Road Trip Ideas From Melbourne: Melville Caves, Morwell River Falls and Power's Lookout

Three road trips from Melbourne trade the usual coastal crowds for granite caves, secluded Gippsland waterfalls and a High Country lookout with a bushranger past.

Nick and Laura explore Melville Caves, Morwell River Falls and Powers Lookout - three very different reasons to point the car towards regional Victoria.

Melville Caves

Around 220 kilometres north-west of Melbourne, Kooyoora State Park combines enormous granite formations, bushwalking and far-reaching views across north-central Victoria.

Melville Caves is the standout. Rather than a conventional underground cave system, the area is dominated by giant granite boulders and rocky formations that create passages and sheltered spaces to explore. From the summit lookout, the landscape opens across Victoria's Box-Ironbark forests, with wedge-tailed eagles among the wildlife that may be spotted overhead.

The caves also come with bushranger folklore. They were named after the 19th-century robber Captain Melville, who is said to have used the area as a hideout and vantage point while watching for police.

There is plenty here to turn a quick stop into a longer visit. The Melville Caves Picnic Area has tables, shelter, toilets, wood-fired barbecues and parking, while walking options include the 1.8-kilometre Southern Walking Track to McLeod's Lookout and the longer 5.3-kilometre Long Rock Walking Track. A free camping area also provides a base for short stays.

Kooyoora State Park is on Dja Dja Wurrung Country and is jointly managed by the Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation and Parks Victoria.

Kooyoora State Park is a state park in Brenanah, Victoria, 220 kilometres northwest of Melbourne [map]

Morwell River Falls

Head east into Gippsland for a road trip with a completely different character. Morwell River Falls Reserve protects a pocket of Strzelecki Wet Forest and remnant Mountain Ash bushland, where the Morwell River drops through a steep gorge in a series of three waterfalls.

Despite its tucked-away location, the falls are no recent discovery: the reserve has attracted visitors for more than a century. The largest waterfall is about a 15-minute walk from the main car park, with steep paths leading down towards the river and falls.

That terrain means moderate fitness is recommended, and visitors should arrive prepared. Facilities are deliberately minimal, with an information area and picnic table above the falls but no toilets. Visitors are also asked to take their rubbish with them.

For anyone looking for a quieter Gippsland detour rather than a heavily developed attraction, the forest, gorge and succession of waterfalls make the drive worthwhile.

Morwell River is located in Gippsland about 2.5 hours from Melbourne. [map]

Powers Lookout

High above the King Valley, Powers Lookout Scenic Reserve mixes big mountain scenery with one of Victoria's more colourful bushranger stories.

The rocky escarpment was used as a hideout and lookout by Harry Power, the notorious 1860s bushranger who reportedly took a young Ned Kelly under his wing. Power could survey the surrounding country from the heights, although the landscape that helped conceal him ultimately became the place where police captured him.

Today there are two main viewpoints. An accessible platform near the car park looks across the Wobonga Plateau towards distant alpine peaks. A second viewpoint requires a short walk through rocky formations using stairs, ladders and walkways, adding a little adventure before the King Valley panorama appears.

There is also a 20-minute return walk to Harry's Watering Hole, a spring tucked among rocky ledges.

Powers Lookout is near Whitfield on the Mansfield-Whitfield Road, with the final three kilometres along Powers Lookout Road unsealed but suitable for two-wheel-drive vehicles. Camping and dogs are not permitted in the reserve.

Power's Lookout in the King Valley [map]

Video: Melville Caves, Morwell River Falls and Power's Lookout.

Video by Nick and Laura



Huge thank you to Nick and Laura