New Attractions in Victoria

The Reunion Island Pool Club

The Reunion Island Pool Club has opened its doors to the rooftop and will run till April 2019 to cool off city dwellers this summer. Set atop Melbourne Central, Reunion Island Pool Club is a sprawling under-sky sanctuary of palms, plunge pools, recreation programming and bespoke bar and catering offerings. Ten temperature-controlled plunge pools are available for bookings of 2 - 12 people, seven days.

A $14.5mil public art gallery expansion of Lyon Housemuseum will open in March 2019. The new Housemuseum Galleries will offer a new platform for works of international and local contemporary art, architecture and design, where new ways of presenting and experiencing art will be explored.  To mark the opening, sixteen major new commissions by some of Australia’s leading contemporary artists will be unveiled. ENTER will feature works by: Brook Andrew, Ry David Bradley, FFIXXED studios x James Deutsher, Shaun Gladwell, nova Milne, Kate Mitchell, Callum Morton, Dan Moynihan, Baden Pailthorpe, Kenzee Patterson, Patricia Piccinini, Ian Strange, Esther Stewart, Kynan Tan, Min Wong and Constanze Zikos; with the graphic design and wayfinding undertaken by New York based, Tin & Ed. 

Expected to open in the first few months of 2019, URBNSURF Melbourne will be the first man-made surf park facility in Australia and the world’s first full-sized Wavegarden Cove. Using world-leading wave generating technology, URBNSURF Melbourne offers authentic surfing waves to suit all abilities in Tullamarine.

The team behind some of Melbourne's most popular cafes – Higher Ground, Kettle Black and Top Paddock are embracing sea change as they set their sights in regional Victoria, specifically Geelong.  Scheduled to open in May 2019, the Beach House on Geelong’s waterfront will serve up a menu in line with those that have made the group’s other eateries so popular, with a stronger seafood focus from suppliers in the region.  In addition, visitors wanting to picnic on the beach can takeaway coffee and tasty delights including fish tacos, smoothies and gelati made in-house from the takeaway kiosk on the beach.   Not leaving Melbourne behind, the group will also be opening Liminal, a hybrid cafe, wine bar and take-home produce venue at 161 Collins Street, Melbourne that's due to open in April 2019.

The Silo Art trail first established in August 2015 with works now completed in Brim, Sheep Hills, Rupanyup, Rosebery, Lascelles and Patchewollock – all towns the average traveller would not have heard of before these impressive art works were conceived.  Tagged as Australia’s largest outdoor gallery this trail stretches across 200kms in the wheatbelt of Victoria. Visitors driving along the trail can get an insight into the true spirit of the Wimmera Mallee, where the trail recognises and celebrates the region’s people through a series of large-scale mural portraits painted onto grain silos, many of which date back to the 1930s.

Australia’s most popular visitor attraction is getting a $60 million upgrade in the form of a brand-spanking new Penguin Parade Visitor Centre. The redevelopment includes restoring almost seven hectares of penguin habitat, and creating new habitat for over 1,400 breeding penguins, plus modern retail outlets aligned with the park’s environmental priorities and improved dining experiences with cafe and restaurant options for visitors. The Visitor Centre is due to be complete in November 2019.

Water testing of the bespoke hybrid and land and water vehicles has commenced and the much awaited Pennicott Wilderness Journeys Wilsons Promontory Cruises by eco-tourism operator, Robert Pennicott, will commence from Tidal River, South Gippsland, in February 2019. The wilderness cruise will allow visitors to explore the spectacular waterways of the area and learn about the history, culture, flora and fauna of Wilsons Promontory Marine National Park.

Wildlife Wonders will provide visitors with an opportunity to see and learn about Australian wildlife on a guided walk through the picturesque Otways region. Located in bushland just outside Apollo Bay, guests can watch koalas dozing in the treetops, potoroos and bandicoots foraging on the forest floor and kangaroos hopping along the horizon against a spectacular ocean backdrop. All profits will be invested in conservation projects that ensure the wildlife and ecosystems of the Great Ocean Road region remain healthy.

Visit Victoria: www.visitvictoria.com