We love visiting the Yarra Valley. There is always something new to discover in this beautiful wine region! From delicious food and wine to beautiful scenery, there is something for everyone. I thought to go with my top 10 cellar doors, I would do a bit of a guide to the Yarra Valley with my favourite spots!
The trip was full of surprises including my partner getting down on one knee! It made the trip so special, and meant that the rest of the trip was a celebration involving a lot of wine! You can check out some of the highlights (including a sneak peek at the proposal) in the video below.
An overview of the Yarra Valley
The Yarra Valley is situated just outside of Melbourne and is known as the first wine region in Victoria. The region is known for classic wines made with finesse, but increasingly is producing some cutting edge style wines from progressive winemakers. It is one of the most well known cool climate wine-producing regions in Australia. I have to say though, in Summer it can get really hot! We were sweltering in 40-degree heat, even though the mornings were below 10!
Being a cool climate wine region, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir is what the Yarra Valley is known for. You’ll find it at most places you visit in a range of styles. However, it is also well-known for sparkling wines, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz.
Getting to the Yarra Valley
Because the Yarra Valley is situated about 40 minutes outside of Melbourne, you have a range of options for getting out there. We drove because we wanted to be able to get around the wineries across the days we were staying there. However, you can just as easily do a day trip out with a wine tour. There are so many options when it comes to this, and most leave from central Melbourne so are perfect if you want to just do a day. You can also make your way out on the train and get off at Lilydale station.
Personally we found it so easy hiring a car from Melbourne airport and heading out straight from there. It was definitely easy and meant that we could make our own way around.
Guide to the Yarra Valley: Where to stay
There are so many places to stay in the Yarra Valley! Between all the hotels, Airbnbs, small bed and breakfasts and winery accommodation, you’ll be spoilt for choice! The biggest recommendation I can make is choosing somewhere that is well known or near the wineries. Healesville is the main town of the Yarra Valley and has plenty of dining options as well as a couple of wineries. Otherwise somewhere between Healesville and Yarra Glen will ensure you are right in the heart of wine country. This means it will be easier to get pickups for tours, and also for cabs and Ubers to find you (they are few and far between).
We decided to stay at Balgownie Estate which is a winery resort just outside of Yarra Glen. It is great because you get everything in one: they have a restaurant, a cellar door, room service, a spa and a pool. It was also well known by all the tour providers so made picks ups a breeze. We also loved the room service option. After a big day of wineries, all we wanted to do was cozy up on the couch and watch a movie instead of finding our way out. However, if you would rather cook than eat out, I’d recommend staying somewhere else that gives you a kitchen.
Balgownie Estate made our stay so special and full of surprises, from little things like sparkling wine on arrival to organising a picnic in the vines. I’d recommend it for any special trip because they really went above and beyond. The rooms are also huge and even have a spa bath! I also recommend getting breakfast because there isn’t anything nearby.
Guide to the Yarra Valley: Winery tours
We did two winery tours on our stay and both were completely different. There are so many wineries to see in the valley and so you really need a few days to even scratch the surface! Even with two winery tours we still missed ones that I would love to make it back to. I recommend making sure you know where they are taking you before you choose the company you are going with. If you’ve been to the Yarra Valley before, you may end up going to the same, big commercial wineries. So pick a tour company that offers something different, or allows you to choose your own.
Organised tour group: Wombat tours
We chose Wombat Tours because they went to wineries that were less well-known than some of the other tours. They were also flexible so on the day we could choose our last winery. The great thing about this company is that they also do pick-ups from Melbourne, Lilydale Station and local accommodation – so no matter where you’re staying you’re covered.
The tour was great and we met some awesome people throughout the day. It included four wineries for tastings, a visit to the chocolate shop and lunch with a glass of wine. We went to wineries I’d never visited before which I loved, and the lunch was absolutely delicious! I honestly cannot fault this tour company, and it is really affordable too! It came in much lower than some of the other tours and for how flexible they were I thought it was great value.
Private Tour
Because we’ve been to the Yarra Valley before we decided it would be worth doing a private tour. The only problem with this is the cost! I was getting quotes from anywhere between $500 and $1200, some of which didn’t even include tastings! I was blown away by the cost, and thought there must be another way.
My partner had the great idea of getting on AirTasker. He put an add up for $200 for someone to drive us around for the day, and I was amazed by how many people reached out. If you are looking at doing a private tour, I would definitely try this because it is such a cost-effective way to do it. Not only that, you get complete freedom of where you go, how many wineries you do and you don’t have to feel rushed at any point.
We were driven around by Les who was excellent. He took us to all the wineries we could fit in, and even chucked in a few extras that we wouldn’t have known to go to! He had such excellent service and really made for a memorable day. The only problem was we did end up getting to way too many wineries, hence needing to stay in after the tour. But I’ve had worse problems!
If you are trying to get around the Yarra Valley, I highly recommend doing this. And if you see Les on AirTasker, definitely give him a go!
Guide to the Yarra Valley: Where to eat
Now to the fun part: the food! We ate some great food down in the Yarra Valley, and you’ll find you’ll also be spoilt for choice. There are so many restaurants in the Yarra Valley and so this guide to the Yarra Valley wouldn’t be complete without going through the ones we loved.
Oakridge Wines
Oakridge Wines was definitely the highlight of the trip for me. It has recently been awarded the Cellar Door with the best food by Gourmet Traveller Wine, and you can definitely see why. It isn’t cheap as you have to do a set menu, but the food was so worth it! And then you’ve got the view out over the vines that you can take in while you eat. It was just magical!
We did the three-course meal and each course was absolutely incredible. You really couldn’t fault any of the dishes, and it was such a special place to have a meal. They even gave us a glass of sparkling wine to celebrate our engagement!
Balgownie Estate
We went to the restaurant at the hotel on our second night in the Yarra Valley and it was absolutely delicious. Although it didn’t blow me away quite as much as Oakridge Wines, it still had some incredible dishes. It was also great because you didn’t have to do a set menu, so it was a bit more affordable and meant you could share a dessert if you were really full (which we were).
The restaurant has a nice outlook and is filled with natural light which I loved. The food was delicious as well with a lot of local produce used throughout the menu. They also have quite an extensive wine list to choose from, and also gave us some complimentary sparkling wine to celebrate!
Soumah
We went to Soumah on our tour with Wombat Tours and it was absolutely delicious. Although we only sampled one course, the lamb that I had was incredible. It was pulled and pressed with an incredible jus. The dishes they served went perfectly with their wine too, which we got to sample before sitting down so we could pick our favourite.
Soumah is a great spot for lunch because the restaurant has gorgeous views out over the vineyard. It was really beautiful, being slightly rustic without going over the top.
Meletos
We went to Meletos on the first night of our trip and if you are in the market for an Instagrammable venue, this is the spot you need to go. It is absolutely stunning with high ceilings and wood accents. Covered in vines, it feels cosy and modern all at the same time. And the huge glass windows mean you can look out over their stunning gardens. From the moment you drive in, to sitting down, you’ll be blown away by the space.
The food is also great. We opted for a few pizzas to share along with some starters and I really loved all the interesting flavours. They also had some great wines from around the local area which meant you could try a few different ones with dinner. Apart from pizzas they also serve a range of delicious sounding dishes, so there really is something for everyone!
Innocent Bystander
We went to Innocent Bystander for lunch before we left Yarra Valley and it was simply good. It was absolutely packed and you can see why because they are dishing out tasty food without a high price tag. Most of their restaurant is inside the massive cellar door with concrete floors and high ceilings, but they also have some seating outside.
We opted for a couple of pizzas and they were simply delicious. The flavours were great, and the prices were incredibly reasonable. Although I wouldn’t call this fine dining, and the wine wasn’t my favourite, if you are keen on a well-priced meal this is where you should go. It has a casual feel too, so means if you don’t want a 3-course sit down in an elegant restaurant, this is a great option!
Guide to the Yarra Valley: Other activities
There are plenty of other great activities in the Yarra Valley to do other than wine. We only scratched the surface of some of the many things you can do, but here are my highlights.
Hot air balloon
My guide to the Yarra Valley wouldn’t be complete without this! When my partner told me that the next morning we would be getting up at 4 am for a surprise, my mind went straight to a hot air balloon ride. I am terrified of heights, so I spent the night worrying about what would happen. But it was actually incredibly fun!
We were driven out to a paddock and helped the team set up the balloon. It was actually quite fun pumping the air into the balloon and getting it inflated enough to hold our weight. When we took off along with six other people, I was terrified. But it was actually so peaceful up there, and soon I didn’t even notice that we were being held up in the air by a big air balloon and at the whim of the wind!
High above the clouds was where my partner got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. It was incredibly romantic and exhilarating, and I don’t think you could get a better spot for a view! It was such a special thing to do, and something I will always remember.
If you’re looking for something special to do while you are in the Yarra Valley I definitely recommend doing a balloon ride with Global Ballooning. It was really fun getting to set up and pack down the balloon, and everyone was so lovely. Although it isn’t the cheapest thing to do, it is totally worth it!
Four Pillars Gin Distillery
If you overdo it on the wine, might I suggest having a little gin to wash it all down? The Four Pillars Gin distillery is in Healesville, and it is a great opportunity to try a few of their gins. They just won best gin in the world, so you know you’re in for a treat!
Tastings cost $10 and you’re taken through the different botanicals in each of the gins all in front of their production room. It was amazing learning how all the gin was made, and I was surprised by how little it looked like a factory!
If you love gin, I’d definitely recommend adding this to your itinerary. The best thing is that they are open late, and also have a bar area too!
Cheese, glorious cheese
What goes better with wine than cheese? Yarra Valley Dairy is a really popular spot, especially with the tour groups. It’s great if you love goats cheese and feta! However, we were taken to Coldstream Dairy while we were on our private tour, and I absolutely loved the cheeses. The ladies helping us out were so friendly, and the cheese was really well-priced. If you are after some great cheese to take home with you, definitely check them out!
In summary: Guide to the Yarra Valley
I hope this guide to the Yarra Valley helps you plan out the perfect trip! As I said, we really only scratched the surface of everything you can do, see, eat and drink in this incredible region. But hopefully, these tips give you a bit of an idea of just how much there is to experience in this Victorian wine region. Our trip was so special from the start to the finish, and personally I can’t wait to go back!
