Things to Do in the Yarra Valley: Wine, Wildlife and Stunning Scenery
The Yarra Valley is Melbourne’s backyard in the best possible sense. Just one hour east of the city, the valley opens up into a landscape of green rolling hills, ancient forest, sparkling rivers and some of the most scenic vineyards in Victoria. It’s the kind of place where Melbourne residents go when they need to breathe, and it delivers on that promise every single time.
As a wine region, the Yarra Valley has produced world-class pinot noir and chardonnay since the 1960s, and the cool climate here creates conditions almost identical to Burgundy — cooler and more elegant than most Australian wine regions. Beyond wine, the valley offers wildlife sanctuaries, the Dandenong Ranges, hot air balloon flights, excellent food, and direct access to some of the finest eucalyptus forest in Victoria. It’s an extraordinary amount of value within easy reach of a major city.
Whether you’re planning a day trip from Melbourne or a full weekend stay, this guide covers all the best things to do in the Yarra Valley.
📋 TL;DR — the quick version
- ✅ Wine tasting is the main event: Yarra Valley pinot noir is among the finest in Australia. De Bortoli, Yering Station and Domaine Chandon are the big names, but small producers are excellent too.
- 🎈 Hot air balloon: Dawn balloon flights over the valley are one of Australia’s most spectacular experiences. Book well in advance.
- 🐨 Healesville Sanctuary: One of Australia’s best native wildlife parks. Excellent for both families and adults who want to see Australian animals in a natural setting.
- 🌿 Dandenong Ranges: The tall mountain ash forests of the Dandenongs are spectacular and deeply peaceful. Sherbrooke Forest is the go-to for birdwatching.
- 🚂 Puffing Billy: The heritage steam railway through the Dandenongs is a family favourite and genuinely charming.
- 📅 Best time to visit: Autumn (March–May) for harvest season, vine colours and ideal wine tasting conditions; spring for wildflowers and new growth.
🍷 Wine tasting in the Yarra Valley
The Yarra Valley wine region contains more than 80 wineries spread across the valley and the surrounding hills. The cool climate is responsible for wines of a particularly refined, European style — lighter in body, higher in acidity and more delicate than many Australian wines, with pinot noir and chardonnay as the undisputed stars.
🍾 Domaine Chandon
The Australian outpost of France’s Moët & Chandon empire, Domaine Chandon produces outstanding méthode traditionnelle sparkling wine and still wines in a beautiful setting in the heart of the valley. The cellar door is one of the most architecturally impressive in Victoria, and the tasting experience is genuinely excellent. The wines range from the highly affordable NV sparkling to premium single-vineyard releases. This is a great starting point for a Yarra Valley wine day.
🍷 Yering Station
On the site of Victoria’s first commercial vineyard (established 1838), Yering Station is both historically significant and currently excellent. The cellar door and restaurant are set in a beautiful heritage building, the restaurant terrace overlooks the valley, and the wines — particularly the premium Village label pinot noir — are consistently among the Yarra Valley’s best. Go for lunch if you can; the food and wine pairing experience here is outstanding.
🥂 De Bortoli
De Bortoli’s Yarra Valley estate produces some of the region’s most celebrated wines including the extraordinary Noble One (a dessert wine) and the premium Riorret range. The cellar door is relaxed and welcoming, and the restaurant — Locale — serves an excellent Italian-influenced menu using local produce. It’s one of those places where you arrive planning to spend an hour and leave having spent three.
👉 Book a Yarra Valley wine tour from Melbourne on GetYourGuide →
For more inspiration, check out Things to Do in the Grampians.
🐨 Healesville Sanctuary
Healesville Sanctuary is one of Australia’s finest native wildlife parks and a genuinely excellent way to see Australian animals in a reasonably natural setting. The sanctuary is set in bushland outside the town of Healesville and has been operating since 1921. Unlike a conventional zoo, the focus here is entirely on native Australian species, with extensive breeding programmes for threatened animals including the eastern barred bandicoot, Leadbeater’s possum and the powerful owl.
Platypuses are kept in a specially designed nocturnal house where the lighting is reversed so they’re active during visitor hours — this is one of the best places in Australia to see platypuses up close and in an environment where they’re genuinely comfortable. Koalas, wombats, kangaroos, echidnas, Tasmanian devils and a huge range of native birds are all also present. The Birds of Prey presentation is a highlight: watching a wedge-tailed eagle — the largest bird of prey in Australia — fly overhead at close range is extraordinary.
🎈 Hot air ballooning over the Yarra Valley
A dawn hot air balloon flight over the Yarra Valley is one of the most spectacular experiences available within easy reach of Melbourne. Flights launch just before sunrise and float silently over the vineyards and rolling hills of the valley as the sun rises and fills the landscape with golden light. The views are extraordinary — on a clear day you can see the Dandenong Ranges on one side and the distant CBD of Melbourne on the other.
Worth adding to your itinerary: Best Hot Air Balloon Rides Australia.
Flights typically last about an hour and are followed by a champagne breakfast at a nearby winery — which makes the early wake-up call significantly more appealing. Global Ballooning and Go Wild Ballooning are the two main operators and both have excellent safety records. Book as far in advance as possible, particularly in autumn and spring when conditions are best and demand is highest.
🌲 The Dandenong Ranges
The Dandenong Ranges form the southeastern boundary of the Yarra Valley and contain some of the most magnificent forest in Victoria. The dominant tree here is mountain ash (Eucalyptus regnans) — the tallest flowering plant in the world, capable of reaching 100 metres in height. Walking through a stand of old-growth mountain ash is a genuinely humbling experience: the trunks are enormous, the canopy is far above, and the understorey of tree ferns creates a prehistoric feel that’s unlike any other forest in Australia.
🦜 Sherbrooke Forest
Sherbrooke Forest in the Dandenong Ranges National Park is one of the best birdwatching spots in Victoria. The area is famous for its lyrebirds — remarkable birds that can mimic almost any sound, including chainsaws, camera shutters and other birds’ calls, with extraordinary precision. Early morning walks in Sherbrooke Forest regularly produce lyrebird sightings, along with crimson rosellas, eastern yellow robins, fan-tailed cuckoos and dozens of other species.
🚂 Puffing Billy Railway
The Puffing Billy Railway is a narrow-gauge heritage steam railway that has been operating through the Dandenong Ranges since 1900. The train runs from Belgrave through the forest to Lakeside, with passengers sitting in open-sided carriages — a tradition that includes the somewhat undignified but enormously popular practice of dangling your legs over the side of the carriage as the train winds through the trees. It’s kitsch, it’s charming, it’s genuinely fun and children absolutely love it.
🍽️ Food in the Yarra Valley
The Yarra Valley has developed a food culture that nicely complements its wine scene. Many of the valley’s best wineries have excellent restaurants, and there are also several outstanding standalone food experiences.
- 🧀 Yarra Valley Dairy: This small dairy near Yering produces outstanding fresh cheeses including the Persian feta — marinated in local olive oil and herbs — that has become a genuine regional cult product. The farm shop is open for tastings and buying.
- 🍓 Strawberry picking at Geggie’s: In summer and autumn, you can pick your own strawberries at Geggie’s farm near Wandin North. There are few pleasures as simple and satisfying.
- 🍺 Watts River Brewing: A craft brewery in Healesville making excellent beers using Yarra Valley water. The taproom is a welcoming spot for lunch or a pre-dinner drink.
- 🥐 Rayner’s Orchards: Produces outstanding stone fruit — peaches, nectarines, plums and cherries in season — from a family orchard near Woori Yallock. Pick-your-own in summer is a wonderful outing.
👉 Book a full-day Yarra Valley tour from Melbourne on GetYourGuide →
💡 Practical tips for the Yarra Valley
- 🚗 A car is ideal: The Yarra Valley wineries are spread across a large area and most require a car to reach. From Melbourne, take the Eastern Freeway to Ringwood then follow the Maroondah Highway east. The drive is pleasant and takes about 60–75 minutes to the town of Healesville.
- 🍷 Arrange a designated driver or book a tour: Victoria’s drink driving laws are strict and enforced. If you’re planning a serious wine tasting day, book a guided tour with transport from Melbourne or arrange your own designated driver.
- 📅 Autumn is magnificent: March to May sees the vines turn gold and red, the harvest is underway, and the valley has a particularly warm, celebratory atmosphere. It’s the best time of year to visit for wine lovers.
- 🌧️ The Dandenongs are wet: The ranges receive significantly more rainfall than Melbourne and can be chilly and misty even in summer. Bring a waterproof layer for any forest walks.
- 📱 Book ahead for popular restaurants: The best winery restaurants — particularly Locale at De Bortoli and Eleonore’s at Chandon — can be booked weeks in advance on weekends.
The Yarra Valley has the enviable quality of offering more than you can reasonably do in a single day trip, while being close enough to Melbourne that multiple visits are genuinely feasible. Wine lovers, foodies, nature seekers and families all find what they came for here — and usually several things they didn’t know they were looking for until they arrived.
Exploring Australia’s food and wine scene, read our guides to luxury resorts Victoria, best cafes in Melbourne, how many days in Melbourne, luxury hotels Melbourne, and luxury experiences Melbourne.
