Yarra Valley Winery-Melbourne Highlights Tour
Enjoy the ambience of the beautiful Yarra Valley - a beautiful valley just 40km east of Melbourne, internationally recognised as a leading cool climate wine region.  Learn all about winemaking and winetasting at Yering Station. Enjoy a superb spit-roast lunch at Fergusson's Winery & Restaurant and learn all about wine-making and wine-tasting. See Melbourne City highlights - one of the world's most liveable cities. Today Melbourne City is a cultural hub, a sporting Mecca, a fashion capital and an epicurean's idea of heaven. Sit back and relax as we showcase Melbourne City highlights, its history, character and charm.  Explore its many interesting precincts, and enjoy its cosmopolitan richness.

Adult $325.00 NZ         Child $305.00 NZ

Itinerary
Travel along the Eastern Freeway through the outer eastern suburb of Croydon at the foot of the Dandenong Ranges, and Lilydale - at one-time, home to the great Australian opera diva Dame Nellie Melba, who as a child lived with her family at their country home in Lilydale.

Our route continues along acres of lush grazing pastures, orchards and award-winning wineries that represent the region's international reputation for super-premium cool climate wines – the Yarra Valley.

We arrive at the Hall of Fame winners for Best Winery and Tourism Complex - Yering Station, Victoria's first vineyard planted in 1838, where you can learn all about wine-sampling and taste some classic Australian wines.

We continue along Melba Highway passing the township of Yarra Glen, a pretty little town in the heart of the Yarra Valley and home to some of the best known wineries in Victoria.  We head towards Dixon Creek where you pass the historic Gulf Station (pioneer farm) run by the National Trust.

Still on the Melba towards Dixon's Creek we travel to Fergusson Winery and Restaurant to taste some stunning red and white wines, and then enjoy a superb sumptuous spit-roast lunch with a glass of wine, assorted vegetables and salads, petit fours and coffee/tea in a homely atmosphere in the rustic award-winning restaurant.

Finally we head to Melbourne City to take in its highlights.  We stop to take photos of the St. Patrick's Cathedral – a splendid gothic revival architecture and then stroll through the beautiful Fitzroy Gardens where the pathways are designed to resemble the British flag – the Union Jack.  Here we inspect Capt. Cook's Cottage - discoverer of the East Coast of Australia and walk through the Conservatory which holds regular floral exhibitions.

We drive past the Melbourne Sporting Arenas – Rod Laver Arena (home of the Australian Open), Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)-well-known and loved by cricket fans around the world, and Olympic Park/Lexus Stadium – home to Melbourne's rugby team "Melbourne Storm".

We see the architecture of Treasury Place, Parliament House and Australia's most loved Princess Theatre where the record breaking "Phantom Of The Opera" was performed.

Marvel at the architecture of The Royal Exhibition Building which for 27 years housed the State Parliament. Adjacent to the Exhibition Building is the enormous Melbourne Museum and Imax Cinema.

We drive through the Italian precinct in Carlton where the city's famous café culture was born and is one of the great food precincts in Melbourne.  Travel via Australia's largest and oldest market The Queen Victoria Market and pass the historic and Melbourne's oldest gardens - Flagstaff Gardens.

Melbourne's legal precinct is where during the week you may see a number of barristers and judges around.  We sight the Rialto Towers (the tallest office building in the Southern Hemisphere), and Eureka Towers – the 300 metres skyscraper, and world-class Crown Entertainment Complex – a casino and entertainment precinct.

We then head back to Station Pier to board your ship.

Duration 8 hours
Start Time 0830hrs
End Time 1630hrs

Tour times can be adjusted to suit ship times of arrival and departure

Child rates for 4-14 years

You will see
Yarra Valley
Yering Station Winery
Gulf Station
Melbourne City highlights
 

What's Included
Collection from the Ship
Comfortable Transport
Experienced Guide
Yering Station Wine tasting
Fergusson's lunch and wine tasting
Melbourne City highlights
All Tolls and Taxes

General Info
This tour is a small group tour using quality minibuses. Some  walking required on gentle inclines and some steps, good walking shoes are recommended. Warm and weatherproof clothing suggested as it can become cool and rainy in any season

Meals
Spit-roast lunch with wine, petit fours, tea or coffee

Conditions
This tour requires a minimum of 4 persons to operate. The group size will not exceed 24 persons.

For larger groups please contact us for details

Please see our Shore Trips Booking Terms & Conditions