Top tours in the region

If it’s your first time visiting Geelong and The Bellarine, or you’re just looking for a new adventure, a guided tour is a great place to start. Pick your style: gourmet journeys through the region’s vineyards, action-packed surf lessons, or hop-on-hop-off bus tours that let you explore at your own pace.

Geelong and The Bellarine form part of Victoria’s Pinot Coast, which stretches 470 miles. Wine is a big deal down here, and there are dozens of vineyards dotted all over the peninsula. Perfect for a leisurely food tour.

Epic Taste Experiences

These guys hit up some of the best wineries, distilleries and award-winning breweries in the region. The itineraries are bespoke, and change depending on what’s in season. Expect wine tasting sessions, grazing picnic lunches, and 3-4 epic venues per trip.

Wilsons Wine Tours Geelong

With over 30 years’ experience in the local wine industry, Wilsons Wine Tours are the best in the business. Especially if you want to sip your way across the Bellarine in style. There are multiple packages to choose from, or you can design your own custom vineyard itinerary.

Portarlington Mussel Tours

The legendary mussel beds off the coast of Portarlington are rated as some of the finest in the world. And the best way to see them is to book a front-row seat aboard a 40-foot Huon pine vessel. Sip sparkling wine, watch dolphins in the bay, and slurp mussels in the sun with Portarlington Mussel Tours.

Want to do stomach-churning loops in a Warbird World War Two Fighter Plane? How about swim with dolphins? Or learn to surf? When it comes to adventure, Geelong and The Bellarine have you covered. Here are some tours to get your pulse racing.

Adventure Flight Co

Adventure Flight Co offers two basic kind of flights. The first is a scenic sojourn to the Twelve Apostles, departing from Essendon Airport. The second is technically scenic, but you may have your eyes closed at the time: these guys do white-knuckle flights at 5,000 feet in ex-military fighter aircraft.

Geelong Adventure Specialists

As the name suggests, Geelong Adventure Specialists cover pretty much everything ‘adventure-related’ in the region. Rock climbing, mountain biking, navigation, bushwalking, snow tours and abseiling. They’re also a registered NDIS providers, which means people of all ability levels can join the fun.

Go Ride a Wave

Go Ride a Wave is Australia’s largest learn-to-surf organisation, and they have surf schools across Australia. These guys have been teaching surf skills since 1987, and their classes include wetsuits, soft boards, and two hours of expert instruction.

Geelong Ballooning

There’s no better way to see Geelong and The Bellarine than at dawn, as the sun lights up Port Phillip Bay, from the gondola of a hot air balloon. Established in 1998, Geelong Ballooning are absolute pros, and their tours include a gourmet breakfast after landing! Guests must be comfortable with dangling from extreme heights under a big balloon.

From bushwalking in the Brisbane Ranges to exploring the alleys of Geelong CBD, there’s a regional walking tour to suit every fitness level. Walking tours are often the best way to get started in a new destination, so if this is your first time in Geelong, get your boots on and join the fun.

Guided Walking Tours of Geelong

Geelong CBD isn’t big, so walking makes a lot of sense. With Guided Walking Tours of Geelong, you can explore the waterfront, the arts precinct, Little Malop Street, and the National Wool Museum, then finish the day with a complimentary afternoon tea. Bring comfortable shoes. This one lasts about two hours.

Queenscliff Heritage Walk

If you’re driving out to Queenscliff, make sure you jump on a guided heritage walking tour. These depart at 2pm every Saturday (although you can arrange private tours too, by appointment) and they’re a great way to discover the history of the region, from the 1860s right through to the present day.

Geelong was one of the first European settlements in Victoria, and its Wadawurrung stories stretch back thousands of years. So there’s quite a lot to explore when it comes to heritage! From the Fyansford Paper Mill to Fort Queenscliff, here are some tours for the history buffs.

Twisted History

Twisted History run ghost tours at Geelong Gaol – Australia’s longest continuously running 19th century prison – seven nights a week. Join a paranormal investigation, or hear stories of daring escapes, all with experienced guides in full costume.

Geelong Gaol Museum Tours

If Geelong Gaol after dark sounds a little spooky, drop by during daylight hours for a tour of the Geelong Gaol Museum. You get all the history and regional stories, sans ghosts and potential nightmares.

Fyansford Paper Mill Heritage Tours

Perched on cliffs above the Barwon River, the Fyansford Paper Mill is one of Geelong’s best-preserved 19th century wonders. Anyone can drop by the Mill for a coffee at The Door, but if you want to dig deeper into the venue’s history, join a guided heritage tour with the guys at Highton Rotary Club.