YARRA VALLEY ITINERARY: MELBOURNE’S GOURMET BACKYARD

After a leisurely breakfast in one of Melbourne’s world-famous cafés head out of town and into the hills.

Arrive at COLDSTREAM HILLS at Gruyere. Australia’s most revered wine critic James Halliday established this winery in 1985. Look out for the Yarra Valley’s hero varietals, chardonnay and pinot noir. The cellar door overlooks the vines that run down through the expansive valley. 

If your visit is over the weekend, you can book a guided walking tour of the vineyard and winery, including the exciting opportunity to sample wines straight from the barrel.

Just next door is the award-winning YARRA YERING . The 50-year-old estate is one of the region’s oldest producers, but it remains a progressive winery. Try the latest release of Light Dry Red, an unusual blend of shiraz and pinot noir. Treasure hunters will be thrilled by the rotating selection of museum stock available for tasting too.

Stop for a leisurely lunch and a wine tasting at SEVILLE ESTATE , the 2019 Halliday Winery of the Year. It has tranquil vistas of the upper Yarra Valley and the surrounding mountains. The tasting room and restaurant feature an ever-changing menu that champions local and estategrown produce.

Stop for a leisurely lunch and a wine tasting at SEVILLE ESTATE , the 2019 Halliday Winery of the Year. It has tranquil vistas of the upper Yarra Valley and the surrounding mountains. The tasting room and restaurant feature an ever-changing menu that champions local and estategrown produce.

Next up is DOMINIQUE PORTET for a unique combination of French winemaking and unmistakable Yarra Valley terroir. If the weather is fine, consider taking a glass to the courtyard and marvel at the vine-covered rolling hillside. Or pay tribute to the place’s French heritage by partaking in a game of Pétanque.

Gin, anyone? It’s time to learn the art of distilling and sipping at FOUR PILLARS GIN in Healesville. Try a tasting paddle or a cocktail but make sure you try the distillery’s famous shiraz gin, a combination of rare dry gin and locally grown shiraz grapes.

Time to check into your accommodation. Set on a 48-hectare private nature reserve where bushland intersects the Yarra River, YERING GORGE COTTAGES has several cottage options. Relax on your balcony with a pre-dinner drop and watch the kangaroos graze nearby.

The iconic HEALESVILLE HOTEL is a mix of old-world charm and modern amenity. It serves local grass-fed beef and free-range chickens alongside vegetables from nearby Timbarra farm. As you might expect from a pub in the centre of a world-class wine region, the drinks list is impressive.

Complimentary breakfast hamper? Thank you, Yering Gorge Cottages. Enjoy on the deck with the Christmas Hills and Dividing Ranges as backdrop.

It’s a short drive to HEALESVILLE SANCTUARY , where it’s easy to while away a morning meandering tranquil tracks set among the natural bushlands. It’s home to native wildlife such as koalas, kangaroos, wombats and more than 200 bird species.

Lunch at Coldstream’s OAKRIDGE . This is one of Australia’s hottest winery restaurants, where the team led by executive chef Arron Brodie has won a host of awards. Oakridge’s sustainable menu relies on produce that is handpicked daily from a 120m2 kitchen garden, with bread, cheese and smallgoods (including emu pastrami) made in-house.

Next up it’s SOUMAH , again featuring the Yarra Valley staple of incredible views of the vineyard. Look out for its Equilibrio Chardonnay, which received Best-in-Show at the 2020 Decanter World Wine Awards with a staggering 97 points.

Take the spectacular Black Spur drive through the Yarra Ranges to STEAVENSON FALLS , nnear Marysville. It’s only a 700-metre (return) stroll from the carpark to the viewing platform, which overlooks one of Victoria’s highest waterfalls (122 metres). Keep an eye (and ear) out for Australian wildlife.

The café at MELETOS , in Coldstream, is great for a low-key dinner. The team’s dedication to bringing the best out of regional ingredients shines through. Choose from a range of wood-fired pizzas or chargrilled porterhouse, confit duck or lemon and rosemary quail.

It’s back to Yering Gorge Cottages for the night – for an (optional) early start in the morning.

If you want to get out of bed two hours before sunrise, there’s breathtaking views of the Yarra Valley’s spectacular natural amphitheatre on offer.The champagne breakfast isn’t bad, either. A hot air balloon ride with GLOBAL BALLOONING over the valley takes about an hour once you’re up in the air.

Head back to Yering Gorge Cottages to collect your luggage and check out.

If you haven’t already filled your car with fresh produce from roadside stalls, it’s time to pick up seasonal fruit, vegetables and local arts and crafts from THE PROVIDORE AT MELETOS the one-stop shop for regional produce.

Cheese lovers could head to YARRA VALLEY DAIRY at Yering. The cheese shop and tasting room are located in the original 100-year-old milking shed on the farm, right besides the cheese factory – you might even meet a friendly goat angling for a pat.

Pop into DE BORTOLI’S award-winning, internationally renowned cellar door at Dixons Creek to sample new-release wines from one of the region’s most innovative wineries. The sweeping views of vineyard plots that run towards the Great Dividing Range are pretty great, too. Behind-the-scenes winery tours are available in English, Cantonese and Mandarin.

Pause for lunch at TARRAWARRA ESTATE followed by an exhibition at the onsite TarraWarra Museum of Art. The restaurant menu varies each day, depending on what the chef selects from the property’s half-acre kitchen garden that morning. The gallery has hosted collections such as Tracey Moffatt’s widely acclaimed 57th Venice Biennale exhibition.

Thirty-seat GRACEBURN WINE ROOM , run by boundary-pushing natural winemaker Mac Forbes, is an urban bistro/wine bar in Healesville. Stop here for one last tasting. Graceburn’s staff will take you through special-release wines from the core range alongside selected producers from the wider Yarra Valley and abroad.

Head back to Melbourne – you should be back before 5pm, in time to enjoy an evening in the city.