How to Spend 24 Hours in Australia's Yarra Valley
With so much to do and see in the Yarra Valley, 24 hours is hardly enough time. However, with our guide, you can make the most of your time in the region. From wine to a chocolate emporium and everything in between—this is our guide to spending 24 hours in Victoria’s Yarra Valley.
Hot air ballooning
Resort, Hotel
To make the most of your time, your day begins bright and early with a scenic hot air balloon flight. Watch the sunrise over the Yarra Valley as you float through the air with Global Ballooning, Victoria’s leading hot air balloon operator. The once-in-a-lifetime experience will have you soaring over the rolling hills of Victoria’s most magnificent wine region before you’re treated to a champagne breakfast at Balgownie Estate. The whole experience lasts four to five hours, and hotel transfers can be organised.
Balgownie Estate 1309 Melba Hwy, Yarra Glen VIC Australia + 61 3 9730 0700
Courtesy of Global Ballooning
Yarra Valley Chocolaterie & Ice Creamery
Only two minutes from Balgownie Estate, the Yarra Valley Chocolaterie & Ice Creamery is a decadent emporium set on 16 acres among the rolling hills of the Yarra Valley. Chock-full of chocolate, the showroom features over 250 hand-crafted products, including giant chocolate freckles, sumptuous truffles, and decadent rocky road. There’s also a Great Wall of Chocolate, featuring 34 different flavour varieties. Visitors can even watch the masterful chocolatiers at work. If all that chocolate is making your mouth water, you can sit down at the café or enjoy a refreshing ice-cream.
Yarra Valley Chocolaterie & Ice Creamery 35 Old Healesville Rd, Yarra Glen VIC Australia +61 9730 2777
Courtesy of Yarra Valley Chocolaterie & Ice Creamery
Healesville Sanctuary
Zoo
Giant Steps
For dinner, drive seven minutes north up Badger Creek Road to the vineyard, Giant Steps. The privately-owned estate is renowned for producing “consistent, over-performing, varietal wines”. Giant Steps also features a recently redesigned restaurant with room enough for 140 diners. Showcasing the finest produce, Chef Jarrod Hudson’s Thai-Euro inspired menu offers an extensive range of meals for both the peckish and the famished, including wood-fired pizza, Chermoula marinated chicken with baked pearl barley and Pinnacle Angus grass-fed porterhouse with horseradish.
Giant Steps 336 Maroondah Hwy, Healesville VIC Australia +61 3 5962 6111
Courtesy of Giant Steps
Black Spur
Take advantage of daylight savings and see the Black Spur at sunset. Linking Healesville with Narbethong, the Black Spur is a spectacular 30-kilometer drive along the winding Maroondah Highway through a lush forest. Roll down the windows and breathe in the fresh mountain air as you drive beneath a canopy of towering eucalyptus and mountain ash trees. The Maroondah Highway eventually connects with Marysville Road.
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