After spending three days exploring the delights of Melbourne, it was time to see more of Victoria. We’d arranged to pick up a hire car at 10.00 a.m. from the Enterprise base in the city centre but our well laid plan didn’t quite work out as we had hoped! On arrival at the car rental office we were informed that our car was there but the previous occupants had failed to hand in the car keys and for some unknown reason Enterprise didn’t have a spare set. As there weren’t any other suitable cars available we had to wait whilst the clerk made frantic phone calls and then even had to drive out to collect the car keys himself. On his return the car needed to be serviced and cleaned resulting in almost an hour and a half of wasted time.
Eventually though, we were on our way to the Yarra Valley, a world renowned wine growing region just over an hour’s drive east of Melbourne. Our first stop was to Yering, the site of a former railway station on the historic Lilydale and Healesville line which operated between 1888 until 1980. Its now been transformed into the 7.5 km Yarra Valley Trail. We just followed the trail along one short section where we found numerous information boards describing the history of the region and its railway.
Back in the car it was just a short hop to the Yarra Valley Dairy, a cheese shop and cafe located in a hundred year old milking shed. The dairy offers tastings of a range of their delicious cheeses with a cosy cafe offering coffee, light bites and gorgeous valley views.
After our morning cappuccino’s we were soon off again, this time to explore some of the vineyards for which the Yarra Valley is famous. The region’s cool climate is ideal for the production of Chardonnay, sparkling wine and Pinot Noir.
With another 80 wineries located around the region we decided to focus on visiting one small and one much larger operation. The first was Yarra Farm Wines a winery and orchard located close to the dairy we’d just been to. Established in 1989, we received a warm welcome on stepping inside its rustic tasting room. As we were driving we resisted the temptation of tasting any of the wines ($10 AUD/ £5.25 per person) but instead looked at the range on offer. The winery boasts an attractive veranda from where you can enjoy views of the vineyard and the hills beyond whilst sipping a glass of their wine.
Leaving there, our next stop was to the award winning winery of Oakridge Wines in Coldstream. As one of Australia’s larger wine companies the set up is totally different with a sleek and sophisticated Cellar Door (tasting room).
Tastings are priced slightly higher at €15 AUD (£7.75) and if you are feeling hungry, there’s also a smart restaurant with both indoor and outdoor seating. The Cellar Door is open daily whilst dining is available Thursday to Monday.
Moving on, we arrived at Healesville, the main town in the Yarra valley area. After finding somewhere to park, we strolled along the town’s high street which is noted as a regional hub of food and wine.
With characterful pubs, artisan bakeries, cafes and delis we were spoilt for choice. After much deliberating, we finally settled on the Wild Grains Bakehouse where we tucked into our first Aussie meat pie of the trip which was certainly worth waiting for.
A glance in several shops followed before getting back in the car and driving the short distance to Maroondah Reservoir.
This park is part of an Aboriginal cultural landscape and offers free parking. It was just a few minutes walk to view the impressive 41m high dam wall which doubles as a scenic lookout over the reservoir and gardens.
Constructed between 1920 and 1927 its surrounding gardens include a sundial and a stone staircase lined with rose bushes and pencil pine trees.
On following a sign along the Maroondah Forest Track we spotted an echidna. It was our first sighting of one of these egg laying mammals which are found all over Australia. Echidnas have spikes rather like a porcupine and a bird like beak. An unusual feature is that their hind legs point backwards enabling them to push the soil away whilst burrowing.
On the road again, we travelled the Black Spur Drive, a stunning 30km (19 mile) route through the lush forest landscape of the Yarra Ranges linking the Yarra Valley with the mountain area around Marysville. As the two lane road was full of twists and turns it wasn’t possible to stop so I took some photos through the car windscreen. The towering Mountain Ash trees and huge ferns looked beautiful in the late afternoon sunshine.
On reaching the attractive small town of Marysville we called into the local bakery just before closing time for a coffee. The town was the centre of a devastating bush fire in the summer of 2009 with many small surrounding towns damaged and Marysville itself almost destroyed.
Brightly coloured King Parrots have called Marysville home for many years but they all fled to escape the bushfires. Residents claimed the town had returned to normal when they heard the familiar screech of the parrots back in town. They are everywhere, and whilst we were sitting out on the cafe terrace enjoying our cups of coffee one even swooped in to take a peck of the lid of my coffee cup.
On the edge of town lie the Steavenson Falls named after John Steavenson who surveyed and named the town in 1866. These are one of Victoria’s highest falls dropping 84m in three stages. It was an easy hike from the car park, being just a few minutes walk to the viewing point at the bottom of the falls, so well worth visiting if you are in the vicinity.
It was then a scenic 30 minute drive up to the Lake Mountain Alpine Resort at 1530m. The resort was closed at the time of our visit but we enjoyed a walk around inspecting the ski lifts and toboggan runs. Surrounded by forests, there was much evidence of the effects of bush fires with scorched and dead trees.
Back in the car, it was about a two hour journey back to Melbourne and as we reached Warburton just before darkness fell we decided to have a little look around. It’s an attractive town nestled between forested hillsides on the Yarra River.
Its shops and cafes had all closed for the day but it was pleasing to stroll around as many of the stores are housed in buildings dating back to the early 1900’s. A 3km walking trail begins in the town centre stretching along the Yarra River, passing bridges and an iconic swing bridge in Story Reserve.
There wasn’t enough time to follow then, but something to consider on a return visit to the Yarra Valley. It was approaching 10.00 p.m. by the time we returned to Melbourne but thankfully we had managed to see a great deal of the Yarra Valley despite our later than expected starting time.
If you have enjoyed this post you may also like:
Melbourne sightseeing including Old Melbourne Gaol
Melbourne MCG Tour and Eureka Skydeck
Love Travelling Blog 
Leave a comment