Product Description
Highlights
Urban List editors say: “If you, like us, are all about supporting local then you’ll love having lunch and a wine tasting at a communal urban winery that helps to launch the careers of Australia’s next generation of winemakers. We’ll drink to that!”. Get a true taste of the Yarra Valley with a delicious dinner crafted by a local chef, who focuses on sustainability and locally sourced seasonal ingredients.. Reconnect with nature on a bike ride along a historic trail that winds through vineyards, farmland and forest.. Connect with the community through their produce, learning from the experts in a gin masterclass and having a glass or two at a boutique winery.
Overview
Explore the flavours of food and nature of the Yarra Valley on this three-day Intrepid Retreats: Urban List Editor’s Pick experience. With historic accommodation in the heart of Healesville as your unpack-once hub, get away from it all in rolling hills dotted with farms and vineyards. Immerse yourself in the outdoors with a ride along historic trails, sample the drops of a boutique vineyard, learn the secrets behind world-class gin, and even help support the future of Australian wine. Equipped with the knowledge of your local host, meet the local vintners, distillers, and chefs, and taste your way to an understanding what makes this a world-class food and wine destination.
Breakfast Included: 2 Lunches Included: 2 Dinner Included: 1
![Australia Retreat: Yarra Valley 3]( "Australia Retreat: Yarra Valley 3")
![Australia Retreat: Yarra Valley 3]( "Australia Retreat: Yarra Valley 3")
Healesville
Welcome to your Yarra Valley getaway. From 3 pm today you can check in to your accommodation, a character-filled, restored heritage building full of history and stories. You’ll be staying right in the heart of Healesville, which sits on the traditional land of the Wurundjeri people on the edge of the Yarra Ranges National Park, and is just a few minutes away from the countless wineries that dot the landscape of the Yarra Valley. After you’ve settled in and unpacked for the next few days, there will be a welcome meeting at 6pm. Your host will outline the upcoming itinerary and will touch on the story of the local area, from its First Nations history, through its time as a goldrush-era miners’ settlement. Afterwards you’ll get a true taste of the Yarra Valley with a five-course meal for dinner. The chef crafts a menu with the changing seasons, with a strong focus on sustainability and local produce.
Healesville
Enjoy breakfast at your accommodation this morning to fuel up for an exploration of your beautiful surrounds from the saddle. Transfer to the nearby beginning of your bike ride, a trail that winds its way past vineyards, farmland and forest along the historic route of the railway that once ran through the area. Station houses and platforms dot its length, hills surround in the distance, and you might spot kangaroos, bird life and spring wildflowers along the way. Stop for morning tea at a cafe along the way, tasting local produce and getting a sense of the railway history of the place. Jump back on the saddle and continue the ride to leafy Mount Evelyn. Hop off the bike and into the van and refresh after your ride with lunch and a drink at a nearby boutique winery. Return to your accommodation in the afternoon for a chance to relax before heading to an award-winning, world-leading gin distillery. In a special space overlooking the distillery floor you’ll experience a gin masterclass, with a history and tasting of signature distils led by a gin expert. Afterwards, you're free to explore the town’s food options for dinner – maybe try one of the cellar door style restaurants.
Healesville
The Valley is a known as a haven for creatives so, after breakfast this morning, take a wander down the main street, grab a coffee, poke your head into the galleries and creative spaces, and drop into a glass blowing studio to see the experts show off their skills. Afterwards the wine will surely be calling again, so head to a communal urban winery for lunch. Enjoy a tasting while you learn about their program that fosters the next generation of Australian winemakers, a first in Australia. After a fitting local flavour-filled lunch, this Intrepid Retreats experience in the Yarra Valley comes to an end.
