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Michela Fantinel

Michela is a passionate traveller and outdoor enthusiast, who has been travelling solo for +30 years between Australia, Italy, Europe and more countries. She is keen to share her knowledge and best tips to help solo travellers travel more and plan their adventures in a simpler and smarter way. Michela is the founder and editor in chief of Rocky Travel.

13 Comments

  1. Phoebe
    March 10, 2016 @ 1:19 am

    I LOVE the Dandenong Ranges! I spend 2-3 days there a week (my partner lives in the area), and it’s such a beautiful, tranquil place. I’d never heard of the William Ricketts Sanctuary, though – it sounds lovely! Will have to check it out.
    I’d recommend watching the sunset over Melbourne city from Bourke’s lookout – it’s a gorgeous way to end a day in the Ranges!
    And yes, Miss Marple’s Tea Room is one of the cutest places to visit 🙂
    Great recommendations, as always!

    Reply

  2. rockytravel
    March 10, 2016 @ 1:11 pm

    Hi Phoebe, the Dandenong Ranges is one of my favourite places around Melbourne. You must visit William Ricketts Sanctuary! Thanks for the tip with the Bourke’s lookout, I will check it out next time I am in Melbourne! Happy & Safe travels in Australia! 🙂

    Reply

  3. Kanchan
    March 12, 2016 @ 6:53 am

    Melbourne is a very good place to spend holidays, it is a place full of excursion, there are so many things to do in Melbourne. No doubt it is an expensive country as compare to other asian country’s but it has their own wonderful experience.

    Reply

  4. Kathy Marris
    March 24, 2016 @ 7:23 am

    These are very good ideas for day trips out of Melbourne. There is so much to do in Melbourne. It really is hard to beat as a travel destination.

    Reply

    • Rocky Travel
      July 25, 2016 @ 7:27 pm

      Hi Kathy, you are right. It’s hard to choose what to do in beautiful Melbourne’s surroundings! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂

      Reply

  5. Lesley Boniface
    September 10, 2016 @ 10:23 pm

    The Yarra Valley winery tours are great. We visited De Bertolli too, but also loved some of the smaller ones like Soumah, Maddens Rise and Pimpernel. The Chocolaterie was fab too, especially the great big bowls for trying when you enter!

    Reply

    • rockytravel
      October 25, 2016 @ 2:27 pm

      I liked De Bortoli Winery too. I don’t know the other ones. I also remember visiting a couple of small ones too. The Yarra Valley Chocolaterie is absolutely one of the highlights of the whole region! 😉

      Reply

  6. Mark
    February 7, 2017 @ 6:27 am

    Hi everyone,

    I agree with Kanchan, Melbourne is a nice place for family, friends, couples. I have stayed at Melbourne for 2 weeks, We all know that Australia is quite expensive. So we really have to plan ahead before going there. But I assure you guys that it’s all worth the expenses! There’s a lot of beautiful spot to visit in Melbourne. Because my budget can’t afford a Hotel stay, I just accommodate an Apartment house for my stay in Melbourne.

    Reply

  7. sophie
    March 7, 2017 @ 10:59 am

    Hi, did you do free and easy for Yarra Valley wine tour? How much did it cost you for wine tasting each winery?

    Reply

    • rockytravel
      March 14, 2017 @ 3:30 pm

      Hi Sophie, I went on my own and most of times wine tasting is free, depending on the winery. Or little like 5-10 dollars per winery. If you go on a tour it may cost between 75-120 Dollars for a 4-6 hours guided food and wine tasting tour. More info here.

      Reply

  8. Sarah Shumate
    March 4, 2018 @ 1:39 am

    All of these look like amazing day trips, but I think I’d especially enjoy the 1000 Steps Walk in the Dandenongs! Wildlife + nature + peace and quiet is pretty much a recipe for perfection in my book. 🙂

    Reply

  9. Fran Cusack
    March 12, 2018 @ 1:27 pm

    North of the city there is plenty to see and do. Lancefield has wineries and a gorgeous main street with a few great places to dine or just grab a coffee and cake. Woodend is another town about 25km from Lancefield and your drive will take you past the amazing “Hanging Rock”. You can easily spend a day at the rock ascending to its summit via a path that suits all fitness levels. There is the beautiful drive to the summit of Mount Macedon where you can walk to the memorial cross and lookout over the whole of the Macedon Ranges. Approximately 24 km East of Lancefield their is the township of Kilmore which has a couple of really great bakeries, an old gaol and a main street full of quirky and interesting shops. From any of these central Victorian towns there is much to see and do, with all of the Macedon Ranges within 100 km of the cbc, it’s well worth a day or two to visit.

    Reply

  10. Robyn Reeves
    July 11, 2019 @ 6:12 am

    These are all great day trips, however, I note that they are all to the east of Melbourne. To the west, there are also great nearby day trips including wonderful spa/springs country around Macedon, Daylesford and Hepburn, Ballarat and the Goldfields, Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula/ surf coast, and a little bit further afield the amazing Grampians/Gariwerd National Park. These are all well worth considering and are also within easy reach by car.

    Reply

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