Melbourne's Best Outdoor Adventures | Week 39 · Sep 2026

Tomorrow (Wed 23 Sep) is our spring equinox. From then on, the days are longer than the nights. With the Grand Final weekend as our prelude to summer and school holidays still rolling, Melbourne’s party season is officially here.

Long weekend. Wildflowers in Gariwerd, a paddle in team colours on Birrarung, and plenty in between. Choose your adventure - this is the weekend to get out early and stay out late.

One ask. Our Organisers plan adventures weeks and even months ahead. When they don’t see enough numbers booked in advance, they have to cancel and that’s a hard call to make for anyone who’s spent weeks planning. So if you see something you're keen on, lock it in now. It's the best way to make sure it’ll go ahead and support the legends who put their heart and soul into taking us on adventures.

See you out there
Stella & Chris

Four days in Gariwerd, four hikes, and you choose which ones you're in for. Based out of Halls Gap for the extended weekend, Douglas will lead a hike a day, from a sunset warm-up to the Pinnacle on Thursday evening to an early Sunday climb up Mount Stapylton before the drive home. The centrepiece is Friday's Wonderland Loop: Sundial Peak, Silent Street and the Grand Canyon in a 23km lap, with over 900m of elevation and no rush to do it. Saturday is the big one, 26km with over 1,000m of elevation to Briggs Bluff and Mount Difficult (the name says it all..), and you’ll experience the best views of the northern Grampians.

Wildflowers are out, the days just got longer, and you’ll find a welcoming crew to get you up the trail. Come for one hike or all four.

📅 Thu 24 to Sun 27 Sep 📍 Halls Gap
🎟️ Free to join but please RSVP (limited spots): Pinnacle sunset Thu · Wonderland Loop Fri · Mount Difficult Sat · Mount Stapylton Sun

Team colours on, board in the water, city waking up around you. This one launches from Yarra Edge Marina and heads 3km upriver to Birrarung Marr, then it's an easy drift back downstream with the current doing half the work.

All levels welcome including kids, and the whole thing wraps at a local cafe before the footy talk starts.

📅 Fri 25 Sep, 8 to 11am 📍 Docklands
🎟️ Free to join, more info here

Thirty-plus Australian fur seals chilling and soaking in the sunshine. Some slip in for a splash and you're in the water with them. This 3.5 hour adventure starts with a snorkel at Pope's Eye to refresh those snorkelling skills and peek at the real-world aquarium, then the crew go looking for the local dolphins, and they usually don't have to look far. Between swims there's a rooftop viewing deck and a hammock net off the back of Maureen M (the boat) to dry out in the spring sun.

Not ready to get in quite yet? The 90-minute Wildlife Sightseeing Tour covers the same water from the deck.

📅 Sat 26 Sep 9.30am and Sun 27 Sep 1.30pm 📍 Queenscliff
🎟️ Book your spot now (Family friendly)

Two days, our famous coastline, and a surf lesson to start it. Andrew picks you up in the CBD Saturday morning and heads west: waves at Anglesea first, then the road unwinds through ancient rainforest, explore hidden waterfalls and the cliffs of Port Campbell, with the Twelve Apostles in golden light and the shipwreck coast to finish. Cabin beds, a local who knows every pull-off, and every meal sorted.

A classic road trip adventure on one of the most stunning coastal roads in the world.

📅 Sat 26 to Sun 27 Sep 📍 Departs Melbourne CBD
🎟️ Book your spot now

One of the many things we love about building epyic is the things we get to learn about this place we’ve called home for decades. This is one of them - the Edithvale-Seaford Wetlands is Melbourne's largest surviving natural wetland, totalling 261 hectares. Over 200 plant species have been recorded here and the area supports a variety of animals of regional conservation significance, including the sharp-tailed sandpiper, a migratory bird that travels between Siberia and Australia.

Kelli leads this 7km walk with plenty of opportunities for wildlife spotting (bring your binoculars if you have them), and everyone heads for chats and a bite together afterwards.

📅 Sat 26 Sep, 10am to 1pm 📍 Chelsea Heights
🎟️ Book your spot now

Head up to Halls Gap and there’s an adventure for everyone (including kids). Paddle the glassy shallows of Lake Fyans with eagles overhead and kangaroos at the water's edge (ages 4+). Step over a 30m edge on a beginner abseil (ages 6+). Walk to three rock art sites and 22,000 years of Djab Wurrung and Jardwadjali story, or do the greatest hits in a morning: MacKenzie Falls, Reed Lookout and the Grand Canyon, bush tucker morning tea included (all ages). Or get your hands on world-class sandstone with a three-hour climb for a real rush (ages 12+).

Local guides, small groups, all levels welcome. Pick your adventure or make the most of the long weekend and do them all.

📅 Fri 25 to Sun 27 Sep (and beyond) 📍 Halls Gap
🎟️ Book your spot now: Canoe Lake Fyans · Abseil · Rock Art and National Park Tour · Gariwerd Highlights · Rock Climb

A few more this weekend + the ones to lock in over the coming weeks

🔦 Caving · Yarra Junction · 25 Sep
🌻 Dilly Dally · Northcote · 25 Sep
🪭 Sunset Aufguss · Mills Beach · 25 Sep
🌿 Forest Therapy Experience · Olinda · 26 Sep
🌊 Point Addis Morning Hike · Bells Beach · 27 Sep
🥾 Otway Ferns & Falls Day Hike · Lorne · 27 Sep
⛰️ Mt Buffalo - Full Day Nature Tour · Mount Buffalo · 1 Oct
🌇 Burkes Lookout Sunset Social · Mount Dandenong · 2 Oct
🚶🏻‍♀️ City to Sea, 22km Coastal Walk · Southbank · 2 Oct
🛶 Wilderness Packraft Expedition · Mitchell River National Park · 3 to 4 Oct
🏃‍➡️ Macedon Trail Race · Mount Macedon · 4 Oct
🥾 Social Hike · Plenty Gorge · 4 Oct
🏕️ Waterloo Bay - Full Pack Overnight Hike · Wilsons Prom · 10 to 11 Oct
⛺ Wilsons Prom: 3 Day Hike & Camp · Wilsons Prom · 16 to 18 Oct
🌳 Warburton Wilderness Hike & Forests Weekend · Warburton · 17 to 18 Oct
🌾 Touch Grass: The Nature Reset · Red Hill · 8 Nov

Plan your next escape 🌏
🏕️ Spring Nature Immersion Weekend · Sydney · 3 to 5 Oct
🤿 Amed Bali Freediving Retreat · Bali · 10 to 17 Oct
🚵 Cycling Adventure with Purpose (7 Days) · Cambodia · 15 to 21 Oct
🌳 Tarkine Walk (4 Days) · Tasmania · 15 to 18 Oct
⛰️ Three Capes Pack-free Walk (3 Days) · Tasmania · 16 to 18 Oct
🍇 Cycling Tour de SA Vineyards · South Australia · 23 to 29 Oct
🥾 The Aussie Camino Pilgrimage · Vic to SA · 2 to 11 Nov
🚵 Tour de Murray to Mountains Rail Trail · Beechworth · 13 to 15 Nov

Disclaimer: We do our best to curate accurate and helpful information but we can't guarantee there won’t be errors. Event details can change so please confirm directly with the organiser. All bookings are with the organiser and participation is at your own risk. We accept no liability for any issues arising from booking and attending any of these activities.