One of the best day's out from Melbourne is to the Brown Brother's winery at Milawa.
Roughly 1 hour 10' in a 172 or similar. The winery has a strip from where it is merely a short stumble to the epicurean centre which does brilliant lunch and wine...not much chop for you I admit!! Oh, and watch the powerlines on final.
"Safest" way avoiding tiger country is north through the Kilmore Gap and up the Hume Highway to Wangaratta and then South.
The more picturesque way is out via the Glenburn gap or preferably further south over Healesville, the Black Spur, Alexandra and continue NorthEast from there. Beautiful country with a look at Australia's Alpine country. Only a few patches in a single where there is nowhere to land but very weather dependant with big hills.