Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges

It's like a postcard everywhere you look. The sleepy farms, national parks, rolling green hills and brilliant wineries make the Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges a wonderland, and all of it less than an hour's drive from Melbourne.

Visitors can enjoy the natural beauty throughout the valley, on one of the many walking or cycling trails, from a hot air balloon drifting over the vines, or while teeing off on one of the scenic but challenging golf courses. Stop at Healesville Sanctuary to see Australian wildlife, including more than 200 species of native birds, mammals and reptiles, displayed in a beautiful bushland setting.

The Yarra Valley is home to some of Victoria's most famous wineries. The region is regarded as one of the world's finest finest cool-climate wine districts, producing award-winning sparkling chardonnay and pinot noir from internationally renowned and boutique vineyards. Wines can be sampled at more than 50 wineries that are open for cellar-door tastings year round. Domaine Chandon, with its beautiful glass-walled tasting rooms, is one of only a few Chandon wineries outside France. Visit St Hubert's, which has been operating since 1863, the family-owned De Bortoli Winery, or Yering Station, Victoria's first vineyard.

Besides the great wine, the Yarra Valley produces gourmet foods of the highest quality. Intimate cellar-door cafés, outstanding restaurants, fresh fruit farms and orchards, dairies and produce markets sit comfortably among the valley's famous vineyards. The task of discovering the Yarra Valley's gourmet delights has been made easier by the popular Yarra Valley Regional Food Trail, with signposts dotted throughout the landscape lead to more than 100 epicurean hideaways, from cheesemakers and trout farms to organic vegetable growers and orchards.

Set in forest and ferns, the Dandenong Ranges is a haven of hidden delights for nature-lovers, art enthusiasts, foodies and those requiring some rest and rejuvenation. Lush rainforest, ferny gullies, beautiful waterfalls and superb gardens - these are just some of the reasons why Dandenong Ranges is a nature-lovers' paradise.

Go to Visit Victoria (Yarra Valley) for further information.