The top regional galleries to visit in Victoria

Established in 1896, Geelong Gallery has a significant collection of Australian and European paintings from the 18th and 19th centuries. But it also presents regular contemporary exhibitions that regularly go toe-to-toe with what you get at the NGV – think stellar exhibitions on the moon, works from the Archibald Prize and an immersive retrospective on street artist Rone.

Located in the middle of Johnstone Park, the gallery is ideally situated for those hoping to tackle Geelong on foot. It's also right next door to the structurally beautiful Geelong Library. 

From Melbourne: It's roughly an hour's drive to Geelong Gallery from Melbourne. You can also catch a V/Line train from Southern Cross to Geelong Station, which is a five-minute walk from the gallery.

The Hubert Gallery of Art is part of a new era for St Hubert's wine: an architecturally designed (and very Instagrammable) series of buildings that forms the recently opened Hubert Estate.

The gallery, set on Wurundjeri Country, can be found by descending down a dark, aesthetically pleasing staircase inside the swanky cellar door – but that's where the darkness ends. The light and bright space, flanked by an expansive, curved glass wall looking out onto the estate, is the perfect backdrop for a range of colourful and exciting works sourced from over 20 Australian Indigenous Communities.

From Melbourne: Hubert Estate is about an hour from Melbourne by car. Public transport is a little harder – try the train to Lilydale, then a local bus.

Say hello to Australia's oldest and largest regional gallery, having been built in 1884 with the sole purpose of showcasing art. The Art Gallery of Ballarat is home to one of the largest collections of Australian artworks, with exhibitions running throughout the year. The gallery building itself is also heritage listed (with its grand rooms you can see why) and features a beautiful gallery shop. 

From Melbourne: It takes somewhere between 90 minutes to two hours to reach Ballarat by car, with a direct 90-minute V/Line train service also available.

Mitchelton’s gallery of Aboriginal art displays the work of some of the most prolific Indigenous artists currently working today. This cavernous underground gallery space houses a huge selection of beautifully curated art, from the prolific Possum family, to artists like Jeannie Mills Pwerle and Yannima Tommy Watson. Prices range from the hundreds through to the hundred-thousands, such is the diverse selection and sizes of art on offer.

The centrepiece of the gallery is the "Message Stick Vehicle", a transformed Vietnam War Ambulance that was painted by over 200 Aboriginal artists over several decades. See if you can spot a painted hand from South African anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela himself. It’s a must-see.

Did you know Victoria is home to Australia's largest (in more ways than one) outdoor art gallery? The Silo Art Trail is an outdoor art "gallery" that spans more than 200km in the Wimmera Mallee region, using the region's grain silos as giant canvases for massive murals. The works have been created by some of the best street artists in the country, including Adnate, Drapl and the Zookeeper, Rone, and Kitt Bennett. You can start the trail wherever you wish, seeing as many or as few works as you like. However, if you're travelling from Melbourne and want to see the full trail it's best to start at Rupanyup and work your way up to Patchewollock. 

From Melbourne: It takes roughly 3.5 hours to reach the first Silo Art trail work at Rupanyup. Or tackle the trail from the other end by flying to Mildura and hiring a car. 

Not all galleries need to be housed inside a building. Pt Leo Estate's Sculpture Park is 330 acres of undulating landscape dotted with 60 large-scale sculptural works from an impressive list of talent.

The constantly evolving lineup of artists added their epic 5.5m tall work 'Share 2020' by prolific artist Kaws back in 2020 – but after being locked inside for a few years now, it still seems like a newbie for us Melburnians. 

From Melbourne: Pt Leo Estate is about an hour and fifteen minutes from Melbourne by car. You can also catch the train to Frankston, then the 782 bus down the Peninsula.

Bendigo Art Gallery was founded all the way back in 1887 but its collection is anything but dated. Sure, the gallery features works from as far back as the 1850s and the gold rush, but in recent years it's also developed something of a reputation for hosting cutting edge fashion exhibitions on Mary Quant, Balenciaga, and contemporary Indigenous designers. While in the area, it's also worth checking out the Golden Dragon Museum (it's just a quick walk from the gallery through Rosalind Park). 

From Melbourne: It takes two hours to drive from Melbourne to Bendigo Art Gallery. Or hop on a train – Bendigo Art Gallery is a 15-minute walk from Bendigo Station. 

Situated in the heart of Victoria’s bushranger country, Benalla Art Gallery is a striking, modern building by the banks of Lake Benalla. Paintings, textiles, ceramics and sculptures – the gallery houses an ever-growing permanent collection featuring historically pertinent works depicting the Australian-European settlement, post-modern leanings of contemporary artists and exceptional Indigenous works. After exploring the gallery, explore the town's huge range of street art.

From Melbourne: You're looking at a 2.5-hour drive to reach Benalla Art Gallery. 

Gippsland Art Gallery in Sale has been open since 1965 and now hosts around 20 exhibitions every year. It's a major creative hub for eastern Victoria, showcasing exhibitions by both local and international artists, as well as an ever-growing permanent collection. The gallery was the first Victorian public art gallery to be opened east of Melbourne and was entirely volunteer-run for the first two decades of its life. Recent years have seen the gallery receive a hefty $14.53 million redevelopment which improved visitor experience, gallery access and provided more exhibition spaces.

From Melbourne: It's a three-hour car drive from Melbourne to Gippsland Art Gallery. 

Shepparton Art Museum has been around since 1936, but was reopened after a $50 million facelift in late 2021. And what a facelift. The new SAM Building was designed by Australian architecture firm Denton Corker Marshall and features five floors, four galleries and more than 4,000 artworks. That includes a nationally significant ceramics collection as well as the largest holding of works from the Namatjira family. In the same building you'll also find Shepparton Visitors’ Information Centre, Kaiela Arts (Shepparton’s Aboriginal community arts centre), an outdoor amphitheatre and café Art Hill (which also serves as a 150-person event space).

From Melbourne: It's just over two hours to drive to Shepparton from Melbourne.