Hot air balloons provide the best vantage point to take in the Yarra Valley. Image: Traveloscopy licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0
Image: Hot air balloons provide the best vantage point to take in the Yarra Valley. Image: Traveloscopy licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0
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The Yarra Valley is a picturesque wine region about an hour's drive from Melbourne.
The region is most known for its wine. You'll find many well-known brands such as Chandon, Innocent Bystander and Yering Station as well as countless smaller wineries.
It’s Victoria's oldest wine region, with the first vines planted 1838. It has matured into a well respected region with its chardonnay and pinot noir especially revered. What better way to spend a weekend than wandering from cellar door to cellar door in search of the perfect drop. If wine is not your thing, the region also has local breweries and cider producers.
The region's food offering is equally as impressive as its wine. The fertile region produces a wide variety of agricultural products and many artisan products such as cheeses, preserves and chocolates are produced here. Add to this the fine-dining scene and you're guaranteed a culinary experience with just-picked ingredients paired with the perfect wine.
Quaint towns dot the region with sophisticated options for drinking, dining and accommodation.
Getting There
Car. You can drive to Healesville in just over an hour. There’s an easy highway drive with tolls, or, you can take a more scenic drive through the countryside with many twists and bends.
Bus. Hop It offers a hop-on-hop-off bus between Melbourne and the Yarra Valley. $65 allows you to stop at up to 4 wineries with a pickup either in Melbourne or the Yarra Valley.
Driver. Post a job on Airtasker for a driver. You can get a driver for around $250 a day. Tip: refer to wineries as attractions because delivering alcohol is against the platform’s guidelines
By far the largest and most developed town in the region. Healesville has a quaint yet sophisticated feel that comes with being a popular destination so close to the city (similar to Daylesford). The tree-lined main street is full of cafes, homeware stores and historical pubs.It’s particularly beautiful in Autumn when the leaves are turning.
Many big-name wineries and breweries with impressive architecture are located here Including boutique gin distillery Four Pillars, and Innocent Bystander, which is one of Good Food’s best winery restaurants in the Yarra Valley. Also worth checking out is Healesville Hotel which is one of Traveller magazine’s top places to eat and drink in the Yarra Valley. Be sure to check out the great beer garden out back.
Yarra Glen is another scenic town located in the rolling hills of the Yarra Valley. It is less developed than Healesville. The prominent Grand Hotel built in 1888 on the main street is a prominent landmark.
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