Car Rental Avalon Airport

Avalon Airport is just a 45-minute drive from Melbourne along the Princes Freeway and a 25-minute drive from Geelong's CBD. Hiring a car from Avalon Airport opens up the possibility of easy drives to either Melbourne or Geelong. There are many activities in the immediate area surrounding the airport that your car hire can take you to. See the You Yangs Regional Park, just a 12-minute drive from Avalon Airport. The You Yangs has many walking trails, from easy strolls to challenging uphill hikes, climbing the park's granite peaks. Climb to the top of Flinders Peak or Big Rock to see panoramic views that stretch all the way to Melbourne. The park is home to nine designated picnic areas, where you can listen to the local wildlife, including 200 species of birds. The park is also home to other native species you might see along the walking trails, including echidnas, kangaroos and koalas. If the possibility of stumbling upon one of our unique native animals isn't enough, then take a short drive to Serendip Sanctuary, just a 10-minute drive from Avalon Airport.

Serendip Sanctuary is an oasis for local and native wildlife. The open grassy woodlands and wetlands of the sanctuary make a nice break from the cities. Here, you can see over 150 species of bird, kangaroos, koalas, emus, bearded dragon lizards, and other unique and endangered animals. It is a great activity to do in the area before you take your rental car elsewhere.

See the Best Nature in Victoria With a Car Rental

Renting a car from Avalon Airport gives you easy access to all of the national parks, nature and forest reserves in western Victoria. The Great Otway National Park is a 2-hour drive from Avalon Airport, past Geelong down to the far coast. See the stunning waterfalls, tall forest trees, iconic coastal walking tracks and stunning bays that make this one of the most spectacular national parks in Victoria and Australia. 

Take a drive along the Great Ocean Road. The road was built by soldiers returning from World War I, which technically makes it the longest war memorial in the world. The drive gives stunning views of the coast. There are many natural phenomena in the park, from waterfalls, glow worms, giant trees that are hundreds of years old, stunning pristine beaches, and a variety of walking trails. Take a beach walk to see the coast or walk inland, smell the scent of eucalyptus trees in the air, and feel ferns brush past your legs. The Great Otway area has a prehistoric feel; the size of the plants, the density of the forest, the thick moss that runs down the waterfalls all give a feeling of being a million miles away from the rest of the world.

Take Your Hire Car to Geelong and the Coast

If you are flying into Avalon Airport and hiring a car, we recommend taking a drive to Geelong and the coast. Geelong is full of museums, galleries, restaurants, pubs, cafes and boutique shops, and is the second biggest city in Victoria after Melbourne. Take in the Geelong waterfront and beaches in eastern Geelong. There are lovely promenades in Geelong that sell ice cream, and other cold treats as you take in the distinctive art deco feel of the beach architecture. There are many coastal towns around Geelong that are worth driving to; Torquay, Barwon Heads, Queenscliff, and Portarlington to name a few. Each is easily accessible with a hire car and offer unique coastal activities and fun, small-town vibes.