1. WHEEL THROWING IN BENDIGO
Bendigo might be all glam these days - think Art Series Hotel and groovy cafes. However, don't skip Bendigo Pottery's wheel-throwing experience. A skilled potter is on hand to put you on the path to bowl-making success. Best of all, pay for postage and your creation - which you can use - will be wrapped up and posted to you once it has been glazed and fired.
2. WATER SLIDING AT ADVENTURE PARK, GEELONG
I know what you're thinking: "I'm not hanging out in no adventure park!", but this place is a modern, beautifully kept vision of fun. And you will have fun, dammit. Most come here for the awesome waterslides, but there's archery, mini golf and go-karts, too. Book a private cabana ($80 extra) early when you see the temperature rising.
3. CHEESE WORLD IN ALLANSFORD
Is it the bargain-priced milkshakes in the cafe? Is it the incredibly tacky (but strangely desirable) souvenirs in the shop? Who knows what it is, but Cheese World, near Warrnambool, sure ticks boxes for cheese. Even the free museum is worth a wander. It's part of the Warrnambool Cheese and Butter Factory on the Great Ocean Road – you can't miss it.
4. TROUT FISHING AT RHYLL, PHILLIP ISLAND
Armed with a fishing rod, a bucket for your catch and perhaps someone who's happy to do the kill bit for you, this can be the perfect day out. Best of all, if you like, the chef will turn your freshly caught rainbow trout into lunch. It's easier fishing in the undercover rainforest pool, but take your time and get some fresh air around the trophy trout lake instead.
5. MOUNTAIN BIKING IN FORREST
Forrest, off the Great Ocean Road, has perked up a bit from its traditional timber-town days, and these days you're more likely to hear the sound of a bike bell than a chainsaw. Volunteers keep the 16 mountain bike trails in good nick, and the trails are rated easy (like the lovely-sounding Forrest Loop) to very difficult (the well-named Yo Yo).
Facts
Bendigo Pottery; bendigopottery.com.au; wheel throwing $15 a person.
Adventure Park, Geelong; adventurepark.com.au; adult entry $39 a person.
Cheeseworld, Allansford; cheeseworld.com.au; free.
Rhyll Trout and Bush Tucker Farm, Phillip Island; rhylltroutandbushtucker.com.au; adult entry $9 a person; trout $19 a kilo; cooked for lunch, with chips, $12
Forrest Mountain Bike Trails, Forrest; rideforrest.com.au or parkweb.vic.gov.au; free.
The author was a guest at Adventure Park, Bendigo Pottery and Rhyll Trout and Bush Tucker Farm.
