Yarra Valley Tour

Yarra Valley offers visitors a wide selection of fun activities to choose from.

If you are a wine lover, our flexible Yarra Valley private tour can include a few more wineries in your itinerary. With more than 100 wineries, Yarra Valley has something for everyone’s palate. In addition, you can find here blueberry wine, apple and pear cider, gin distillery. (Tasting fees may apply for some wineries,  discount is offered on any purchase to offset your tasting fee)

Furthermore, Yarra Valley provides many fun outdoors activities for families, for instance: Puffing Billy Steam Railway at Mt Dandenong, Healesville Sanctuary, seasonal fruit picking, skydive and more. Please refer to Additional Tour Options section for more travel ideas. 

Note: most of Yarra Valley attractions and wineries close at 5 pm.

Yarra Valley Wine Tasting

Yarra Valley is one of the major wine producing regions in Australia. Its superior natural location, coupled with year-round cool climate and generous precipitation have made it home to more than 100 wineries, range from  family-run wineries span across multiple generations to internationally renowned vineyards, such as: Domaine Chandon and TarraWarra. Yarra Valley is best known for its Pinot Noir, sparkling wine, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. With the very first winery in Yarra Valley opened its doors in 1838,  it’s not hard to see the locals’ profound love for quality wine. In addition, the  valley produces organic vegetables, fruits, fresh salmon, trout, beef and more. Enjoy a mouth-watering lunch made from fresh local produce over a glass of full-bodies Yarra Valley Pinot Noir.

Recommended Wineries:

Domaine Chandon

Domaine Chandon is one of the most famous wineries in Yarra Valley, it has an alluring vineyard inspired by French horticulture, the French-concepted winery first opened in 1986 and belongs to the prestigious Moet & Chandon family which is owned by LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton. Domaine Chandon is best known for its sparkling wines, despite its close identity to champagne, the term “champagne” only applies to sparkling wine produced from grapes grown in the Champagne region (in France) and following its specific fermentation process. The magnificent vineyard, with its endless rows of grapevines and the still lake in the backdrop, making Domaine Chandon one of the most Instagrammable spots in Yarra Valley. From the lush crawling ivy across the outdoors hallway to the red-and-gold leaves in autumn, Domaine Chandon is certainly a spot you do not want to miss in Yarra Valley. Walk to the back of hallway, a series of interactive touch screens elaborate in details of the wine making and storage process, you can also visit the barrel room and riddling hall, a rare opportunity to get a snapshot of the wine making process!

Domaine Chandon has a tasting fee of $25. 

Oakridge

Oakridge was nominated as Australia’s best winery in 2012 by “The Age”, the term “Oakridge” originates from a ridge of oak trees planted at the front of the vineyard. At the cellar door, enjoy the panoramic views of the expansive vineyard while the aroma from wine waking up in your mouth.

Yarra Valley Cuisines

Yarra Valley is a gourmet paradise, many wineries have their own restaurants onsite, serving mostly modern Australian and Italian dishes, our guide will recommend restaurants based on your dietary preference. Most of the restaurants have a la carte and degustation menus, for larger groups, it’s advised to make a booking in advance. Savour the delicious food with fresh ingredients sourced directly from the valley.

Our recommended restaurant:

Meletos

Meletos is best-known for its wood-fired pizzas, the restaurant makes incredible pizzas topped with fresh and organic ingredients sourced within Yarra Valley, it also serves various entrees and mains, making it one of the best choices for lunch. Adjacent to the restaurant is Napoleone Brewery & Ciderhouse, the brewery grows its own apples and pears on the estate, it harvests them seasonally and brews a mixture of crisp apple and pear cider which are very popular with travellers looking for something sweet and great complement to the appetizing pizzas.

For a $25 tasting fee, you can sample 4 different types of beer and cider of your selection.

Looking for the best dessert in Yarra Valley after a satisfying lunch? Yarra Valley Chocolaterie and Ice Creamery makes a wide variety of chocolates, from exquisite handmade chocolates of different flavours to meter-long gigantic chocolate bars. If you like Easter chocolate eggs, you can find them here all year round. The chocolaterie frequently introduces new products with free tasting, the premium range includes chocolates made of cocoa imported from exotic locations, such as: Venezuela and Ghana, chocolate truffles and more;  you also get to see how sweets are made through the delicate chocolate crafting process onsite. Whereas the ice-creamery serves quality gelatos made in-house.

The chocolaterie features a gorgeous lawn that is great for relaxation and outdoors activities, kids love to run on the grass and kick a soccer ball with friends and family. Visitors will also be delighted by the beautiful scenery of endless green pasture and rolling hills in the distance.

The verdant pasture in Yarra Valley is ideal for dairy producers.  With constant supply of rich and fine quality milk, Yarra Valley Dairy makes exceptional farmhouse cheeses. There is a wide selection of cheeses available free for sampling, e.g. Gouda, Brie, Blue Cheese, Cheddar, marinated cheese etc. The dairy shop also sells quality local farm products, such as: olive oil and jams.

Gifted with fertile land and generous precipitation, Yarra Valley and its surrounds are home to numerous orchards and berry farms. From late November to early January, the sweet and juicy Victorian cherries attract large crowds of visitors, roll up your sleeves and pick your own fruits! In addition, blueberry, strawberry and boysenberry are also available for picking,

1) Rayner’s Orchard has up to 450 different types of fruits, including peaches, plums, apricots, kiwis, lemons, citrus and many more. The orchard offers one-hour Tractor Tour, visitors can explore the entire orchard on tractor accompanied by its experienced staff. There are generally 8-12 types of fruits available for picking at any time of the year. The fruits you pick will be weighed and purchased at the end of tour.

Tractor Tour cost: $ 42.50 for adults / $ 34.50 for children over 5 years old

2) Blue Hill Cherries & Berries

The sweet and juicy Victorian cherries and strawberries become ripe for picking around end of November, the picking window lasts till mid January for cherries and March for strawberries.

Blue Hill is a major cherry and strawberry farm with proximity to Yarra Valley, the farm also produces rare varieties, such as: raspberries, blackberries, Boysenberries, Youngberries and Loganberries.

Cherries Farm admission: Adult AUD $15 / Children (3-14 years) AUD $7.5

Cherries are sold for AUD $15 per kg. (berry prices may vary each year)