We live in the state of Victoria, Australia. During the 2.5 years I've lived here, we have travelled to many different parts of Victoria for weekends and long weekends to get to know the state a little bit better.
We live just north of Melbourne, on the edge of the Great Dividing Range. We've got mountains right on our doorstep for some good climbing, and within easy driving distance we can go deeper into the mountains (in fact, that's our plan for the weekend after next). But within about a 45 minute drive we can also be out of the mountains and onto the flatlands.
If mountains aren't your thing, then we've got beaches and more beaches not far from here (we spent 4 days at the beach during the last weekend of October). On the west side of Melbourne, we've got the Great Ocean Road, a beautiful ride with rock formations, and at the right time of the year, whale watching. On the east side of Melbourne we've got Wilson's Prom, a lovely area full of wildlife, beaches, and beautiful views of the ocean.
We've also got flatlands and rolling hills, large lakes, forests, and temperate rain forests ... all a short drive or cycle away.
There is also a strong goldfield history in this state, if you're interested in checking out museums and the history of an area.
As for roads and traffic and things like that ... there are certain areas to avoid, of course, and some areas can be a bit busy, but most of our cycling is on decent quiet country roads.
Here are a couple collections of photos, mainly of this state, and mainly of the area where we live:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/machka-...7602419256784/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/machka-...7625877711979/
A shot of our immediate area, quite close to where we live on the edge of the Great Dividing Range ...
(Click photo for more ...)