Touring Eastern Victoria, Travel Information

From the Yarra Valley to the Dandenongs

For a get away from the buzz of Melbourne, the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges provide a slice of the country within easy reach of the city.

Yarra Valley & Dandenongs accommodation

Yarra Days

All along the course of the Yarra River, which empties itself into Port Phillip Bay in Melbourne, small and large enterprises create a patchwork of experiences for all ages. Within about 100 kilometres of Melbourne’s Collins Street, the region offers a total change of pace, with an array of first-rate wineries, restaurants and galleries.

There are several iconic tourist experiences in the area, the first of which is Puffing Billy, a steam-train service over a 25 kilometre track from Belgrave to Emerald Park and Gembrook. Uniquely, the service runs everyday of the year, bar Christmas, with an opportunity to enjoy lunch aboard a classic railway carriage, as well as a gourmet picnic hamper. The service also offers evening “wine and dine” packages, as well as dining options for Friday and Saturday nights. The railway line was one of four built to develop rural areas in the early 1900s. The experiment failed when a landslide blocked it in 1953, prompting the government to consider its closure. The railway was saved by a group of local enthusiasts who rallied for its preservation, rebuilt the line and got the train running again on its unique narrow-gauge rails.

Another important stop on any tour of the region, especially if you have overseas or interstate visitors, is Healesville Wildlife Sanctuary – one of Australia’s premier wildlife parks for more than 70 years. A path weaves through 30 hectares of bushland, where some 200 species of Australian wildlife can be seen in their natural habitats. They include platypus, koalas, emus, Tasmanian devils, lyrebirds, wombats and eagles. See colourful king parrots and the rare helmeted honeyeater in the Flooded Forest Aviary. Dingoes are walked daily in the afternoon.

With Puffing Billy and the wildlife taken care of, a sampling of the Yarra wine industry would certainly be one of the better decisions of the day. The Victorian wine business had its start in 1838, when a vineyard was planted at the modern-day Yering Station. There are now over 50 wineries in the Yarra Valley, many of the labels among Australia’s most recognised and revered. The area is notable for its pinot and sparkling wines. Domain Chandon, owned by Moët & Chandon, is the most celebrated of these. The Visitor Centre at the Green Point vineyard provides the opportunity to see the production process and sample the bubbly, along with regional gourmet fare. The grapes used to create the range are harvested from the best in the Yarra Valley, with fruit also sourced from the Coonawarra, King Valley, Mansfield and Tumbarumba. The Visitor Centre is open daily from 10.30am to 4.30pm. Another household name, De Bortoli, serves its Yarra Valley wines with northern Italian cuisine, and at Coldstream Hills there’s time to combine the magnificent views with tasting the complex flavours of their wine range.

Discovering The Dandenongs

The Dandenongs are also well worth further exploration, especially for gardeners and lovers of all things floral. Pick the right time and year and be dazzled by the National Rhododendron Gardens at Olinda – home to 15,000 rhododendrons; 12,000 azaleas; 250,000 daffodils; native birds; and panoramic views of the Yarra Valley and distant ranges.

The Dandenong Ranges National Park has over 300 kilometres of walking tracks meandering through lush gullies and misty mountain ash forests to places such as Sherbrooke Forest, Dongalla Homestead and the Thousand Steps. “Meet the Keeper” Healesville Wildlife Sanctuary presentations are scheduled throughout the day at the following times:

• 11am and 2pm – Wombat Talk
• 11.30am and 1.30pm – Reptile Encounter
• Noon and 2.30pm – Birds of Prey Presentation
• 1pm and 3.30pm – Koala Talk
• 1.30pm – Platypus Talk
• 1.45pm – Wetlands Activities & Attractions

In the upper reaches of the Yarra River, the town of Warburton enjoys a reputation for the quality of life it extends to locals and visitors alike. Its attractions and activities include:

1. Cycling or walking the scenic Lilydale to Warburton Rail Trail. The 38 kilometre trail follows a railway line built in 1901 to transport local produce and timber to Melbourne.
2. Experience one of the many outstanding forest walks which radiate outwards from the town into the forests of mountain ash.
3. Stroll through myrtle-beech rainforest to the Ada Tree. At over 300 years old, this mountain ash is thought to be one of the largest known flowering trees in the world.
4. Stride out into the canopies of giant eucalyptus trees along the treetop skywalk at Mount Donna Buang.