YARRA VALLEY

the Among

vines

Renowned for its sensational local produce, cellar doors and hidden trails, the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges are ripe for an outdoor escape or a gourmet sojourn

XXXXXXX L ess than an hour’s drive from Melbourne, the Yarra Valley is home to vineyards, fine dining and quaint accommodation, making it one of Melbourne’s favourite picks for a weekend break.

EAT & DRINK Start the day with freshly baked muffins and coffee at Healesville Harvest Cafe (yarravalleyharvest.com.au), then head to Yarra Valley Dairy for a wide selection of artisan cheeses (yvd.com.au). Chocoholics can choose from more than 250 chocolate products at Yarra Valley Chocolaterie and Ice Creamery (yvci.com.au), while gourmands will want to book ahead to dine at Ezard at Levantine Hill (levantinehill.com.au), and culture buffs can enjoy a la carte dining or book in for High Tea at Coombe – The Melba Estate, the former home of Australian opera legend Dame Nellie Melba (coombeyarravalley.com.au).

Dating back to 1838, the Yarra Valley is Victoria’s oldest wine region, and has garnered a global reputation for its chardonnay and pinot noir. Visit the French-style cellar door at Dominique Portet Winery, which specialises in sparkling wine (dominiqueportet.com), visit iconic Domaine Chandon (chandon.com.au), family-owned De Bortoli (debortoli.com.au), enjoy a private tasting at Yering Station (yering.com) or drop into Healesville’s Innocent Bystander for wine, pizza or paella (innocentbystander.com.au).

SEE & DO For a unique view of the valley, take to the skies on a sunrise hot air balloon ride with Global Ballooning, followed by a champagne breakfast (globalballooning.com.au). After a day of wine tasting, treat yourself to a luxurious pampering session at Piaf Day Spa, which is set on a four-hectare rainforest sanctuary with spectacular views from its treatment rooms (piafdayspa.com.au).

Sculpted into the landscape, TarraWarra Museum of Art is one of the jewels of the Yarra Valley, showcasing Australian works from the mid 20th century onwards, with a restaurant and cellar door just across the way (twma.com.au). Or get up close to native wildlife at Healesville Sanctuary (zoo.org.au/Healesville). In the Dandenongs, the Dandenong Ranges Botanic Garden is host to brilliantly coloured blooms of rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias, cherries and daffodils, while Upwey’s Burrinja Cultural Centre encompasses multiple gallery spaces and artists’ studios, a world-class collection of Indigenous art, live music, 400-seat theatre, TarraWarra Estate, Yarra Valley

Dining at Domaine Chandon winery

People with an echidna at Australian Wildlife Health Centre, Healesville Sanctuary

Indigenous cultural garden, cafe and bar (burrinja.org.au). Get fit scaling the 1000 Steps, stumble upon magical moss-covered figures at William Ricketts Sanctuary and explore the quaint villages of Sassafrass and Olinda, with their tea shops, boutiques stocking fashion, gifts and crystals. When the crowds get too much, escape to picturesque walking tracks that criss-cross Dandenong Ranges National Park. DV

For more information and to plan your trip, go to visityarravalley.com.au

IN THE Deep

Valley

Reward your wanderings with spectacular views of cascading waterfalls and beautiful botanic gardens, or kick back at a day spa

Adventurers, lace up your hiking boots and stretch your legs on mountain trails to watch waterfalls from on high, while amblers make friends with fronds and take an easy stroll through rainforests to see the falls from below. Whatever your style or speed, there’s plenty to reward those who set out to explore the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges. The Steavenson Falls Trail is an easy 700-metre (return) stroll to one of Victoria’s highest waterfalls, that can be made day or night – the path and falls are floodlit between dusk and midnight, while Tree Fern Gully Trail is a gentle 3.4-kilometre, one-and-half-hour (one way) walk among manna gum, mountain ash and shady fern trees from Marysville to Steavenson Falls. Other cruisy options include Sherbrooke Falls Trail – an easy, flat 1.2-kilometre, 30-minute (return) meander through ferns, sassafras and mountain ash to Sherbrooke Falls in the Dandenong Ranges – and Keppel Falls Walk, a two-kilometre, 45-minute (return) wander with an upstream climb to the cascading, tiered Keppel Falls in the Yarra Ranges National Park. Take things up a notch with the Cumberland Walk, a breathtaking four-kilometre, two-hour walk with short, steep hills, leading to two waterfalls in the Yarra Ranges National Park: Cora Lynn Falls and Cumberland Falls or challenge yourself on the Keppel Lookout Trail, a steep 11-kilometre, three-to-four hour (return) hike with spectacular rewards: views across Marysville, the Cathedral Range State Park and Steavenson Falls from Keppel Lookout, plus views from the top and base of Steavenson Falls.

PARKS & GARDENS Take your time meandering the linking paths that wend through the historic Alfred Nicholas Gardens. It’s a perfect scenic haven, with rock walls, a picturesque lake, a boathouse and areas for picnicking. The foliage and flowers are the stars of the show, revealing a kaleidoscope of colour in vibrant bloom year-round, from azaleas

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and orchids to ferns and maple leaves, beneath a canopy of towering mountain ash trees. The Dandenong Ranges Botanic Garden (formerly the National Rhododendron Garden) is host to brilliantly coloured blooms of rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias, cherries and daffodils. Seasonal changes ensure the gardens are a delight all year around. When not in bloom, you can still soak in the beauty of rich bark textures, seed capsules, foliage shapes and beautiful fragrance as you stroll through the grounds.

Cradling the Yarra River headwaters and much of Melbourne’s water catchment, the Yarra Ranges National Park features majestic Mountain Ash trees. Visit the Rainforest Gallery with its spectacular observation platform and rainforest walkway on the southern slopes of Mount Donna Buang. Enjoy cross-country skiing and tobogganing at Lake Mountain in winter, or drive the world famous Black Spur Drive between Healesville and Narbethong. In the Dandenong Ranges National Park, discover lush fern gullies, mountain ash forests and native wildlife. Take to the trails and soak up panoramic views of the Melbourne skyline, while keeping an eye out for wallabies and echidnas in their native habitat. Twitchers will want to bring their binoculars to witness the abundant birdlife in the Dandenong Ranges. Wander through pristine forest and spot kookaburras, crimson rosellas, and even the majestic lyrebird on your travels. Or round up the kids for a picture-perfect picnic in the forest. Picnic grounds are located at Sherbrooke, Olinda and One Tree Hill and you can walk off a big lunch afterwards by exploring one of the walking tracks that begin at the picnic grounds.

TIME TO UNWIND After a day of hitting the trails, treat yourself to a luxurious pampering session at Piaf Day Spa. Set on a four-hectare rainforest sanctuary, it has treatment rooms framed by spectacular views. Try the 90-minute Luminous Glow, which includes a rehydration facial, relaxing back massage and peppermint foot treatment. There are also couples packages and treatments that can be tailored to your needs. DV

Getting there

The Yarra Valley is about a one hour drive north-east of Melbourne. There is no public transport to the Yarra Valley, so the best way to get there is on an organised tour or by hire car.

FROM OPPOSITE PAGE CLOCKWISE: Hot air balloon, Yarra Valley; Alfred Nicholas Memorial Garden; William Ricketts Sanctuary, Dandenongs; Keppel Lookout over Marysville.