Healesville Sanctuary
The classic Yarra Valley day out. We send everyone — kids or no kids — and we tuck a 2-pass voucher into the Family & Friends package because we believe in it. The Spirits of the Sky raptor show alone is worth the trip.
Everything we send our guests to — wineries, distilleries, walks, and bakeries — all within a short drive of our front gate.
The Yarra Valley is one of Australia's premier cool-climate wine regions — roughly an hour's drive east of Melbourne, tucked into the foothills of the Yarra Ranges. It's a patchwork of world-class wineries, native bushland, generous farm gates, and back roads that follow the rivers home. Kangaroos at dusk, kookaburras at dawn, wedge-tailed eagles over the ridges by lunchtime.
We're in Healesville, the gateway town at the eastern end of the valley and the unofficial sanctuary capital — Healesville Sanctuary is just five minutes away, and Toolangi State Forest begins at our back fence. There are good bakeries, three pubs worth sitting at, and enough cellar doors within ten minutes that you won't run out of weekends. Most of our guests pick three or four things off this page and let the rest take care of itself.
If you only do a few things while you're here, do these.
The classic Yarra Valley day out. We send everyone — kids or no kids — and we tuck a 2-pass voucher into the Family & Friends package because we believe in it. The Spirits of the Sky raptor show alone is worth the trip.
The world-renowned Healesville distillery, walking distance from the centre of town. Don't miss the tasting flight at the bar — and the gin-soaked olives, which we still think about between visits.
A long, slow lunch at the cellar door, then twenty unhurried minutes in the contemporary art museum next door. We send everyone here who wants the full Yarra Valley experience in a single afternoon.
An absolute crowd-pleaser at Yarra Glen — the chocolate wall alone is worth the drive. Pack a picnic blanket; the lawns out the back roll on forever and the kids never want to leave.
A genuinely local craft brewery in the heart of Healesville — paddles of pale ales, a casual taproom, and pizzas that come out of the oven exactly when you want them to. Our pick for an easy Friday night.
One of our family favourites — sweeping mountain views, manicured lawns, and easy walks up to the dam wall. Pack lunch, take a frisbee, and stay until the kangaroos come out at dusk.
Wineries, gin, mountain lookouts and the odd koala — all within an easy drive of the farm.
Beechworth Bakery, Healesville
De Bortoli Wines
The drive up Mt Donna Buang
Snow at the Mt Donna Buang summit
The Mt Donna Buang lookout tower
Hot air balloons over the valley
Healesville Sanctuary
The Yarra Valley Railway
Inside the Four Pillars distillery
Koalas at Healesville Sanctuary
Maroondah Reservoir
A concert at Rochford Wines
Skydive Yarra Valley
Tree-fern creeks in the ranges
The Grand Hotel
Zoncello