7 Long Weekend Holidays for Food & Wine Lovers

Megan Arkinstall discovers seven decadent ways for foodies and wine appreciators to spend a long weekend of pure indulgence.

1. Fresh oysters and champagne for breakfast: Coles Bay, TAS

Imagine standing knee-deep in a stunning wetland sipping champagne and tasting prized Pacific Ocean oysters. Guests at Saffire-Freycinet can opt to don a pair of waders and do just that. Have a go at shucking and gain an understanding of the local ecology. But if oysters aren’t your thing there’s a bevy of other experiences where you can wine and dine – learn the art of winemaking, watch a cooking demonstration or join a mixology cocktail class. And, with contemporary furnishings, generous views, plush bedding, locally-sourced gourmet cuisine and a delicious spa menu, if you just want to hibernate inside for the weekend, we don’t blame you.

Location: Saffire-Freycinet is just over two hours from Hobart. 2532 Coles Bay Road, Coles Bay; 03 6256 7888; saffire-freycinet.com.au

Details: From $1350 per night (oyster farm visit complimentary).

2. From French bubbles to natural springs: Mornington Peninsula, VIC

Cosy evening by the fire at Tussie Mussie (Soul Impressions Photography)

Tussie Mussie is a Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris vineyard with beautiful boutique accommodation hidden up a long driveway flanked by olive trees and vines. Spend two nights in The Old Laundry wrapped in luxe sheets, or by the cosy wood burner, and enjoy the local produce. An iced bottle of French champagne will greet you on arrival, followed by a gourmet breakfast basket each morning, then indulge in a three-course dinner with matching wine at the hatted Lé Patanque French Restaurant. A double pass to the Peninsula Hot Springs will give your palate a rest… for a couple of hours anyway.

Location: Tussie Mussie Vineyard Retreat is located one hour from Melbourne. 206 Bittern-Dromana Road, Merricks North, Victoria; 0408 976 410; boutiqueretreats.com.au

Details: The Le Weekend Package from $1500 per couple.

3. Sauerkraut, chocolate and wine… oh my: Hahndorf, SA

Australia’s oldest living German settlement, Hahndorf, is a quaint village located in the Adelaide Hills. The town retains its German heritage with many historic ‘Fachwerk’ buildings (with traditional German timber frames) lining the main street – one in particular is the 1839 German Arms Hotel; a great spot to feast on German fare and a stein of beer. And for a fully indulgent experience, The Manna of Hahndorf, a boutique hotel right in the heart of the town, offers a package including breakfast, a cheese platter and a ChocoVino experience at Hahndorf Hill Winery, where you match wine to chocolate. An extra hole in the belt is probably a necessity by the end of the weekend.

Location: The Manna of Hahndorf is 35 minutes from Adelaide. 25 Main Street, Hahndorf; 08 8388 1000; themanna.com.au

Details: From $425 per couple for two-night accommodation package with breakfast, cheese platter and ChocoVino experience. For information on the German Arms Hotel visit germanarmshotel.com.au

4. Pub grub like no other: Dunkeld, VIC

Fresh produce from the Royal Mail Hotel kitchen's garden. — Fresh produce from the Royal Mail Hotel kitchen’s garden.fsei

The Royal Mail Hotel is not your average country pub – this one wears three well-deserved hats. The award-winning tasting plates should definitely have you rethinking pub food. To truly appreciate the first-class cuisine – which is created from local organic produce collected straight from the kitchen garden – the hotel offers a ‘Dine and Unwind’ package that includes a tour of the garden with accommodation, handcrafted chocolate, dinner for two with matching wine, breakfast and a late check-out. And to work it all off, you can explore the many walking trails leading to the nearby Grampians National Park.

Location: The Royal Mail Hotel is 3.5 hours from Melbourne. 98 Parker Street, Dunkeld; 03 5577 2241; royalmail.com.au

Details: Dine and Unwind Package from $945 per couple.

5. Have your own private whisky tasting: Margaret River, WA

The Grove is a winery, distillery, brewery and accommodation all in one. Located in the beautiful Margaret River region, the three simple and self-contained accommodation options come with private jacuzzis and gas log fires; a great option for a get-together with a group of friends. Why not add a private whisky tasting to your stay… set up in the Whisky Room, you will be expertly guided through the one-hour tasting of The Grove’s own whisky and a single malt selected by the The Scotch Malt Whisky Society. Finish off with a freshly roasted coffee – you may need it.

Location: The Grove is three hours from Perth. Corner Metricup and Carter Roads, Wilyabrup, Margaret River; 08 9755 7458; thegrovevineyard.com.au

Details: From $780 for three nights. Private whisky tasting is $110 per person.

6. Follow the Strange Bird: Granite Belt, Qld

Autumn strikes the Strange Bird winetasting trail, Granite Belt, Queensland.

For wine tasting with a difference, take the Strange Bird trail in the Granite Belt boutique wine region. The trail is dedicated to alternative grape varieties like Petit Verdot, Viognier and Barbera. To be considered ‘alternative’, a variety must not represent any more than one per cent of the total bearing vines in Australia, according to the Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation, so you know these drops are pretty unique. Located near three of the wineries on the trail (Tobin Wines, Ballandean Estate and Golden Grove) is Azjure Studio Retreat; modern, self-catered accommodation with a beautiful backdrop.

Location: Azjure Studio Retreat is three hours from Brisbane. 165 Sundown Road, Ballandean; azjure.com.au

Details: Azjure Studio Apartments from $320 per night. For information on the wine trail visit granitebeltwinecountry.com.au

7. Hold a dinner party to remember : Bowral, NSW

Part dinner, part cooking school at Seidler House, Bowral.str

Always wanted to throw a dinner party but not so sure about the actual cooking part? No worries – the Blue Bowl Brown Sugar Cooking School in Bowral offers experiences where you host a dinner party, and they teach you and your guests how to cook each course. They will help you design a menu and will bring the ingredients and equipment to your chosen venue. As for the venue, we suggest booking out the Seidler House for a weekend: this divine award-winning home overlooks the gorges of Wingecarribee River – but more importantly, boasts a large kitchen and a huge entertaining area with fireplace. Perfect for entertaining.

Location: Seidler House is 1.5 hours from Sydney. contemporaryhotels.com.au/southern-highlands/seidlerhouse

Details: Seidler House from $1500 per night (maximum eight people). Blue Bowl Brown Sugar Dinner Party Cooking Lesson from $160 per person for cooking class (6-12 people, available Saturdays); 0414 855 087; bluebowl.com.au

Winding down in the Yarra Valley, where ‘work from home’ becomes ‘work from wine country’.

Steam from my morning coffee curls gently into the cool valley air, mist-veiled vineyards stretch out in neat rows below me. Magpies warble from trees, and the morning’s quiet carries the soft bleating of lambs from a nearby paddock. Midweek in the Yarra Valley has its own rhythm. It’s slower, quieter, with more empty tables at cafes and cellar doors, and walking trails I can claim all to myself. It’s as if the entire region takes a deep breath once the weekend crowd leaves.

walking trails in the Yarra Valley — You’ll find walking trails are less crowded during the week. (Image: Visit Victoria)

I haven’t come here for a holiday, but to do a little work somewhere other than my home office, where I spend too much time hunched over my desk. Deadlines still loom, meetings still happen, but with flexible work evolving from ‘work from home’ to ‘work from anywhere’, I’m swapping the view of my front yard to the vineyards.

A quiet afternoon at Yarra Valley Dairy

holding a glass of wine at Yarra Valley Dairy — Wine time at Yarra Valley Dairy, where you can enjoy a toastie or bagel in the cafe. (Image: Visit Victoria)

With the Yarra Valley just over an hour from the CBD, many Melburnians could drive here in their lunch break. I arrive late in the afternoon and am delighted to discover the Yarra Valley Dairy still open. On weekends, I’ve seen queues spilling out the door, but today there’s only one other couple inside. There’s no need to rush to secure a table; instead I browse the little store, shelves stacked with chutneys, spices, artisan biscuits and gorgeous crockery that would look right at home in my kitchen. It’s hard not to buy the lot.

a cheese tasting plate atYarra Valley Dairy — A cheese tasting plate at Yarra Valley Dairy.

I order a coffee and a small cheese platter, though the dairy has a full menu, and choose a wooden table with bentwood chairs by a wide window. The space feels part farm shed, part cosy café: corrugated iron ceiling, walls painted in muted tones and rustic furniture.

Outside, cows meander toward milking sheds. If pressed for time, there’s the option of quick cheese tastings – four samples for five dollars in five minutes – but today, I’m in no rush. I sip slowly, watching a grey sky settle over the paddock. Less than an hour ago I was hunched over my home-office desk, and now my racing mind has slowed to match the valley’s pace.

Checking in for vineyard views at Balgownie Estate

Restaurant 1309 at Balgownie Estate has views across the vines.

As my car rolls to a stop at Balgownie Estate , I’m quietly excited, and curious to see if my plan to work and play comes off. I’ve chosen a suite with a spacious living area and a separate bedroom so I can keep work away from a good night’s sleep. I could have booked a cosy cottage, complete with open fireplace, a comfy couch and a kettle for endless cups of tea, but as I am still here to get some work done, I opt for a place that takes care of everything. Dinner is served in Restaurant 1309, as is breakfast.

oysters at Restaurant 1309, Balgownie Estate — Oysters pair perfectly with a crisp white at Restaurant 1309.

On my first evening, instead of the usual walk about my neighbourhood, I stroll through the estate at an unhurried pace. There’s no need to rush – someone else is preparing my dinner after all. The walking trails offer beautiful sunsets, and it seems mobs of kangaroos enjoy the view, too. Many appear, grazing lazily on the hillside.

I wake to the call of birds and, after breakfast, with the mist still lingering over the vineyards, I watch two hot-air balloons silently drift above clouds. Perched on a hill, Balgownie Estate sits above the mist, leaving the valley below veiled white.

kangaroos in Yarra Valley — Spotting the locals on an evening walk. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Exploring the Yarra Valley on two wheels

the Yarra Valley vineyards — Swap your home office for a view of the vineyards. (Image: Visit Victoria/Cormac Hanrahan)

Perhaps because the Yarra Valley is relatively close to where I live, I’ve never considered exploring the area any way other than by car or on foot. And with a fear of heights, a hot-air balloon is firmly off the table. But when I discover I can hop on two wheels from the estate and cycle into Yarra Glen, I quickly realise it’s the perfect way to step away from my laptop and experience a different side of the region.

COG Bike offers pedal-assist e-bikes, and while the bike trail and paths into town aren’t particularly hilly, having an extra bit of ‘oomph’ means I can soak up the surroundings. Those lambs I heard calling early in the morning? I now find them at the paddock fence, sniffing my hands, perhaps hoping for food. Cows idle nearby, and at a fork in the bike path I turn left toward town.

It’s still morning, and the perfect time for a coffee break at The Vallie Store. If it were the afternoon, I’d likely turn right, in the direction of four wineries with cellar doors. The ride is about 15 kilometres return, but don’t let that put you off. Staying off the highway, the route takes you along quiet backroads where you catch glimpses of local life – farmers on tractors, weathered sheds, rows of vines and the kind of peaceful countryside you don’t see from the main road.

A detour to the Dandenong Ranges

legs hanging over the sides of the train, Puffing Billy Railway — The iconic Puffing Billy runs every day except Christmas Day.

The beauty of basing myself in the Yarra Valley is how close everything feels. In barely half an hour I’m in the Dandenong Ranges, swapping vineyards for towering mountain ash and fern-filled gullies. The small villages of Olinda and Sassafras burst with cosy teahouses, antique stores and boutiques selling clothing and handmade body care items.

I’m drawn to RJ Hamer Arboretum – Latin for ‘a place for trees’. Having grown up among tall trees, I’ve always taken comfort in their presence, so this visit feels like a return of sorts. A stroll along the trails offers a choice: wide open views across patchwork paddocks below, or shaded paths that lead you deeper into the quiet hush of the peaceful forest.

The following day, I settle into a quiet corner on the balcony of Paradise Valley Hotel in Clematis and soon hear Puffing Billy’s whistle and steady chuff as the steam train climbs towards town. Puffing Billy is one of Australia’s most beloved steam trains, running through the Dandenong Ranges on a narrow-gauge track. It’s famous for its open carriages where passengers can sit with their legs hanging over the sides as the train chugs through the forest. This is the perfect spot to wave to those on the train.

After my midweek break, I find my inbox still full and my to-do list not in the least shrunken, just shifted from one task to another. But I return to my home office feeling lighter, clearer and with a smug satisfaction I’d stolen back a little time for myself. A midweek wind-down made all the difference.

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

Balgownie Estate offers everything from cellar door tastings to spa treatments and fine dining – all without leaving the property.

Playing there

the TarraWarra Museum of Art, Yarra Valley — Visit the TarraWarra Museum of Art. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Wander through Alowyn Gardens, including a stunning wisteria tunnel, then explore the collection of contemporary artworks at TarraWarra Museum of Art . Cycle the Yarra Valley with COG Bike to visit local wineries and cellar doors.

Eating and drinking there

Olinda Tea House offers an Asian-inspired high tea. Paradise Valley Hotel, Clematis has classic pub fare, while the iconic Yering Station offers wine tastings and a restaurant with seasonal dishes.

seasonal dishes at the restaurant inside Yering Station — The restaurant at Yering Station showcases the best produce of the Yarra Valley. (Image: Visit Victoria)

7 sumptuous long weekend escapes for food and wine lovers