The Edge, a glass cube that slides out from the 88th floor of the 92-storey Eureka Tower, is a thrilling aerial tryst with Melbourne

It was an aerial introduction to a city like no other. There I was standing in a glass cube on Skydeck 88 of the 92-storey Eureka Tower in downtown Melbourne. At the press of a button the entire glass enclosure slid out 3m from the side of the building.

So, there I was suspended — almost — in mid-air about 300m from the ground and if you can’t work out how much that is, let me assure you it’s a long way. Beneath my feet was more glass and it was only 4cm thick. I wasn’t about to jump up and down and test how strong it was.

I quickly began to understand why the cube is called The Edge — incidentally, it is the highest viewing platform in the southern hemisphere.

The Penguin Parade at Philip Island Nature Park is a major draw for tourists

Then I gazed up and an even bigger surprise was in store for me. For the blue glass façade had melded into a glittering gold sheet over the building’s top 11 floors. And I was staring at real 24-carat gold-infused glass all the way to the top.

This was just the start of my six-day stay in the Australian state of Victoria, (which I was visiting on the invitation of Tourism Australia). It would be filled with many such dramatic moments. But first there was Melbourne to explore. After ‘hanging out’ over the city I headed off for a thrill of a different kind. This time it was riding pillion on a Harley Davidson. Melbourne’s famous tour company Harley Rides offers super-cool tours on the iconic bikes. So, I cruised along the ocean and through the city.

Driving down the Great Ocean Road that stretches from Torquay down to the South Australian border is a roadie’s dream come true

Melbourne’s an extremely charming city. And nowhere is this more evident than in its quaint network of laneways — or alleys — between its old Victorian architecture buildings. The laneways are home to happening pubs and restaurants and also shopping arcades filled with quirky shops like the witchcraft-themed Spellbox. I could have spent hours exploring them. Instead, we headed to Federation Square close to Flinder’s Street Station, which is surprisingly similar to Mumbai’s Victoria Terminus station. With its giant video screens, Fed Square is a favourite haunt of tourists.

Of course, no visit to Melbourne would be complete without seeing the picturesque Yarra Valley, which is home to over 50 wineries. We headed there the next morning to the Moet Hennessey group’s Domaine Chandon winery where we tasted the uniquely Australian sparkling pinot noir shiraz.

But my trip’s highlight was undoubtedly the three-day excursion to the Great Ocean Road (GOR). We began by driving to Phillip Island Nature Park, 90 minutes from Melbourne. Phillip Island’s an ideal family destination. Certainly, it brought out the child in us all as we toured the magical Panny’s chocolate factory and were then let loose at A Maze’N Things, a puzzle-themed park. But the best was saved for last with the Penguin Parade that evening.

We walked over the boardwalk towards the viewing platform but had no idea about the scene that was about to unfold. As dusk fell, I began to spot groups of five to 10 Little Penguins swim ashore. They waddled onto the beach and stood catching their breath before shuffling up the hillock facing the boardwalk.

Soon there were nearly a hundred of them and I fancifully imagined them making a Normandy-like landing. Indeed, the penguin troops stood waiting for a silent command — then suddenly, they all began marching towards the dirt path alongside the boardwalk onto their burrows. Some strode briskly, others marched slowly. A stray straggler tripped and fell over his feet — he’d spent a long day swimming 50km in the sea. I hadn’t seen a more delightfully amusing sight.

The Twelve Apostles are 12 spectacular limestone stacks standing in the ocean along the coast in Victoria

The next morning, we continued our GOR sojourn by taking the car ferry from Sorrento to Queenscliff before heading to Torquay, Victoria’s surfing capital.

The spectacular GOR stretches from Torquay down to the South Australian border. And I gorged on the sensory feast provided by the stunning pale green sea framed by red buff cliffs while breathing in the eucalyptus-scented air.

We drove to Apollo Bay to make an overnight halt at the pretty Whitecrest resort. The next day, the GOR wound inland as we drove towards the Twelve Apostles, the spectacular limestone stacks standing in the ocean along the shipwreck-prone coast.

Of course, we had to take a chopper ride to admire them up close. My cool pilot Angela hovered over the lashing sea identifying the Apostles by their nicknames like Dwarf and Two Sisters. The ride lasted barely seven minutes but it was an exhilarating climax to our GOR drive before we returned to Melbourne.

The action wasn’t over though. For the next morning, we headed to the 1850s’ gold-rush town of Ballarat. Our destination was Sovereign Hill set on a former gold-mining site. As soon as we entered this sprawling 25-acre outdoor museum, it was as though we’d stepped back in time.

Horse-drawn carriages trundled down Main Street and men and women dressed in period costumes greeted us all around. We toured an underground gold mine and even panned for gold along a trickling creek. Needless to say, it was a fitting finale to a truly dramatic sojourn.

TRAVEL TALK

• Getting there: Qantas has daily flights from Mumbai and Delhi to Melbourne via Singapore.
• Where to stay: You can stay at the swank Crown Metropol (+613 9292 8888) next to the Crown Entertainment Complex near the Southbank precinct in Melbourne. At Phillip Island, you can stay at the Waves Apartments (+613 5952 1351) while the Whitecrest Great Ocean Road Resort (+613 5237 0228) near Apollo Bay offers pretty accommodation along the Great Ocean Road.