Under an hour’s drive from Melbourne, the Yarra Valley is famous for its wine, fresh food and breathtaking scenery.

The place where Victorian winegrowing started, the Yarra Valley is now home to over 55 wineries, most of which offer cellar door tastings and sales. Many are as serious about food as they are about their harvest, matching the wine they make with local produce in restaurants located in beautiful vineyards.

The Yarra Valley is richly endowed with some of the most beautiful countryside in Victoria. Distant blue ranges, rolling hills strung with vines, towering trees, and verdant valleys with pristine rivers make up the spectacular scenery on offer around Marysville and Warburton.

For a fresh and exciting view of the valley, take to the dawn skies in a hot-air balloon before gently descending into a vineyard to enjoy a breakfast of sparkling wine and local produce. Visit Healesville Sanctuary wildlife park, home to native Australian birds and animals like platypus, koalas, Tasmanian devils, lyrebirds, echidnas and more. The region’s vibrant calendar of seasonal events includes the annual Grape Grazing Day, when over 20 wineries combine to host a summer celebration of wine, food and outdoor musical performances.

Where better to retreat from the bustle of life than at one of Yarra Valley’s boutique B&Bs, self-contained cottages or luxury five-star hotel. Melbourne’s Yarra Valley – you’ll never want to leave.

Getting there

The Yarra Valley is under an hour from Melbourne. Take the Eastern Freeway to the Springvale Road exit, turn right onto Springvale Road and then left at Maroondah Highway and follow the road through Ringwood to Healesville. Alternatively, to reach Yarra Glen, turn off the Maroondah Highway onto the Melba Highway at Coldstream.

About the Yarra Valley wine region

The Yarra Valley is recognised as one of the world’s great wine growing regions. It is also the place where the Victorian wine industry was born in 1838 when a vineyard was planted at what is now Yering Station. Today the Yarra Valley is home to over 55 wineries, and is Australia’s finest region for pinot noir and sparkling wines.

Make the most of a visit to the region with the Yarra Valley Wine Touring Guide – a self-guided ramble that starts with the smaller boutique wineries including Yering Farm, Seville Estate, Evelyn County Estate and Elmswood Estate. Pick up a brochure from one of the local visitor information centres. Stop at the region’s iconic wineries to experience Fergusson’s rustic charm and Domaine Chandon’s innovative approach to wine tasting – fabulous wine by the glass accompanied by a generous plate of delicious regional food. De Bortoli is famous for accompanying its Yarra Valley wines with northern Italian cuisine, and at Coldstream Hills savour the magnificent views while tasting the complex flavours of their wines. The Yarra Valley is also recognised as a producer of exceptional chardonnay, shiraz and cabernet sauvignon. Drop in to taste and stock up on these and the myriad other varieties produced in the region at the cellar doors of Yering Station, Punt Road, TarraWarra and more.