Your guide to one of Yarra Valley’s most-awarded wineries

Shaney Hudson Shaney Hudson
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Oakridge is a must-stop in the Yarra Valley for award-winning wine and food, not to mention epic views.

Just one hour from Melbourne lies one of Australia’s premier wine-growing regions, and one of Australia’s most award-winning wineries. As one of Victoria’s best days out, Oakridge winery offers incredible wine tasting, high-end vineyard tours, and award-winning dining with some of the best views of the peaceful rolling hills around Coldstream.

Book a table, take a masterclass or simply visit the cellar door with friends to discover the Yarra Valley’s premier winery experience: Oakridge.

Oakridge entrance
Let the red entrance call you inside.

Oakridge cellar door

An architecturally striking, bright red entrance breaks up the surrounding greenery and invites travellers inside for the opportunity to discover why Oakridge’s wines have earned so many accolades.

A member of Sustainable Winegrowing Australia (SWA), Oakridge has won hundreds of wine awards. Most notably, it’s rated number one on Halliday’s Top 100 wineries list for 2023, and was named Real Review’s Winery of the Year 2023. In 2017, Chief Winemaker David Bicknell was named Gourmet Traveller’s Winemaker of the Year, and in 2022, it was named Champion Victorian Winery at the Melbourne Royal Wine Awards. It also won best value winery at the 2024 Halliday Wine Companion Awards.

Oakridge wine barrels
Get a taste of Oakridge’s award-winning wine.

A visit to the cellar door is a chance to get to know these wines. A great experience to share with friends, Oakridge offers four distinct tasting experiences all led by friendly and knowledgeable staff, keen to share their passion with newcomers and wine connoisseurs alike.

Try the Oakridge Experience for a casual 30-minute tasting of five wines from across the Oakridge portfolio. Bookings are encouraged but not essential. Those with a little more time can try the 45-minute Top Rated Vineyard Series, sharing a taste of the current release 2022 Vineyard Series – from chardonnay to pinot noir.

Or, kick things up a notch with Oakridge’s two masterclass options: one focused on Oakridge’s award-winning Chardonnay, the other on the 864 Single Block range. Not to be missed, the latter features a tasting of the full portfolio of this range, which are selected for their age and maturity and produced from a single vineyard.

Oakridge wine tasting experience
Be introduced to the range by knowledgeable staff.

Need tips, more detail or itinerary ideas tailored to you? Ask AT.

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Arrive in style

For a truly unforgettable luxury adventure, take a helicopter from Melbourne on Oakridge Wine’s  Extraordinary Yarra Valley Experience.

Flying into the Yarra Valley offers a different perspective of the wine-growing region. Enjoy a birds-eye view of the Great Dividing Range’s enormous scale and the geological forces that shaped the valley, all dominated by neat lines of vineyards the region is famous for.

Oakridge itself is part of the Yarra Ranges Ribbons of Green program, and flying in from above offers a chance to see how native plants have been used to restore biodiversity to the site.

Oakridge kitchen garden
Join a tour of the kitchen garden.

When the rotors have stopped turning, take a personal tour with the chef of Oakridge’s aforementioned kitchen garden, before touring the vineyards to learn about the unique terroir of Yarra Valley, the sustainable methods used to grow the grapes, and finally, the wine-making process.

Later, head inside to private tasting rooms for a masterclass of your choice. Afterwards, guests can settle into a long lunch with matching wines and a stellar view. Finally, when it’s time to depart, take home an included twin pack of your favourite wines.

Oakridge dining on the terrace
Settle into a long lunch with matching wines.

The details

Oakridge Wines is located at 864 Maroondah Highway in Coldstream, around an hour’s drive from Melbourne. Parking is available onsite; Hop It, Yarra Valley A2B and Yarra Valley Transfers all provide transport options in the Yarra Valley.

Oakridge is open seven days a week. The Cellar Door is open from 10am to 5pm. Private functions and masterclasses by appointment, bookings recommended for tastings.

Shaney Hudson
Shaney Hudson is an award-winning freelance writer based in Sydney, Australia. After five years living in Europe, she now loves jumping in the car to explore Australia with her young family. Most of all she loves to go where the wild things are.
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8 incredible hikes just outside of Melbourne

    Australian Traveller Australian Traveller
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    Just over an hour from Melbourne, spectacular walking and hiking trails encompass ancient landscapes, forested ridgelines and volcanic peaks.

    Just a short drive from the city, the urban sprawl gives way to rolling hills, mineral springs, and lush forests that will have you feeling like you’re in the bucolic countryside of France. Encompassing Daylesford, the Macedon Ranges, Castlemaine and the Central Goldfields, this pocket of Victoria is a region where nature, art, and wellness intertwine. Heritage towns hum with creativity, good food and wine, and welcoming locals. While Daylesford hikes, and those nearby, offer the chance to take a pause and reconnect with nature.

    1. Hanging Rock Summit Walk

    Hanging Rock Summit Walk
    Take in views across the Macedon Ranges.

    Etched into folklore, few places in Australia carry as much mystique as Hanging Rock. Rising dramatically from the plains near Woodend, this volcanic mamelon offers a beautiful nature walk. The walk begins at a gentle pace, weaving through shaded woodland before it gets a little steeper as the path starts to climb and twist to the summit. From here, you’ll have views that stretch across the Macedon Ranges. The walk is roughly 1.8 kilometres return, but the real reward lies in standing among the weathered boulders, feeling the age and energy of the earth beneath your feet.

    2. Macedon Ranges Walking Trail

    Macedon Ranges Walking Trail camel's hump lookout
    Walk to Camel’s Hump. (Image: Clair Derwort)

    The Macedon Ranges Walking Trail traverses around 19 kilometres of forest and mountain landscapes. The full trail is a six-hour circuit, with most of the walk being a grade three; however, you don’t have to tackle it all at once. There are shorter walks that will take you through the tall mountain ash forests, to tranquil picnic areas, and sweeping views from Camels Hump and the Memorial Cross. The best times of year to head out are autumn, when the mountain turns into a tapestry of crimson and gold, and spring, when wildflowers brighten the trail.

    3. Mount Alexander Traverse

    Mount Alexander Traverse
    Take in the serenity.

    Towering above the goldfields near Castlemaine, Mount Alexander is a granite giant that offers some great bushwalking trails. The Mount Alexander Traverse winds along the mountain’s rocky spine through dry eucalypt forest that opens up in sections to reveal beautiful panoramas across Loddon Valley and all the way to the distant Grampians. Once a site of ancient volcanic activity (and later a gathering place for the Dja Dja Wurrung people), the mountain’s granite tors are now quiet and create a beautiful, serene atmosphere for a moment of reflection while walking.

    4. Murmuring Walk

    Murmuring Walk daylesford hikes
    Circle the picturesque Sanatorium Lake.

    Located an easy drive from Daylesford, Murmuring Walk offers something a little different. Circling Sanatorium Lake, this free audio-guided walk aims to immerse you in the rhythms of Dja Dja Wurrung, Taungurung and Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country by blending the sounds of nature with a multi-layered soundtrack. There are two routes to explore while you listen: a shorter loop around the lake itself and a longer circuit that extends deeper into the woodland.

    5. La Gerche Forest Walk

    La Gerche Forest Walk
    Walk into history on the La Gerche Forest trail.

    Located in Creswick, the La Gerche Forest Walk honours the legacy of John La Gerche, a 19th-century forester who championed the regeneration of the then gold-rush-ravaged land. Today, over 100 years later, his replanting efforts have grown into a living cathedral of towering pines, oaks, and native gums. As you meander along the 2.2-kilometre circuit, you’ll find interpretive panels along the way that help tell the story of La Gerche’s vision, so you can learn as you wander.

    6. Sailors Falls Loop

    Sailors Falls Loop
    See these spectacular falls. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    Just outside Daylesford, Sailors Falls tumbles through a fern-lined gorge, fed by mineral springs. Thought to be named after the sailors who jumped ship to seek gold in the area during the 1850s gold rush, the loop walk begins at the car park and descends through a cool, shaded gully to the base of the falls. From here, you’ll make the climb back via the mineral springs. It’s a short but enchanting walk – about 1.5 kilometres in total, so make a day of it by packing a picnic to sit by the springs; you’ll feel worlds away from the city.

    7. Paddys Ranges Loop Walk

    Further north, the Paddys Ranges State Park loop reveals a different side of Victoria’s Heartland – dry forest, golden light and hints of a gold-rush past. This protected reserve is a stronghold of box-ironbark woodland, providing vital refuge for endangered species. In spring, the forest floor is awash with the colour of over 230 species of wildflowers, so a springtime walk is a must-do. As you walk the 4.5-kilometre loop trail, keep an eye out for remnants of old mine shafts and rusted relics from the prospectors who once sought their fortunes here.

    8. Mount Franklin Summit Walk

    Mount Franklin Summit Walk
    Take in forests and waterfalls along the way to the top of Mount Franklin.

    An extinct volcano turned picnic ground, Mount Franklin (known as Lalgambook to the Dja Dja Wurrung people) is one of the region’s quiet marvels. The summit walk follows a narrow, winding path through native forest to the crater’s rim, where you’ll get glimpses of farmland and forest below. It’s a moderate climb – just over an hour return, so it can easily be done if you’re camping in the surrounding reserve for a weekend nature retreat.

    The trails of Victoria’s Heartland offer a chance to reconnect with the landscape, local history and yourself. Start planning your next adventure at daylesfordmacedonlife.com.au.