No sun? No worries!
18 days in the land down under.
18 days in the land down under.
Yarra Valley
The final portion of our trip consisted of four days in the Melbourne area.
Our initial instinct was to spend part of the time on the Great Ocean Road,
but some feedback indicated that this would be an iffy proposition in the
winter. Several Fodors posters suggested the Yarra Valley, including the
Healesville Sanctuary, as a more appropriate option for wintertime. That
sounded good to us, too. We've spent several other enjoyable vacations in
wine regions.
If we made one mistake, it was in understanding the flight schedules
between Ayers Rock and Melbourne. In early research, we noted a non-
stop flight that left Ayers Rock at noon and arrived Melbourne around 2pm.
That would be perfect—providing several hours of daylight to get to
Healesville. But, that flight apparently operates only two days per week, and
Saturday (the day we ultimately traveled) was not one of those. So, that
meant we would have to connect through Sydney, not only eating up a good
part of the day in travel but also preventing us from arriving in Melbourne
before 6pm.
We picked up a fire-engine red Camry at the Melbourne airport and set out
towards Healesville in the dark. The first part of the drive would be easy, on
the Western/Northern Ring Road, but then we would need to navigate a
series of progressively smaller roads. Fortunately our hosts provided very
detailed directions. It looked like a fascinating and beautiful drive, but it
was hard to tell in the dark.
Before locating our accommodation, we made a detour into Healesville for
dinner at the Giant Steps/Innocent Bystander winery—a suggestion from
our hosts. We loved this place—the high ceilings, the wines, techno music,
unpretentious atmosphere, free wi-fi, friendly service and the wood-fired
pizza. We decided to go back there our second night and were just as
happy, particularly after another nice dinner, a couple of free glasses of
Innocent Bystander Moscato and some complimentary croissants and
breakfast rolls for the next morning.
We always seem to book one stop about which we are not quite sure what
to expect. On this trip, it was our accommodation in the Yarra Valley. We
really stumbled on the Lavender Farm—we inquired about something else
in Healesville and were offered this as an alternative. At any rate, it looked
nice, so we decided to give it a try. And it turned out to be one of the best
surprises of the whole trip, and easily the best accommodation value.
Lavender Farm is a self-contained house on a farm about five minutes
outside of Healesville. It was much bigger than we needed, with three
bedrooms, a full dining room, living room with woodburning fireplace,
breakfast room, two full baths (one with spa), wrap-around porch with
expansive views, laundry facilities, and a full kitchen stocked with eggs,
bacon, bread, jam, OJ, milk and a delicious coffee cake. Our immediate
reaction: wow, couldn't we have a few more days here?! The property is
expansive, and guests are free to roam around and interact with the
owners' three dogs and other animals. Apparently a lot of guests also ride
the horses. A bird feeder just off the kitchen provides hours of
entertainment as the parrots and cockatoos battle it out for prime position.
We enjoyed our stay, and it is very convenient to the Sanctuary and other
nearby sites. Average rate: A$175 for three people.
Our primary activity in the area was the Healesville Sanctuary and we
enjoyed the up-close look at the kangaroos, koalas, platypus, pelicans,
dingoes, birds of prey and many other critters. The highlight was feeding
kangaroos by hand during the "Meet the Keeper" session. Apparently,
some like to be scratched under their chins, just like cats and dogs.
Our other main activity was tasting wine. We visited several wineries—
TarraWarra, Yering Station and Oakridge—in addition to our evening
sessions at Giant Steps/Innocent Bystander. It would be hard to pick a
single favorite wine among the varieties we tasted, but the merlot and
shiraz at Giant Steps were very tasty, approachable and rich. It's too bad
that we can't carry back wine anymore (note: at the time of our trip, there
was no problem carrying liquids on domestic flights). We did manage to
package a few bottles into our checked luggage and they made the trip
back just fine; security (Australian, US??...our money’s on TSA) did open
up the bags and cut the foil on one bottle).
Overall reaction: we really liked this area. We easily could have taken a few
more days for scenic drives, winery stops/meals and relaxing on the farm,
as well as the attractive, easy-going town of Healesville.
Next: Melbourne
See all of our photos on Webshots
our travels
home
contact us
The final portion of our trip consisted of four days in the Melbourne area.
Our initial instinct was to spend part of the time on the Great Ocean Road,
but some feedback indicated that this would be an iffy proposition in the
winter. Several Fodors posters suggested the Yarra Valley, including the
Healesville Sanctuary, as a more appropriate option for wintertime. That
sounded good to us, too. We've spent several other enjoyable vacations in
wine regions.
If we made one mistake, it was in understanding the flight schedules
between Ayers Rock and Melbourne. In early research, we noted a non-
stop flight that left Ayers Rock at noon and arrived Melbourne around 2pm.
That would be perfect—providing several hours of daylight to get to
Healesville. But, that flight apparently operates only two days per week, and
Saturday (the day we ultimately traveled) was not one of those. So, that
meant we would have to connect through Sydney, not only eating up a good
part of the day in travel but also preventing us from arriving in Melbourne
before 6pm.
We picked up a fire-engine red Camry at the Melbourne airport and set out
towards Healesville in the dark. The first part of the drive would be easy, on
the Western/Northern Ring Road, but then we would need to navigate a
series of progressively smaller roads. Fortunately our hosts provided very
detailed directions. It looked like a fascinating and beautiful drive, but it
was hard to tell in the dark.
Before locating our accommodation, we made a detour into Healesville for
dinner at the Giant Steps/Innocent Bystander winery—a suggestion from
our hosts. We loved this place—the high ceilings, the wines, techno music,
unpretentious atmosphere, free wi-fi, friendly service and the wood-fired
pizza. We decided to go back there our second night and were just as
happy, particularly after another nice dinner, a couple of free glasses of
Innocent Bystander Moscato and some complimentary croissants and
breakfast rolls for the next morning.
We always seem to book one stop about which we are not quite sure what
to expect. On this trip, it was our accommodation in the Yarra Valley. We
really stumbled on the Lavender Farm—we inquired about something else
in Healesville and were offered this as an alternative. At any rate, it looked
nice, so we decided to give it a try. And it turned out to be one of the best
surprises of the whole trip, and easily the best accommodation value.
Lavender Farm is a self-contained house on a farm about five minutes
outside of Healesville. It was much bigger than we needed, with three
bedrooms, a full dining room, living room with woodburning fireplace,
breakfast room, two full baths (one with spa), wrap-around porch with
expansive views, laundry facilities, and a full kitchen stocked with eggs,
bacon, bread, jam, OJ, milk and a delicious coffee cake. Our immediate
reaction: wow, couldn't we have a few more days here?! The property is
expansive, and guests are free to roam around and interact with the
owners' three dogs and other animals. Apparently a lot of guests also ride
the horses. A bird feeder just off the kitchen provides hours of
entertainment as the parrots and cockatoos battle it out for prime position.
We enjoyed our stay, and it is very convenient to the Sanctuary and other
nearby sites. Average rate: A$175 for three people.
Our primary activity in the area was the Healesville Sanctuary and we
enjoyed the up-close look at the kangaroos, koalas, platypus, pelicans,
dingoes, birds of prey and many other critters. The highlight was feeding
kangaroos by hand during the "Meet the Keeper" session. Apparently,
some like to be scratched under their chins, just like cats and dogs.
Our other main activity was tasting wine. We visited several wineries—
TarraWarra, Yering Station and Oakridge—in addition to our evening
sessions at Giant Steps/Innocent Bystander. It would be hard to pick a
single favorite wine among the varieties we tasted, but the merlot and
shiraz at Giant Steps were very tasty, approachable and rich. It's too bad
that we can't carry back wine anymore (note: at the time of our trip, there
was no problem carrying liquids on domestic flights). We did manage to
package a few bottles into our checked luggage and they made the trip
back just fine; security (Australian, US??...our money’s on TSA) did open
up the bags and cut the foil on one bottle).
Overall reaction: we really liked this area. We easily could have taken a few
more days for scenic drives, winery stops/meals and relaxing on the farm,
as well as the attractive, easy-going town of Healesville.
Next: Melbourne
See all of our photos on Webshots
our travels
home
contact us
Kangaroo at Healesville Sanctuary
Australia home
Planning considerations
Sydney
Queensland, part 1
Queensland, part 2
Queensland, part 3
Red Center
Yarra Valley
Melbourne
Getting there and getting around
Planning considerations
Sydney
Queensland, part 1
Queensland, part 2
Queensland, part 3
Red Center
Yarra Valley
Melbourne
Getting there and getting around
Pelicans at Healesville Sanctuary
Lavender Farm, Healesville
TarraWarra vineyards, Healesville
Yering Station winery near Healesville
The road to Marysville
