Best places to elope in Victoria! This is your planning guide to having an elopement in the amazing state of Victoria (VIC). We did all the research for you and found the best places for you across Victoria. We want you to get inspired for your elopement because your choices are endless with a Victorian elopement.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, there are around 28,000 marriages each year in Victoria alone.

Victoria has so many beautiful places for an amazing elopement. All these places and locations are absolutely stunning and you can have an awesome small wedding or elopement at any of these places. It really just depends on your vision and the style of elopement you want.

You can elope on the top of a mountain, at the bottom of a waterfall, or a farm or in the middle of a forest. You could have a simple country elopement or an intimate city elopement. The choice is yours.

1. Melbourne Elopements

The city of Melbourne would have to be top of the list of best places to elope. There are literally so many options for couples to choose from in Melbourne.

From Public Parks, to secluded beaches, the famous laneways of Melbourne. You could go for a rooftop elopement in the middle of the CBD, elope on a pier at sunset or even at Melbournes iconic Luna Park. There are so many options.

Melbourne is also full of hundreds of wedding venues. From large wedding and function centres to more intimate and unique properties and restaurants that are more catered to elopements. Making it one of the best places to elope in Victoria.

2. The Twelve Apostles, Great Ocean Road

This is probably Victoria’s most beautiful and iconic landscapes. The Twelve Apostles on the Great Ocean Road. What an epic location for an elopement!

The Twelve Apostles is a collection of limestone stacks that have been formed from hundreds of years of erosion from the harsh weather and ocean in the Southern Ocean.

I would personally try to avoid the main tourist spots, which is mainly the fenced lookout areas. And either have a small elopement ceremony up on the cliffs at an unfenced area, like Secret Apostles Lookout. Or have your ceremony down on one of the beaches like Gibson Beach, Loch Are Gorge. And make sure you don’t schedule it at high tide.

3. Dandenong Ranges

The Dandenong Ranges is a beautiful region of Victoria approximately thirty minutes east of Melbourne. It is known for its beautiful cool climate gardens and is a beautiful place for an elopement or small wedding.

There are beautiful locations like the Alfred Nicholas Gardens which has picturesque waterfalls and a stunning lake and boathouse. Marybrooke Manor, SkyHigh Mount Dandenong, Poet’s Lane, Chateau Wyuna are just some of the beautiful venues you can check out. But the whole region is full of places where you could potentially elope.

If you are looking for a place for a beautiful elopement, that is close to Melbourne but feels like you are in another world, then you should definitely consider the Dandenong Ranges.

4. The Yarra Valley

The Yarra Valley, which dates back to 1838, is Victoria’s oldest wine region and has gained an international reputation for its chardonnay and pinot noir. It is about an hour from Melbourne making a perfect location for a elopement.

The region is full of beautiful small wedding venues, locations, vineyards, historic houses and properties. And there is a huge variety in the styles of venues available.

5. Redwood Forest Warburton

There is an amazing Californian Redwood forest in Victoria! Who knew?

The Redwood Forest is located about fifteen minutes from the town of Warburton and it is home to a large plantation of Californian Redwoods which was planted in 1930. There are an amazing 1476 trees and they are up to fifty-five metres in height.

They do elopements and small weddings and I think if you are looking for a location with a really unique environment, this place could be perfect.

6. Mount Donna Buang

Located in the southern area of the Victorian Alps, Mount Donna Buang offers a mountain and forest elopement with easy drive-in access to some stunning scenery.

It is part of the Yarra Ranges National Park and the closest town is Warburton. It is a popular location for families on weekends and in the Winter there can be snowfall. So if you are searching for a natural setting that is easy for you and your guests to get to, then Mount Dinna Buang might be worth checking out.

7. Erskine Falls

Erskine Falls is a really beautiful location for a waterfall elopement in Victoria.

This waterfall is located in the Great Otway National Park and is located about fifteen minutes from Lorne. It is located in a lush green fern gully with rivers and waterfalls. There is a first lookout at the top and then a 230 step walk down stairs to the bottom where you can see the full waterfall and really appreciate its beauty. From there you can also explore further downstream if you like as there is a 7.5km walk.

Like most waterfalls, they will look better if there has been recent rain. Another waterfall closeby to Erskine Falls is Hopetoun Falls, which may also be a nice option for an elopement ceremony.

8. Wilsons Promontory

On a peninsula southeast of Melbourne, the spectacular Wilsons Promontory National Park is located. It is renowned for its mountains of rugged granite and plentiful wildlife including kangaroos and wombats. Squeaky Beach is another highlight with its white quartz sand. Nearby Mount Oberon offers views of the Bass Strait and the islands offshore.

9. Mount Hotham

Mount Hotham is a mountain in the Victorian Alps of the Great Dividing Range about 4.5 hours by car from Melbourne or 7.5 hours from Sydney. Hotham is one of Australia’s highest alpine towns and it is a pretty stunning location for an elopement.

There are numerous venues and accommodation to choose from as well as a variety of locations to have your elopement ceremony. I would probably avoid the middle of ski season or in school holidays as it is an extremely popular destination

An elopement here is all about the epic mountain landscapes. The scenery is simply stunning. This beautiful mountain location mixed with some luxury facilities makes Mount Hotham an ideal elopement destination.

10. Craig’s Hut in Mount Stirling.

Be a part of Australian film history and elope at Craig’s Hut in Mount Stirling.

Located four hours from Melbourne, the hut was originally built for the iconic 1982 Australian movie, The Man from Snowy River. It was damaged in the 2006 bushfires but was rebuilt and reopened.

What I also love about this location is the magnificent panoramic views. Mount Stirling is located in the Victorian Alps of the Great Dividing Range and there are so many other stunning locations on the mountain which would look wonderful for your elopement and wedding photography photos.

11. Mount Buffalo National Park

Mount Buffalo National Park is located about fours hours from Melbourne and this place is a pretty epic location for an elopement.

I think that an elopement here during the non-ski season would be amazing. There are some lovely walks and some spectacular landscapes that would be stunning for elopement and wedding photos.

There are lots of walking tracks with views over huge granite boulders and so many locations for photos and for a ceremony.

Some highlights for me would be The Hump Lookout and The Cathedral. A Mount Buffalo elopement sunset ceremony here would be pretty special.

12. Grampians National Park

Grampians National Park is located three hours by car from Melbourne and is a popular nature reserve famous for its sandstone mountains, animal wildlife and natural beauty. It is a perfect location for a small elopement as there is a wide variety of stunning locations. There are Beautiful waterfalls, walks and some very prominent mountain ridges.

A couple of my favourite locations for photos would be Reeds Lookout and The Balconies. These amazing cliff faces offer panoramic views over Victoria Valley and the other surrounding ranges. Boroka Lookout also provides some stunning views over Halls Gap.

13. Cactus Country, Strathmerton

Cactus Country is a huge twelve-acre garden that has the largest collection of cacti in Australia! And you can elope there!!!

This is a totally unique environment for Australia. And a totally unique environment for an elopement in Australia. This is a desert landscape that feels more like you are having your wedding in Mexico, Arizona or Texas.

Victorian Elopement Regions

Victorian Elopement Information

There are some marriage guidelines you need to follow to make sure your marriage is fully legal. Your marriage celebrant will go over all these, but basically they are:

• Neither of you can be married to someone else.
• You cannot be marrying a parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, brother or sister.
• Both of you must be at least 18 years old.
• You need to understand what marriage means and freely consent to marry.
• Each partner has to sign a witnessed Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM) at least one month prior to the elopement. This is done through your authorised celebrant. (So it takes at least one month to get married in Australia).
• A registered civil celebrant must conduct the marriage ceremony and submit all the legal paperwork for you.
• You need two witnesses over the age of 18, to sign your marriage certificate and other legal documents at your ceremony. (So that means there needs to be at least 2 other people, not including the celebrant at your elopement. You can use your photographer, videographer, stylist or someone from your elopement venue).

Other Information About Eloping in Victoria (VIC)

• If you’re an overseas couple dreaming about eloping in Australia, you may marry here lawfully and legally. You do not need to be an Australian citizen or a permanent Australian resident to get married legally.
• Same-sex marriage in Australia is officially legal .. Woohoo! As of December 2017, Australia has equality of marriage. The act read out at the elopement ceremony now reads “the union of two people to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life”.
• At your elopement ceremony, you and your witnesses will need to sign all the relevant papers with your marriage celebrant. Your celebrant then turns in the papers to the ‘registry of birth, deaths and marriages’ in the state where you got married, within 14 days.

Featured Victorian Elopement Vendors