Enchantment is just a drive away

Think visiting Australia has to be all about deserts, incredibly long train journeys or internal flights? Then think again. Gill Kellham discovers that travelling down under doesn't always have to be about the long haul once you get there

DRIVE out of Melbourne in almost any direction, the locals say and you won't have to travel far before you get to see the best of the countryside and taste some of the finest food and wine.

No stranger to Australia I am understandably sceptical even if I am in the self-styled 'compact state' of Victoria.

Awesome distances separate places in this vast country and it's difficult to believe that everything is available 'on the doorstep' and that I am about to discover all these attractions within just 90 minutes drive of Melbourne.

Checking out of the city's Crown Promenade Hotel I throw my bags into the back of a hired Hyundai and head for the highway.

First stop is the Mornington Peninsula.

Just over an hour's drive from the city, this playground for Melburnians offers everything from surfing to golf to bushwalking.

The chairlift ride at Arthurs Seat, rising 330 metres, is a great way to get your bearings on this boot-shaped peninsula and offers stunning vistas across Port Phillip Bay.

That said and done, it's time to see what the Peninsula of Plenty has to offer.

It's the fabulous food and wine (all locally produced) that is fast earning the Mornington its acclaim.

Skilled chefs, winemakers and entertainers have all opted for the desirable Peninsula lifestyle.

It's been rumoured that the region has more vineyards per kilometre than anywhere else in Australia - and they are still planting!

More than 30 years ago, wine industry pioneers recognised the region's similarities with the cool-climate regions of France.

The climate gives the vines plenty of water and a slower ripening time, producing a higher alcohol content and fuller-flavoured chardonnays and pinot noirs.

Perched on a gentle hillside in the Red Hill district, I take a tipple at family-owned Montalto vineyard and Olive grove.

The contemporary design of the restaurant takes full advantage of its position where full height windows bring the outside in.

The restaurant is reputedly one of regional Victoria's finest and after a feast of beef fillet served with a grape and green peppercorn sauce it is clear why Montalto is so highly rated.

No Mornington Peninsula visit is complete without a stop at Nedlands Lavender Farm where owners Sue and Brian McCarthy have pushed the boundaries of lavender farming to the limit. Traditional by-products vie for your attention with the more unusual, like lavender biscuits and, my personal favourite, lavender ice-cream.

Crossing the bridge from the Bass Highway onto Phillip Island and immediately the sophistication of Melbourne seems a world away.

At first sight there appears very little to do on the island: a single road meandering through green cow-filled fields. But with pristine beaches, coastal walks and some of Australia's diverse and colourful wildlife this is the island's beauty.

A short drive and I am sitting in front of a glorious log fire at the Holmwood Guesthouse, a glass of red in one hand and a slice of home-made lemon sponge in the other.

Each room has its own character and with only three guest rooms and two private cottages, the place has a delightfully relaxed intimate atmosphere.

I opt to avoid the tourist crowds and join the new Ultimate Penguin Tour in order to see Phillip Island's nightly 'penguin parade' - Australia's most popular wildlife attraction.

At a secluded beach I join my five fellow penguin spotters for a talk from the ranger about the behaviour of these delightful birds.

With night goggles on and light fading we sit and we wait. Our patience was rewarded when several penguins appeared on the beach and waddled past just inches from where we were standing. Very surreal.

After a good night's sleep, gourmet breakfast (a huge spread of fresh fruit juices and eggs and bacon) and a customary 'flat white' coffee my hosts Eric and Serena waved me good bye.

A quick stop at the Koala Conservation Centre where elevated boardwalks give visitors an eye level encounter with the cute little marsupials then it's on to my next port of call.

The Yarra Valley is Victoria's richest wine region, an ever-changing landscape of towering gum trees, colourful valleys and remote farms less than an hour east of Melbourne. I leave my car at the Chateau Yering Historic House Hotel in the heart of its 50-plus wineries.

The adjoining Yering Station winery, first planted in 1837, was Victoria's first.

Since then and particularly in the last two decades, the Yarra Valley has firmly put itself on Australia's wine map, housing 2,500 hectares of vines. It's best known for its full-bodied pinot noirs, chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon and shiraz.

From the countless touring options on offer, I plump for a small group tour with Greg Dallas of Epicurean Food and Wine Tours .

The day kicks off at the Yering Station Winery cellar door, tippling with the experts, where even the inexperienced wine buff can appreciate the quality of what is on offer.

The tour takes us to a number of wineries of varying sizes and styles. The enthusiastic winemakers - almost always the vineyard owners - are genuinely interested in what people want and go out of their way to welcome visitors.

More importantly they will happily ship a case of their finest wines to the UK for you.

A couple of hours and several wineries later, it's time to soak up some of the morning's tastings.

Food arrives in the form of French and Italian style hand-produced cheeses at 100-year-old boutique Yarra Valley Dairy though, true to form, it's washed down with another glass of wine.

The final vineyard of the day is the famous Domaine Chandon Australia, smack bang in the middle of the valley. Everything about this place is classy, from the roses in the vineyards to the tours of the working winery. And its produce is among the best Australia has to offer.

Forget deserts, long train journeys and internal flights Victoria is amazingly compact and you don't need to travel far from Melbourne to feel a million miles away or to enjoy the very best in food and wine.

FACTFILE

Travelmood offers return flights from Heathrow to Melbourne with prices starting at £699 per person (Prices valid until October 31, 2004)

Accommodation starts from £26 per person, per night for a twin share at the Grand chancellor Hotel, Melbourne.

Six day Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula and Philip Island self-drive including five nights accommodation and car hire is available from £245 per person.

Call Travelmood on 08700 66455651 or visit www.travelmood.com

For more information on Melbourne and Victoria visit the Tourism Victoria website on www.visitmelbourne.com/uk or call 020 72407176.