Melbourne's Best Outdoor Adventures | Week 40 · Sep/Oct 2026

The clocks go forward this Sunday. One hour less in bed, and in return we get an extra hour of light every evening between now and April. We'll take that.

Spring forward, fall back. Someone shared this years ago as an easy way to remember how time adjusts with daylight saving. It’s a little Americanised with the ‘fall’ but it stuck. And it’s not a bad way to think about the season either. Picking up pace. Gaining momentum. Taking a slightly longer walk than last time. Starting a skill you've been meaning to learn.

One hour. One step. Forward.

See you out there
Stella & Chris

Friday evening, a forest walk, and the city switching its lights on beneath you. Luisa keeps this one easy: a gentle wander through the trees at Mount Dandenong, then back to the lookout with time to settle in before the sun goes. Bring a blanket or camp chair and something small to share. Music and non-alcoholic drinks are sorted, and if you feel like keeping the night going, join the group for dinner and a drink at the Mount Dandenong Hotel. Come alone, plenty do.

If Friday evening doesn’t suit, you can join the crew walking along Birrarung (Yarra) on Sunday afternoon before settling in for the Boatbuilders Yard’s Sunday Session.

📅 Fri 2 Oct, 4:45 to 7:30pm 📍 Mount Dandenong
🎟️ Book your spot now

Fog in the trees, a climb that keeps going, and a descent that rewards every metre of it. Mount Macedon has a reputation for atmosphere, and Trails Plus lean right into it. With distances from 10km through to 50km, you can choose how far forward you're ready to spring. The race village is made for supporters, so bring the family and make a morning of it.

The clocks skip an hour at 2am Sunday. The start line doesn't. Set two alarms.

📅 Sun 4 Oct, from 7:15am 📍 Mount Macedon
🎟️ Book your spot now

Not every step forward needs to be a big one. This is the easy end of the TSA short hikes: wide, mostly flat tracks through the upper reaches of Plenty Gorge, a couple of hours on foot, and a local café at the end for a coffee and a chat.

Grade 2, so a good place to start if the trail is new to you, and a good reset if it isn't.

📅 Sun 4 Oct, 9am to 12pm 📍 South Morang
🎟️ Book your spot now

Walk out of the city and follow the beautiful coastline south. A 22km walk from Melbourne CBD, heading west along Birrarung (Yarra), then south along the bay through Port Melbourne, St Kilda, Elwood, the Brighton bathing boxes and Hampton, finishing at Sandringham Station with an easy train ride back. Flat, unhurried and social, with breaks for food along the way.

The first Camino Ready walk was 20km. This one nudges up, with two more to come. You don't need a Camino booked to come along, just a good pair of shoes and a desire to take a step forward (or rather, 30,000 of them).

📅 Sat 3 Oct, 8:30am to 4pm 📍 Riverland Bar to Sandringham
🎟️ Book your spot now

Every climb you've done indoors, someone else set the rope. This weekend at Falcon's Lookout in Werribee Gorge, that changes. Two days on real rock learning to set your own anchors, belay and lower a climber safely, abseil with a backup, and read a cliff. All the gear is supplied, or bring your own if you've started collecting.

It's the course that turns the climbing gym into a starting point for your biggest adventures.

📅 Sat 3 to Sun 4 Oct, 9am to 4pm 📍 Werribee Gorge
🎟️ Book your spot now (2 spots left)

Three hours to slow down before the clocks speed up. Start outdoors with grounding, intention setting, a gentle walk, guided journalling and group connection. Then head into Aalto & Tonic for an infrared sauna, contrast therapy and an optional magnesium soak. Refreshments included, and there's pizza nearby afterwards if you want to keep hanging out.

Check in with yourself, explore what you need, and leave with one thing to support you moving forward. Come as you are.

📅 Sat 3 Oct, 5 to 8pm 📍 Edithvale
🎟️ Book your spot now

~ The crew also has free Movement & Journal sessions every Wednesday AM ~

The sun drops behind the sandstone ridges of Gariwerd and a different landscape switches on. Adrian takes you twenty minutes out of Halls Gap and away from the last of the lights, where telescopes are waiting and the storytelling starts: the sky as a seasonal calendar, the geology under your feet, and the different ways cultures have read the same stars. Gourmet local treats included.

An enchanting way to spend your spring Saturday night.

📅 Sat 3 Oct, 7:30 to 9:30pm 📍 Halls Gap
🎟️ Book your spot now

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

⛰️ Mt Buffalo - Nature Tour (Full Day) · Mount Buffalo · 2 Oct
🌿 Forest Therapy Experience (AM) · Malvern East · 3 Oct
🚣🏽‍♀️ Wilderness Packraft Weekend (2 Days) · Mitchell River National Park · 3 to 4 Oct
🚲 Social MTB Ride (AM) · Dromana · 4 Oct
🌿 Forest Therapy Experience (AM) · Coburg · 4 Oct
🚣 Try Dragon Boating (1 month free trial) (AM) · Docklands · 4 Oct
🛶 Hike and Kayak Yarra Bend (Full Day) · Coburg · 10 Oct
🤿 Freediving Open Water Training (AM) · Sorrento · 10 Oct
🏕️ Waterloo Bay - Full Pack Overnight Hike (2 Days) · Wilsons Prom · 10 to 11 Oct
🥾 Birdsland - Short Hike (AM) · Belgrave Heights · 11 Oct
⛰️ Cathedral Ranges Day Hike (Full Day) · Cathedral Ranges · 11 Oct
⛺ Wilsons Prom: Hike & Camp (3 Days) · Wilsons Prom · 16 to 18 Oct
🌳 Wilderness Hike & Forests Weekend (2 Days) · Warburton · 17 to 18 Oct
🛶 Everflow Guided Paddle (PM) · Abbotsford · 18 Oct
🌾 Touch Grass: The Nature Reset (AM) · Red Hill · 8 Nov
🚶🏻‍♀️ Stride or Ride 2026 (Full Day) · Portsea · 15 Nov

Plan your next escape 🌏
🛶 Artist in Residence Paddle Retreat (5 Days) · Cobram · 8 to 12 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.