Travel to Good Natured Victoria

Melbourne and Victoria are good-natured, in more ways than you might imagine.

Discover initiatives, programs and organisations which support threatened species and help regenerate native habitats. Learn how you too can make a difference before you visit Victoria – from adopting a little penguin from Phillip Island and planting trees for koalas, to protecting the Great Southern Reef and supporting Victoria's Aboriginal culture.

Consider giving a 'Good Natured Victoria' gift this to eco-lovers and fans of nature, by engaging with one of five inspiring experiences in Victoria.

As well as being home to more than 30% of all native Australian species, Victoria has a wealth of diverse regions and attractions, which are easily accessible from its capital city of Melbourne.

Join an eco-tour, visit dedicated conservation sites and discover cultural centres who support, promote and celebrate Victoria's rich and complex Aboriginal history.

Walk with wildlife in their native habitats, accompanied by an experienced Wildlife Guide. Echidna Walkabout have been curating top quality eco-tours for 24 years, which depart Melbourne for the wildlife-rich regions of Victoria.

The operation runs a series of scheduled small group and private multi-day tours. Participants are given the chance to step into nature, see unique Australian fauna in the wild and take in the dramatic scenery of Victoria's diverse and beautiful regions.

Operating as a social enterprise, the team are involved in several conservation projects, notably the not-for-profit Koala Clancy Foundation, which is named after Koala Clancy, a real koala who lives wild in the You Yangs near Melbourne. The foundation plants trees with the help of participants as part of the their Koala Recovery Experiences, which help create much-needed habitat for wild koalas.

Designed by Brian Massey, landscape designer of the award-winning 'Hobbiton' in New Zealand, Wildlife Wonders showcases the ecosystems and wildlife along Victoria's Great Ocean Road.

Follow a Nature Guide through bushland to open grasslands, with beautiful ocean views. You might see koalas dozing in the eucalypt woodland, wallabies grazing in the grassland, birdlife flitting between the trees and shy potoroos foraging in the flush fern gullies.

Established as a social enterprise, Wildlife Wonders funds the work of the Conservation Ecology Centre, an organisation that works to protect the Great Ocean Road's precious wildlife and habitats. Find out more about Wildlife Wonders work and mission, and start planning your visit to experience it for yourself.

The Koorie Heritage Trust is a not-for-profit Aboriginal owned and managed cultural centre, based in Melbourne's Federation Square. Here visitors can learn the history of Australia from an Aboriginal perspective and engage with Aboriginal experiences in Melbourne and across Victoria. All this is done through an Aboriginal voice.

See the Trust's incredible collection of Koorie art and artefacts within their permanent display, alongside an annual exhibition program showcasing local Aboriginal artists. Walk with local Aboriginal guides through Melbourne's significant Aboriginal sites, to gain an insight into the rich and complex history of the world's oldest continuous living culture.

Discover more about the Koorie Heritage Trust and how you can support their work and programs.

Phillip Island Nature Parks and the Penguin Foundation are two organisations dedicated to the protection of Victorian wildlife and environment – located only a 90-minute drive from Melbourne.

Phillip Island Nature Parks consists of four responsible tourism attractions, each offering a different visitor experience – notably Penguin Parade, where visitors can watch the world's largest colony of little penguins emerge from the sea at sunset. The attractions help fund comprehensive conservation research and environmental initiatives.

The Penguin Foundation provides ongoing support for Phillip Island's unique wildlife. Supporters can symbolically adopt a furry or feathered inhabitant – from penguins to plovers. This helps fund research, aids in habitat restoration and protects wildlife.

Come face to face with wild seals and dolphins on an immersive eco-tour, with a family-owned business intent on setting a new standard in marine tourism advocacy.

Sea All Dolphin Swims offer a unique experience in Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park. Visitors snorkel among dolphins, seals and colourful reef fish, while learning about their habitats and environment.

Concern for declining ocean health led Sea All's captain Murph to create Southern Ocean Environmental Link. The not-for-profit has helped develop marine monitoring systems, which allows researchers to study seals and dolphins remotely, using AI. Learn more about SOEL's work and how you can support their cause.