Not too far out of Melbourne, take a bus north, or hire a car, and go to the Riverina area on the border of Victoria and NSW, you won't be disappointed. Not that far from Melbourne, beautiful bushland, little bush towns, and the Edward and Murray Rivers are fantastic to swim and fish in. The Riverina is the real Australia and anybody in that neck of the woods should really check it out.
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The Riverina area is about 300 km (over 3 hrs drive) one way! A much closer alternative daytrip is the Mornington Peninsula, an hour or so to the south of Melbourne, where there are beaches, bushland and wineries. Best places to go include Flinders, Hastings, Red Hill, Cape Schanck and Sorrento. Also, lots of koalas on French Island.
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