Trade Manual 2020

Y A R R A V A L L E Y & D A N D E N O N G R A N G E S Welcome to 1 An hour’s drive east of Melbourne, the Yarra Valley’s stunning patchwork landscape serves up an international acclaimed food and wine region. The Dandenong Ranges brimwith hidden delights and village life. A stunning gateway to (and from) the Mornington Peninsula or Phillip Island. The Yarra Valley unfolds a visual and epicurean feast. This rich and fertile landscape drives like a dream and tastes divine. More than 80 cellar doors, micro- breweries and cider houses offer superb restaurants, luxe accommodation, cracker views and superb architecture, design and artwork – just as you’d expect from a world-class wine region. Award-winning brands you know and trust live here: Domaine Chandon, De Bortoli, Rochford, Oakridge and Four Pillars Distillery. There’s nothing like getting to know them at the source, meeting the makers and sampling their vintages. This region offers year-round experiences. Imagine watching daybreak over the valley from a hot air balloon, then coming back to earth for a sumptuous champagne breakfast. Maybe an early round of golf as kangaroos watch on? Or wading through an encounter with a platypus at the world famous Healesville Wildlife Sanctuary. Find your sweet spot at Rayners’ Orchard or Cherryhill Orchards- pick your own peaches, apricots and cherries straight from the tree! Take a garden tour and enjoy afternoon tea at Alowyn Gardens, Blue Lotus Water Garden, Coombe Yarra Valley and the famous Tesselaar Tulip Festival – the largest display of tulips in the southern hemisphere. A pleasant 30 minutes’ drive from the Yarra Valley and you can immerse yourself in the Dandenong Ranges. Step into the tranquility of crisp country air and surround yourself with the unique sounds of Australian nature. Find yourself wandering through ancient Mountain Ash rainforest and enjoy the seasons in the display gardens at Cloudehill, William Ricketts sculpture garden and Dandenong Ranges Botanic Gardens. Wind through the Dandenong Ranges on Puffing Billy, Australia’s favourite heritage steam train, or swing through an aerial treetops challenge at Trees Adventure. HIGHLIGHTS: • Explore any of 80+ cellar doors and award-winning vineyard restaurants • Get high in a hot air balloon gliding over the landscape • Board a much-loved heritage train to ride the rail line through majestic forests and fern gullies (up the magic – book an on-board luncheon or dinner experience) • Get a kick out of cycling the Warburton Rail Trail • Stay and play the Greg Norman designed championship golf course • Take a gin masterclass at a much-awarded small gin distillery that’s making a big impression on the world Opposite: Global Ballooning 1. Puffing Billy 2. Levantine Hill 2 17