Best Victorian tourism experiences to give as Christmas presents
Whether you’re buying for a grinch or the friend who has it all, tick off your Christmas gift list with these foolproof ideas that will help boost local tourism too.
Lifestyle
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Spreading goodwill has never been more pertinent than this Christmas as Victoria awakens from a torrid 2020, with family and friends desperate to end the year on a high note.
Buying a voucher or booking ahead will gift an experience to last a lifetime and in the process, help the state’s tourism operators, producers, makers and artisans bounce back too.
CHRISTMAS GIFT IDEAS 2020: Get your Click for Vic Christmas gift guide in the Herald Sun on Saturday, November 21.
FOR THE THRILLSEEKERS
Pennicott Wilderness Journeys
A Pennicott gift card is a ticket to discover the granite coastline and wilderness of Wilsons Promontory National Park. The tour onboard a custom-built amphibious boat includes South Point and the monolith that is Skull Rock.
Sea All Dolphin Swims
Surprise them with a snorkelling tour and an opportunity to get close to marine wildlife in Port Phillip Bay. Suitable for all ages and swim abilities, they can swim with seals, spot dolphins and snorkel among friendly fish.
Bounce
A Bounce Gift of Flight is bound to have family and friends jumping for joy. The single, triple or five-visit pass can be used at the Glen Iris, Essendon Fields or Blackburn North centres.
Otway Fly
Excite and inspire by giving the gift of a 600m-long, 25m-high treetop walk, or get the adrenalin racing with a zipline experience at Otway Fly Treetop Adventures.
FOR CITY ATTRACTIONS
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Melbourne’s Princess Theatre is the exclusive home of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in Australia, and they cannot wait to welcome you back to Hogwarts in 2021. Just in time for Christmas, Ticketmaster has released a Harry Potter and the Cursed Child e-gift card that can be put towards the purchase of tickets to see the play. You can also buy your favourite Harry Potter item from Myer Melbourne for the festive season.
myer.com.au/content/harry-potter
Sealife Melbourne
Unique experiences abound at the aquarium. Choose from a shark dive extreme experience, cheeky penguin encounter, or give the gift that keeps on giving with an annual pass.
NGV
Contemporary art, design and architecture comes together in NGV Triennial, December 19-April 18. Featuring major new commissions and recent works, it celebrates emerging and well-known artists and designers from across the world. Give the gift of an annual NGV membership, which is packed with extraordinary art experiences.
Zoos Victoria
A Zoos Victoria membership is a great gift for anyone looking to reconnect with nature in 2021. The membership allows unlimited entry to Melbourne Zoo, Werribee Open Range Zoo and Healesville Sanctuary, as well as discounts on products. It’s for children, adults and, most importantly, it’s for wildlife. You will also be supporting Zoos Victoria’s fighting extinction conservation work.
Melbourne Museum
Support the Museum and give the gift of curiosity with a membership, which also includes unlimited general entry to Scienceworks and the Immigration Museum. Everything you need to inspire and spark learning and wonder.
Melbourne Star
The panoramic views stretch from Melbourne’s CBD and Port Phillip all the way to Mt Macedon and the Dandenong Ranges. Stunning by day, spectacular by night. Share the views or book a private cabin. Choose from a range of flight gift ideas, including yoga in the sky, or an annual pass.
FOR ART LOVERS
The Australian Ballet
Pirouette into the enchanted world of ballet with a 2021 season gift voucher, or explore the Australian Ballet shop for more gift ideas.
Melbourne Theatre Company
This Christmas, name a seat in honour of a loved one in The Sumner at MTC’s Southbank Theatre.
Australian Centre for Contemporary Art
Support the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art by making a donation or buying a catalogue.
La Mama
With a 2021 return planned, a La Mama gift voucher will have lovers of theatre in the box seat.
OUTSIDE MELBOURNE
Bright Adventure Company
If you are seeking gifts to take the breath away, you can’t go past outdoor experiences including abseiling, underground river caving and exploring the Cathedral granite tour. For a completely new approach to dining, surprise them with a Cliff Picnic. Sunrise, lunch and dinner options are available for those with a head for heights.
Endota Spa
Founded on the Mornington Peninsula, Endota Spa offers a selection of gift vouchers that will please anyone this Christmas. With four locations on the Peninsula (as well as many others across the state), combine this gift with a relaxing weekend away.
Yarra Valley Balloon Flights
Float high above the Yarra Valley, one of Victoria’s most spectacular wine regions, and lose yourself in breathtaking mountain and countryside views only a leisurely hour’s drive from Melbourne.
Sky Pods
Self-contained pods raise the bar for an eco-accommodation gift. Get back to nature at this picturesque getaway on the rugged Cape Otway coast.
Phillip Island Penguin Parade
Share the magic of watching Little Penguins make their way back to their burrows after a long day at sea. Or adopt a penguin for a loved one, and let them know they are helping the Penguin Foundation.
Tuki Trout Farm
Pond to pan and paddock to plate philosophies offer a fresh menu drawing upon the Smeaton farm’s produce. A gift voucher allows the keen angler to fish for lunch, then book them in to one of the stone cottages for a welcome break.
Wildlife Coast Cruises
Give the gift of a two-hour cruise from Phillip Island’s Cowes Jetty to Seal Rocks and experience an up-close encounter with thousands of seals at Australia’s largest fur seal colony.
Q Train
The gourmet dining experience features local produce and beverages from Geelong,
the Otways and across the Bellarine Peninsula. Give a gift card to wine, dine and enjoy amazing views.
Christmas in Ballarat
See crowd favourites including the giant walk-through bauble, glowing floral reindeer and huge twinkling tree as Ballarat CBD celebrates Christmas “Under the Same Stars”. All decorations, along with 12 Christmas window displays by local artists, are within walking distance in and around Sturt St.
Boom Gallery
Help an art lover start their collection with an original painting from the Geelong gallery. Ceramics, jewellery and gift vouchers are also available.
Bendigo Pottery
Australia’s oldest working pottery offers a range of kitchen and cookware, or give the gift of wheel throwing lessons at it’s Centre for Learning and Design. The Retail Gallery also includes ceramic jewellery and artworks.
Bendigo Art Gallery
The Piinpi: Contemporary Indigenous Fashion free exhibition celebrates Indigenous art, history and culture. Surprise art-loving friends with a gallery membership.
Sebel at Yarrawonga
Welcome to the Sun Country’s ultimate holiday destination. Use your gift voucher wisely — stroll along the shores of Lake Mulwala, go for a cruise or fish on the Murray River, and pursue the dream of a hole in one. Then rest and relax surrounded in luxury and serenity.
Cactus Country
Buy tickets to visit Australia’s largest cactus collection at Strathmerton, a unique backdrop for spectacular photographs or a scene-setting wedding. Amble among the cacti, and find a plant
to take home.
WEEKENDS AWAY
Halls Gap Lakeside Tourist Park
Give a glamping in the Grampians gift card to experience the beauty of nature and the luxury of home comforts. From themed bell tents for couples to safari tents complete with handmade furniture, it’s like staying in a five-star hotel.
Provincial Hotel/Lola
Who could say no to a “Bolt out of Lockdown” gift card that allows them to experience the luxury of a Lola Deluxe suite, along with in-room dining from the Lola room service menu, at this gorgeous boutique hotel.
Nine Steps
The luxury interpretation of an Aussie shed offers the perfect gift of a rural retreat within 10-minutes’ drive of Bright and outstanding views of Mt Buffalo.
Kangaroo Ridge Retreat
There are many options to gift at this secluded, stunning and intimate Healesville retreat. Choose from a weekender, mid-weekender, “sneaky mid-weeky” or curated stay to treat the special people in your life to a luxurious experience.
Big Sky Retreats
Book now at River Run or Bridgewater, which are nestled on the Ovens River at Bright. There is plenty of room to accommodate families or groups seeking to escape the hustle and bustle of city life.
FOR FAMILY GIFTS
Lakes Entrance Helicopters
Enjoy the stunning scenery of the coastline, or get ready for the thrill of a HeliSUP adventure.
lakesentrancehelicopters.com.au
Mildura Houseboats
Spend four nights onboard a houseboat on the mighty Murray.
Urbnsurf
First timer or champion, the surf’s always up and the waves are perfect at the Tullamarine URBNSURF park.
*Gift vouchers are now valid for up to three years, but check with businesses at time of purchase.
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