YARRA VALLEY – THE AUSTRALIAN TRAVELLER GUIDE

Where is it?  60km north-east of Melbourne How to see it for yourself? This view is from a hot-air balloon above Dixons Creek, looking towards Yarra Glen. De Bortoli Winery can be seen on the right.  The balloons land as close to Rochford Wines as possible, so guests can enjoy a sparkling-wine breakfast. Why I love it “A dawn hot-air balloon ride over the Yarra Valley is something special.” – Lincoln Wilson, Yarra Ranges Regional Marketing Image by Robert Blackburn...

 What lies beneath the vegie patch is a local legend. It’s also what makes this country kitchen so great, writes Renate Ruge. “It could be down to the horse…” muses a grinning Tim Sawyer, maître d’ and restaurateur, as he attempts to illuminate me as to why the buttered asparagus is so darned perfect at his cosy country restaurant, Bella Vedere Cucina. At Bella Vedere, beautiful vegetables come straight from the patch to plate. The Italian-inspired restaurant, cooking school and garden share a picturesque vineyard spot with Badger’s Brook cellar door and winery in the Yarra Valley. The AT Menu...

Australian Traveller Magazine’s 100 Great Australian Holiday Homes Around an hour northeast of Melbourne, hidden in bushland along the edges of a trout-filled lake, lies one of the most astonishing private homes available for rent. You’ll need to bring your extended family to even come close to filling Hazeldene, though, with its eight grand bedrooms, ten bathrooms, swimming pool, outdoor spa, BBQ area, open fires, balconies and decking, twin lounge areas – and of course its professional standard kitchen for keeping everyone nicely fed and happy. Once you’re on the property and handed the keys, it’s all yours, including the...

Once referred to as “God’s own garden,” Marysville, hidden in a valley just an hour northeast of Melbourne, was utterly devastated by the Black Saturday bushfires of February 2009. Beloved for its tree-shrouded streetscapes and beautiful gardens, visitors to Marysville enjoyed exploring the hand-crafted wooden figures at Bruno’s Art & Sculpture Garden (above), before stopping in at Uncle Fred and Aunty Val’s Lolly Shop, famous for its old-style charm and great produce. But as we write this, a few blackened trees and just a few buildings remain. Street signs point to places no longer recognisable. The township is irrevocably scarred...

A leisurely trip through Victoria’s Black Spur Drive will have you seeing the world’s tallest flowering trees – the eucalyptus regnans. The US may lay claim to having the world’s tallest trees at present (115m-plus redwoods in California), but to see the world’s tallest flowering trees – the eucalyptus regnans, or Mountain Ash – you have to come to Australia. And in fact there’s discussion in some quarters that e. regnans was once the world’s tallest tree full stop, with specimens in Victoria in the late 1800s clocking between 130m and 150m. A leisurely trip through one of the most well...

While you’re busy wandering among the world’s tallest flowering plants, keep an eye out for the very tiny, and very, very endangered Leadbeater’s Possum. While you’re busy wandering among the world’s tallest flowering plants (the mountain ash, see entry No.73) in Victoria’s highland forests, keep an eye out for the Leadbeater’s Possum. You’ll need to keep an incredibly sharp eye out, though, since these little fellas are nocturnal, hang out in the upper, upper reaches of extremely tall trees, are very tiny, and very, very endangered. Named for Museum of Victoria taxidermist John Leadbeater, the diminutive marsupial is another great...

The Yarra Valley’s fertile edges hide some the best boutique wineries in Victoria. Steve Robertson skirts the famously verdant valley, bringing you all the secrets of its overlooked fringe. Long before it becomes Melbourne’s infamous upside-down brown muddy waterway, a clearer and more compact Yarra River meanders through a gentle landscape. Here the lush green flatlands give way to a big sky and the soil is deep chocolate brown and almost obscenely fertile. Seville Area // Ainsworth Estate // Open 10:30-5pm daily (except Tues & Wed). Try the reserve Shiraz. (03) 5964 4711, www.ainsworth-estate.com.au Seville Estate // Open 10-5pm weekends and public holidays....