Cycling the Yarra Valley Wineries

By Randy Miller

Most wineries charge a $2.00 tasting fee, but it did not seem to be enforced. Bottle prices range from $14 to $29. Also notable is the fact that the Yarra does not produce port wines, with the exception of Kellybrook Winery which is not included in this tour (but still worth a visit!). I am told this has to do with the climate being too cool.

The Yarra Valley was first settled in 1838, but around 1920 business began to dry up (so to speak!) and winemaking in the area declined. In the late 1960's, wine production experienced a re-birth which is continuing to this day. Presently the Yarra Valley is the second largest wine region in Victoria, covering 2500 hectares. Wineries range from large corporate entitities such as Domaine Chandon to small family concerns such as Badger's Brook.

Needless to say, the Yarra Valley has much to offer the wine drinking touring cyclist. With wineries located sometimes right next door to each other and rarely more than a 15 minute ride away, you don't have far to ride to reach your next drop. The scenery includes good views of the Great Dividing Range as well as the deep green hillsides of the Yarra Valley. There are many backroads available to explore which will keep you off the main highways.

That being said, there are a few common sense items to remember when you cycle through the Yarra Valley. First, weekend traffic in the Yarra Valley can be quite heavy and at times fast moving. Motorists tend to stick to the main roads, which I have avoided as much as possible on this tour. Also, remember that alchohol can affect your ability to ride and control your bicycle. Know your limits and proceed accordingly. I would also recommend limiting your winery visits to 4 (or 5 if you're keen) to avoid rushing.

The Yarra Valley is accessible by private transport or by Met train to Lilydale. The fare is $9.20 for an all day ticket and service is approximately every 1/2 hour starting 1t 7:30 am. The trip takes approximately 1.25 hours from Flinders Street Station in Melbourne. I recommend catching the 9:00 am train as this will put you at the first winery shortly after it opens at 10:30 am.

The route that follows can be done comfortably in one day and has a total distance of about 55 Kilometres. I have described 7 wineries but as mentioned above I would recommend choosing 4 or 5 to visit per day. I am considering designing a weekend winery tour of the Yarra Valley and if this interests you please e-mail me.

On arrival in Lilydale, begin your tour by turning right out of the car park (crossing the tracks), and cycling West along the Maroondah Highway to Cave Hill Road, where you turn right. Continue for about .5 K to Beresford Road and take a left. Continue for another .5 K to Victoria Road where you turn right and cycle to Switchback Road. Turn left here and downshift for the 1.5 K climb up to Edward Road, where you turn right and cycle across rolling countryside to your first winery, Yarra Edge Winery, located on the left hand side. At this point you have cycled 8 K's. When we visited, the winery appeared to be closed. I will research and post a schedule here soon.

To leave the Yarra Edge Winery, turn left at the gate to re-join the Edward Road and continue .5 K to Coldstream West Road (unsealed) where you turn left. Continue along this flat road for 1.5 K's to re-join Victoria Road, where you again turn left. Continue for about .5 K's until you see the signs for Bianchet Winery, a small winery on the right hand side at the 11 K mark. We enjoyed the atmosphere and the wine at Bianchet and the winemaker was quite pleasant and informative. They offer a range of 3 whites and 2 reds, with prices ranging from $15 to $20. We decided on the Verduzzo, which is not available in shops and is quite nice. Bianchet is the only winery in Australia producing a Verduzzo.

To continue the tour, turn left on Victoria Road (backtracking a short distance) and cycle about 2.5 K to Macintyre Lane, where you turn right. You will cycle past the Lilydale airport and after about 3 K's you will reach the Melba Highway, where you turn right. Continue another K or so until the highway curves to the right and you continue (technically a left turn) on St. Huberts Road. Follow this nice backroad for about 2.5 K's until you see St. Huberts Winery on the right hand side at the 22.5 K mark. St. Huberts is a larger winery with a nice picnic area and BBQ facilities. They also offer free Jazz on some Sundays in the summer. The wine here is quite good and we had difficulty deciding between the Sauvignon Blanc and the Chardonnay. They offer a range of 3 whites, 2 reds, and 1 sparkling wine with prices a bit expensive at $18.50 to $29.00. They also sell wine by the glass for (again expensive) $4.00. We also noticed that their tasting portions were noticably smaller than the other wineries.

Continue your tour by trning right out of the parking lot and following St. Huberts Road to its terminus .5 K later at the Maroondah Highway. Here you turn left and shortly after the turn is an excellent fruit stand on the left hand side that makes a beautiful apple juice and pear juice. From here cycle another K to the largest winery of the tour, the Domaine Chandon, located at the 25 K mark. This winery is owned by the large French conglomerate of Moet and Chandon and is quite impressive. The "Green Room" offers a great view of the mountains and for $5.00 you can order a glass of wine that comes with bread and cheese. Note that there are no tastings here. The range consists of 5 whites and one (unadvertised) red. There is also a souvenir shop here.

Just a short distance down the Maroondah Highway is the Oakridge Winery (at the 29 K mark), a medium size winery with a nice tasting room and friendly staff. We felt the wine here was okay, but nothing flash. It was reasonably priced at $15 to $18 and there is a nice grass lawn to picnic on. We decided on the Grenache-Malbec, which is part of their Embargo range. The Embargo range is made locally from grapes grown elsewhere.

Another 1.5 K's down the road is the small family winery Badger's Brook. We quite liked this small winery with a range of 2 wines, including one red and one white. The winemaker here was quite friendly and willing to talk about his craft. We ended up getting 1 of each although he reckoned the Pinot was a bit immature.

Right next door to Badger's Brook is a larger winery called Eyton on Yarra. This was the last winery we visited, although there are a few more on the route that we can explore on our next trip. This winery is quite large and contains a good size restaurant and a busy tasting room. In fact the tasting room is a bit too busy and we ended up waiting quite a while between tastes. There is a staircase to the upstairs viewroom which is worth a visit. The wine was good but overpriced at $14 to $22. The range includes 3 reds and 3 whites.

You can exit Eyton on Yarra directly onto the unsealed Hill Road, where you turn right and continue a few K's to Briarty Road, where you again turn right and travel a short distance to Maddens Lane. Here you turn left and cycle 1 K until you see a sign directing you to Lilydale (right turn). From here you basically follow the main (?) road for 4-5 K's until you reach a sort of "T" intersection. Turn right on this sealed road and continue about 5 K's to Lauriston Road, where you turn left through the back of Coldstream township. After 2 K's turn right at Ingram Road and cycle out to the Maroondah Highway. Turn left here and cycle about 5 K's back into Lilydale where you can catch the train home. If time permits, you might also want to pay a visit to Lilydale Lake, which has a nice picnic area and off-road cycling tracks. Total distance for the day will be about 55 Kilometres.

Questions, comments, concerns?? E-mail me!! RandyMiller@bigpond.com