10 Hidden Aussie Towns Near Victoria to Explore in 2025
July 3, 2025
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Quick Summary:
This article explores the intricate social dynamics and cultural shifts of the Victorian era, highlighting the impact of class distinctions on daily life. Readers will gain insights into the evolving roles of gender and technology, shaping the society of the time.
Each week Traveller publishes a selection of rants, raves and travel tips from our readers. See below on how you can contribute.
Security screaming
The new smartgates and upgraded luggage scanners at Sydney International Airport have the potential to greatly speed up the passage through immigration and security screening. Sadly, Border Force staff have not been upgraded and continue to scream at passengers to get into different queues to the ones they are already in, meaning that the process remains a complete shambles and an international embarrassment.
Andrew Hill, Dulwich Hill, NSW
Letter of the week: Spirited away
Fifty years ago, as university students on very limited budgets, a friend and I used student rail tickets (valid for a month) to travel from Melbourne to Cairns and back again. In those days, there were three classes of sleeper cabins. We used third class which consisted of three, drop-down benches on the wall, upon which we rolled out our sleeping bags.
In July, as I was meeting my family in Port Douglas as part of my 70th birthday celebration, I decided to recreate my rail journey by travelling on the Spirit of Queensland train from Brisbane to Cairns. There are no longer sleeper cars on this train, having been replaced by the wonderful RailBed seat – the seat converts to a full-length bed, complete with crisp linen, doona and two pillows and the seat/bed head surround allows for undisturbed sleep by blocking fellow travellers’ reading lights.
Three substantial and appetising meals (which compared favourably to the airline equivalent) are prepared in the adjacent cafe car and were brought to my seat during the 25-hour trip, along with wine, tea and coffee. Showers and clean toilets are easily accessible at each end of the Rail Bed carriages. Thank you, Queensland Rail for this very comfortable and enjoyable trip down memory lane.
Patricia Sandell, Mildura, Vic
Price is right
I read your review of Ngala Tented Camp, South Africa (Traveller, August 2) and I’d like to let your readers know that they don’t need to pay anywhere near the quoted price for a private Kruger safari camp experience. Dismayed at the prices when I started researching our trip, we persevered and found somewhere much more affordable. In May, we stayed at Dzuti Bush Camp, on a 12,000-hectare Kruger concession near Hoedspruit. The camp offers an authentic bush experience with only four en-suited guest tents facing a waterhole and there are no fences. It is run by Judy Meeser and her daughter Sabre who are devoted to conservation of the bush and its animals. It may be basic, but we enjoyed fabulous meals and two daily game drives. We saw many elephants, rhinos, giraffes, lions, buffalo, wildebeest and lots more, all ably guided by Sabre who grew up in the South African bush.
Barbara Hilling, Watsonia North, Vic
Take sanctuary
In your recent story on the things to love about Singapore (Traveller, August 3), I was devastated to find that the Singapore Zoo (now known as Mandai Wildlife Reserve) was not mentioned at all. As someone who grew up in Singapore and spent many, many enjoyable days there, it would be a shame for travellers to miss out on this world-class experience. I recently returned to visit, and it was just as good as I remembered and definitely worth the trip for young and old alike.
Catie Norton, Miami, Qld
Icy response
During this cold Melbourne winter, we were enticed by travel advertisements offering “winter escapes”. We booked a few nights at a five-star resort in Victoria’s Yarra Valley, perhaps one of the colder parts of our state. Meals and service were exemplary, but we froze in our beautiful room. There was no way we could turn up the heat. We called the front desk, and they tried but could not change the pre-set temperature control. The resort had two large open fireplaces in the public areas packed with logs, but not operating. There was a heavy frost on the landscape. Driving home my wife wondered why we left our double-glazed highly insulated apartment where we could adjust the heat. Never again in winter.
Lance Sterling, Nunawading, Vic
Vive la resolution
A couple of years ago we hired a car through Hertz UK at London’s Heathrow Airport. Upon returning the car we discovered that we had inadvertently signed a contract where Hertz had added full insurance cover to the hire contract without disclosing it – they effectively doubled the original cost of the hire. Returning to Australia, we contacted Hertz UK to seek a refund for the extra charge only to find ourselves caught up in a loop of neglect from Hertz. After two weeks of getting nowhere, we contacted the British Rental and Vehicle Leasing Association. They resolved the dispute within a week, in our favour. And for those experiencing car-hire disputes in the European Union the association recommends contacting the European Car Rental Conciliation Service.
Paul Demaine, Dee Why, NSW
Once bitten
A great reminder by Justine Costigan about curbing one’s friendly instincts when overseas (Traveller, July 29). While a creature may appear furry and cuddly, you don’t know what it has eaten, when it last cleaned its teeth, or what sort of mood it is in. After all, you are usually so much bigger than it, you are a stranger and you are blocking its escape route. No wonder it bites.
Marjie Williamson, Blaxland, NSW
Major disconnect
We were also recently lost in the wilderness, without a mobile phone (Traveller, August 6). Dubai does not have Vodafone roaming so we looked everything up before leaving the hotel and set off on public transport without a paper map to the gold and other markets. After getting off at the wrong train stop, we spent hours wandering around what we thought were the local markets. It turned out to be a wonderful – if not a bit bewildering – experience of the real Dubai.
Michele Sharp, Bondi Beach, NSW
Repair despair
I read the letter titled “Scuff justice” (Traveller Letters, August 9) and it mirrors my recent experience. We hired a Europcar in France and when we returned it to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, Europcar pointed out there was light scuffing on the left hand front wheel. We had no recollection of anything that would have caused it but had not taken photos of the wheels. We had full insurance but when the emailed invoice arrived, there was a €70 ($130) charge they called “Repair Administration”. It sounds like this may be an initiative to raise money, so be warned and take photos of the wheels as well as the car.
John Hibbard, Westleigh, NSW
Praise the Lord
Brian Johnston’s excellent article on Westminster Abbey (Traveller, August 12) omits one important tip. If you attend the Sunday morning service at the Abbey, you will not just get to sit in the seats allocated to the primate, but will be feted at morning tea and be shown around the whole Abbey by a knowledgeable member of the congregation, at no cost.
Gordon Chirgwin, Harrington, NSW
Give it a rest
What is it with the silly American euphemism “restroom” (Traveller, August 12)? Call them what they are: toilets. I don’t exactly go for a snooze there.
Dave Horsfall, North Gosford, NSW
Tip of the week: Roaming Romania
I’m a bit late to reading the story (Traveller, July 4) edition regarding the best road trips of the world. This is because at that time, we were on a great road trip ourselves in Romania. The road, dubbed Ceausescu’s folly, is the TransFagarasan Highway, made famous by the Top Gear episode where the hosts rate it as the best driving road in the world. I had wanted to drive this route for years and in July, it was finally on. Many signs warn not to feed the bears – one Italian motorcyclist ignored the rule and paid for it with his life. We also drove the Transalpina, a former Roman road, with fewer cars and stunning scenery. In my opinion, it was even better than the TransFarasan.
Mark Barrow, Fadden, ACT
Friendly French
I could not agree more with Ben Groundwater’s musings on France (Traveller, July 16). During our month-long visit there in November, 2024, we had similar experiences of repeatedly friendly and helpful people (yes, even Parisians). In fact, to my disappointment I was usually prevented from even practicing my (admittedly terrible) French, as I was generally sized up to be met with a smile and an immediate switch to English.
There was, however, an exception to this rule at the major tourist attractions of Paris. Here, we were only ever met by sullen grunts of disinterested staff, and we mused that perhaps if tourists only visit these places this is where the misconception on French rudeness originates. Charles de Gaulle airport immigration was another example. Once you stepped down from the Louvre to the many smaller galleries and museums (or indeed your average shop or cafe), you’re back to welcoming and friendly responses only.
A standout was The Conciergerie, which was a must on our Revolution-history heavy itinerary. We turned up on the wrong day, having confused our packed schedules and our tickets were useless. Feeling stupid but willing to buy new tickets if only they’d allow us the time slot we’d arrived for, we were met with a smile and a wave, and ushered immediately inside. This museum turned out to be the most incredible place we visited in all of Paris, and I highly recommend it.
Leeann Abbott, Warrnambool, Vic
Busy bee
We’ve just returned from Queenstown, New Zealand, after celebrating our son’s 30th birthday. Eleven of us travelled to this beautiful, action-packed town and had a brilliant time. So much to do and while not inexpensive, our dollar has value there. There’s the Shotover Jet, Minus 5 Ice Bar, the gondola and luge, iFLY indoor skydiving, skiing and so much more. We stayed in self-contained units at Platinum on Fernhill, a 20-minute walk down the hill to the town centre with buses regularly running past. Purchase a $5 Bee card and load it with bus rides and $2 gets you to most places, including the airport, saving you a $70 taxi ride. We’ll be back.
Maree Harrison, Nerrina, Vic
Driving with dinosaurs
Australia has so much to offer the domestic tourist. We’ve just completed a 10-day “road trip” from Townsville and its inland surroundings. From the city of Charters Towers to Hughenden (where the Hebrew grave was a most poignant feature), we had no idea what to expect, but we’re absolutely blown over by our adventure. In quirky Winton, we saw the fascinating Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum and spent the evening in an outdoor theatre watching a 1939 John Wayne movie. Then we had a night in the Oasis Roadhouse (nothing near it for 250 kilometres) and finally were off to the unforgettable Cobbald Gorge with a stay in a railway carriage in Undarra to see the lava tubes. A couple of nights in the picturesque town of Yungaburra in the Atherton Tablelands followed, before heading back to Townsville.
Ruth Pojer, Double Bay, NSW
Spirited response
I agree with your correspondent about Queensland’s Savannahlander train (Traveller Letters, August 2). It’s a brilliant trip, as are all Queensland train trips. We’ll be taking Spirit of Outback from Brisbane to Longreach. It’ll be sad if the Queensland government doesn’t keep maintaining this fantastic asset.
Jill Stephenson, Woolwich, NSW
Better translate than never
Michael Gebicki, in his list of the best travel trends of the past 15 years, omitted translation apps which have transformed communication. We recently took a self-guided walking tour in the alps of Japan. Compared to eight years ago, this trip was immeasurably enhanced by use of Google Translate. Inscrutable signs in the forest became immediately accessible, and communication with our friendly but monolingual ryokan hosts and staff was eased using the audio function. Using the camera function, we could translate the menus of our amazing 16 course kaiseki meals. There is no substitute for learning at least some basic Japanese words, but using Google Translate opened up whole new conversations.
Margaret Goding, Fitzroy North, Vic
Insurance solved
I have just finished reading your excellent special Europe issue which included a reader’s problems with travel insurance for over-80s (Traveller, July 26). I am now well past the start of my 80s and with a series of trips overseas post-COVID planned, travel insurance was a must. A large health insurer, NIB, fortunately has a subsidiary handling such insurance, so I obtained a quote. The quote covered myself and my wife for a year (365 days) of overseas travel at a cost of less than $2000. The staff will ask about any health problems, and like all insurers, may not cover you for certain countries. A bonus with this insurer is a 10 per cent discount for members.
Trevor Watkins, Dudley, NSW
The Letter of the Week writer wins three Hardie Grant travel books. See hardiegrant.com
The Tip of the Week writer wins a set of three Lonely Planet travel books. See shop.lonelyplanet.com
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