Yarra Glen
A small settlement in the heart of the Yarra Valley to the North East of Melbourne, Yarra Glen is set among rolling hills and green pasture in an area that has been farmed since the 1840s. Agriculture and wine making is still prominent, but day visitors from Melbourne have turned this pretty rural town into a very popular, well patronised single-day destination.
Yarra Glen's agricultural heritage has long been centred around Gulf Station, a working farm dating from the mid-nineteenth century. Its fame has fostered Yarra Glen s long history of gourmet indulgence, which is today enhanced by the valley becoming one of the leading wine regions in the state of Victoria. As well as sampling wines at one of around 30 cellar doors, visitors can also pick up locally grown produce from farmers markets such as the monthly Yarra Valley Regional Farmers Market at Yering Station.
The wide range of local eateries are make it easy to sample regional produce in almost any environment. You cango retro at the National Trust-classified 1888 Yarra Glen Grand Hotel, or visit the Yarra Valley Dairy to savour handmade cheeses with excellent views. Alternatively, you can jump on the boutique beer bandwagon with quality ale at Hargreaves Hill.
To see them all, you can drive yourself around, following the Yarra Valley Regional Food Trail, which weaves across the entire Yarra and Dandenong region. Or you can take a sunrise balloon flight over the valley and see the region from a new perspective. You can also slow down and enjoy a heritage railway ride with the family from Healesville Station through the beautiful Yarra Valley aboard the Yarra Valley Railway.
