A new cherry-blossom festival is coming to Victoria this spring

Flowers, fruit-picking and a whole lot of fun.

It’s that time of year. The winter chill is finally easing. Brave Aussies are starting to shed a few layers. Buds are beginning to bloom and the sweet scent of spring is officially in the air. And there’s no better place to celebrate than CherryHill Orchards, which is hosting a new cherry-blossom festival to welcome the season.

Meet the new festival coming to Victoria

In Victoria’s bucolic Yarra Valley, CherryHill Orchards sits pretty on the outskirts of Coldstream township. The family-owned fruit farm, which has a sister property in nearby Wandin East, is officially opening its gates ahead of harvest season with the inaugural Bloom & Graze festival . Running for the first two weekends of spring, the colourful celebration is all about waving off winter and welcoming the warmth.

Rainbow lorikeet in cherry-blossom tree — Aussies big and small love cherry-blossom season. (Image: Getty Images/Elena Pochesneva)

A range of market stalls run by local businesses, producers and creators will take over the orchard as it begins to bloom, touting everything from wine and whiskey to cheese and crafts. This year’s exhibitors include The Botanical Brothers, Four Pillars, Steels Gate, Sustainable Food Waste, Yarra Valley Dairy and Blossom Lifestyle.

Each vendor will also run its own workshop or demonstration, sharing expert advice on cocktail mixology, candle-making and more. There will also be live music by local artists each day, as well as kids’ entertainment, food trucks and a cherry-inspired farmgate store.

CherryHill Orchards in the Yarra Valley, Victoria — Meet local makers at their market stalls with Bloom & Graze.

“This is all about bringing our incredible community of producers, makers, and creators together to showcase the very best of the Yarra Valley," says Mike Appleton, CherryHill’s general manager of customer experience, tourism and events. “Set against the breathtaking backdrop of our 100-acre Coldstream orchard as our cherry trees begin to bloom, it’s the perfect way to celebrate spring."

What else is on at CherryHill this spring?

If you can’t make it to Bloom & Graze, it doesn’t mean you have to miss out. CherryHill Orchards is hosting a bloomin’ good line-up of events this year that rival spring festivals across the country.

The weekend after Bloom & Graze ends, Blossom by Light begins, which sees the Wandin East orchard illuminated by a kaleidoscope of light and colour. Held across four nights only, the magical display is accompanied by local food trucks, live entertainment, games and fireside marshmallow roasting.

Just two days later, the ever-popular Blossom Festival kicks off with 12 days of floral fanfare, just as the entire orchard enters full bloom. It’s a quick turnover for the Wandin East property, falling perfectly within Victoria’s school holidays . Guests will enjoy a range of themed experiences, like live music, local food and wine tastings curated by the region’s best vineyards, plus plenty of kid-friendly activities.

And finally, as spring fades into summer, the flowers that have been admired for weeks slowly grow into their final form. It’s that time on Australia’s seasonal fruit-picking calendar – cherries are officially ripe for the picking! Grab your favourite straw hat and stroll through rows of trees heavy with fruit, basket in hand.

Both the Coldstream and Wandin East orchards will be open to the public for cherry-picking. BYO picnic to enjoy lunch in the sun, paired perfectly with your fresh fruit. There will also be cold drinks, food and ice-cream available at both onsite cafes. It’s cherry-flavoured goodness, all spring and summer long.

Your guide to event dates and details

The Bloom & Graze festival will debut on 6–7 and 13–14 September at CherryHill’s Coldstream orchard, around an hour’s drive from Melbourne. Tickets are priced at $15 per adult and $13 for concession. All children enter for free. Workshops will run between 10:30am and 2:30pm.

Cherry blossom trees in bloom — The cherry blossoms bloom as September arrives. (Image: Getty Images/Chris Gordon)

Blossom by Light will run from 19–22 September at CherryHill’s Wandin East orchard, just over a one-hour drive from Melbourne. Tickets are priced at $35 per adult, $30 for concession and $20 per child. Family passes are available for $100.

The Blossom Festival is also held in Wandin East, from 24 September – 5 October. Adult tickets are priced at $15, while concessions are $13.50. On weekdays, all children can attend for free, but a $10 ticket is required per child on weekends. Or grab a family pass for just $45.

Pick your own cherries at the Yarra Valley orchard.

Cherry-picking season officially kicks off on 1 November and runs until 4 January 2026. Weekday tickets cost $22.50 per adult and $13 per child. Family and group passes can be purchased for $60 and $20, respectively. Come weekends, adults pay $25 and $15 per child, with family passes priced at $65.

Dogs are welcome at all times, with a $3 entry fee per furry friend. Both the Coldstream and Wandin East orchards have free onsite parking. Tickets for all events are available now via CherryHill’s website.

Wind through fern tunnels, stop for a wine in a tram bar, or chase giant murals across the wheatbelt. These drives and rides prove Victoria’s best stories are found off the straight and narrow.

There’s something unmistakably Australian about a road trip: car packed, playlist on, landscapes shifting. Travelling down the highway toward Healesville, in Victoria’s Yarra Valley , the mountains rise, flanking me on both sides. I feel its embrace, a silent invitation to explore what lies beyond.

Moss-covered embankments rise on either side, and towering mountain ash trees form a green tunnel overhead. Road signs warn of wombats and cyclists but with giant ferns lining the roadside, the landscape feels prehistoric, as if a dinosaur might suddenly emerge. This, the Black Spur , is one of my favourite road trips.

The Black Spur

Location: Yarra Ranges
Duration: 30 kilometres / 30 minutes

The Black Spur is short compared to other Victorian road trips, just 30 kilometres, stretching from Healesville to Narbethong. But what it lacks in distance, it makes up for in scenery. Just outside Healesville, Maroondah Dam offers bushwalks and scenic views. However, if pressed for time, Selover’s Lookout is an easy roadside stop offering uninterrupted views of the dam.

In Narbethong, close to the Marysville’s snowfield, is the Black Spur Inn , a charming double-storey brick hotel that’s been welcoming travellers since 1863. Here, diners cosy up by the roaring fire or gaze through the floor-to-ceiling windows, imagining horse-drawn coaches carrying hopeful gold seekers to the eastern goldfields.

Victoria’s Silo Art Trail

Location: Various towns across the Wimmera Mallee region
Duration: More than 200 kilometres / 4–5 hours but best over a minimum of three days

What began as a way to draw travellers back into town bypassed by highways – places such as Nullawil, Sea Lake and Patchewollock – has grown into a celebrated outdoor art movement. The Silo Art Trail now includes 23 silos, each transformed with large-scale mural portraits sharing local stories, celebrating community heroes, Indigenous history, farming life, or regional identity.

The Nullawil silo, for example, is a portrait of a local farmer in a chequered flannelette shirt alongside his loyal kelpie, painted by artist Sam Bates (AKA Smug). And the silos at Albacutya in the Grampians, painted by artist Kitt Bennett, depict her joyful memories of growing up in the countryside. Many of the murals sit right in the heart of small towns, such as Rochester and St Arnaud , making them perfect spots to pause for a country pub meal or something sweet from a local bakery.

Metung to Mallacoota

Location: Gippsland
Duration: Approximately 220 kilometres / 4 hours

The Gippsland Lakes are a much-loved holiday spot in Victoria, but road-tripping further east reveals much more. Begin in Metung and time your visit with the monthly farmers’ market, or simply linger over lunch on the lawn of the Metung Hotel. Twenty minutes away is Lakes Entrance , where you can watch the fishing boats return with their catch.

Lakes Entrance. (Image: Visit Victoria/Iluminaire Pictures)

Continue to Marlo, where the Snowy River spills into the sea, and Cape Conran for its many beaches and walks. If needing to stretch your legs, Croajingolong National Park is home to the historic Point Hicks Lighthouse and the Wilderness Coast Walk. Birdwatching and rainforest trails near Bemm River are worth a pit stop before arriving in Mallacoota, where the forest meets the sea.

Great Ocean Road

Location: South-west Victoria, from Torquay to Allansford
Duration: Approximately 250 kilometres / 4–5 hours but best over a minimum of three days

Victoria’s most famous road trip delivers it all: world-class surf breaks, rainforest walks, clifftop lookouts and wildlife encounters. The journey begins in Torquay, the state’s surf capital, then hugs the coast past Anglesea and Lorne to Apollo Bay, before curving inland through the lush rainforest of the Otways. Stop at Cape Otway Lightstation or take to the treetops at Otway Fly.

Between Cape Otway and Port Campbell lies the most photographed stretch – seven of the Twelve Apostles still standing, alongside the golden cliffs of Loch Ard Gorge. Further west, Warrnambool is a winter whale-watching hotspot, before the road winds to Port Fairy, a charming fishing village of whalers’ cottages, walking trails and offshore seal colonies further along the coast.

Bellarine Taste Trail

Terindah Estate. (Image: Visit Victoria/Emily Godfrey)

Location: Bellarine Peninsula
Duration: Approximately 80 kilometres / 2–3 hours

The Bellarine Taste Trail is a feast for the senses, winding through coastal towns, past boutique wineries and artisan producers. It’s a choose-your-own-adventure style trail – simply grab a map and build your own delicious journey.

You might wander historic, seafront Queenscliff, sip wine in a converted tram bar at Terindah Estate , sample a locally distilled whisky at The Whiskery in Drydale or pick up a jar of honey at Wattle Grove in Wallington. Seafood lovers can head to Portarlington, famous for its mussels. Eat them fresh at local restaurants or head out on the water with Portarlington Mussel Tours.

O’Keefe Rail Trail – Bendigo to Heathcote

Pink Cliffs Reserve in Heathcote can be seen on the O’Keefe Rail Trail. (Image: Visit Victoria/Emily Godfrey)

Location: Central Victoria
Duration: Approximately 50 kilometres / 4 hours cycling

Travellers first journeyed between Heathcote and Bendigo in 1888, when the railway line was built to link the towns. Trains stopped running in 1956, but today the route has a new life as the O’Keefe Rail Trail . The path is mostly level for easy riding, and along the way you’ll cycle past bushland, waterways and reserves. There are plenty of places to picnic, birdwatch, and if you’re lucky, spot a platypus.

The trail is well supported with water stations, bike repair points, shelters, and signage. Axedale makes a great halfway stop, with the pretty Campaspe River Reserve for a rest and local cafes for refuelling. Begin in Heathcote, known for its wineries and cafes, or in Bendigo, which is easily reached by train from Melbourne/Naarm. Shorter sections, such as Heathcote to Axedale, are also popular.

Goldfields Track – Ballarat to Bendigo

Location: Central Victoria
Duration: Approximately 210 kilometres / 2–3 days cycling

The Goldfields Track traces a route once so rich in gold it made Melbourne one of the wealthiest cities in the world. Starting at Mt Buninyong, south of Ballarat, the trail leads mountain cyclists and walkers north through Creswick, Daylesford and Castlemaine before finishing in Bendigo. Along the way, you’ll encounter granite outcrops, eucalypt forests, rolling farmland and remnants of the region’s mining past.

As it passes through the lands of the Dja Dja Wurrung and Wadawurrung people, the track shares gold rush history and Indigenous stories brought to life by interpretive signs. Walk or ride the full trail or choose from one of its three distinct sections. With cosy stays, cafes and pubs, it’s easy to mix wilderness with comfort.