”, located just a half an hour drive from Bendigo. This tour showcases incredible landscape, provides insights into the indigenous way of life and includes a traditional Welcome to Country Smoking ceremony.
• Ulumbarra Bendigo CBD Walking tour offers a 1.5 hour walking tour that explores the rich cultural histories of Bendigo.
Wanderer Adventures has taken over from Pennicott Wilderness Tours and now operate the amphibian boat-based cruises from Tidal River in Wilsons Promontory National Park. They have also launched a new Ultimate Day Cruise. Guests will explore the Prom up close including the imposing offshore Skull Rock, Kanowna Island with its seal colony, South Point, the most southerly point of the Australian continent and stunning Refuge Cove. Morning tea and lunch are enjoyed on secluded beaches.
