dotheyarravalley.com.au

When it comes to offering activities and entertainment in the Yarra Valley it’s hard to beat Rochford Wines!

After a string of big name concerts on the green including, Rob Thomas, Tom Jones and Dianna Krall, Rochford’s latest event featuring hundreds of Hot Rods was a huge success.

Hot Rods on the Green was organised by the Eagles Hot Rod & Custom Club of Victoria and attracted some of the best vehicles from around the country. We spoke to Steve Bridges from the organising panel, who told us the average value of the Hot Rods on show was around $75,000. These mobile works of art, as Steve prefers to call them, are the result of their passionate owners investing hundreds of hours in their restoration. The results are very very impressive. There’s nothing quite like a highly polished Hot Rod parked on a grass field in one of the most picturesque locations in the Yarra Valley. Watch our video interviews as the owners tell us about their cars.

For more information on Rochford Wine events visit their website.

Take a bunch of passionate motorcycle enthusiasts from all over Australia, get them to bring their most prized possessions to the Healesville Racecourse, and you’ve got the 2010 Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club National Rally.

The VJMC is a worldwide club with 4 separate branches in North America, the UK, Australia and New Zealand. The Australian branch is a non-profit community association operated by a committee of volunteers.  According to their website the objective of the club is to, “foster the preservation, restoration, riding and enjoyment of ownership of Japanese motorcycles more than 15 years old.”

Watch our video for interviews with some of the club members as they talk about what makes their bikes unique.

If you like this article then read our Hot Rods on the Green story.

For more information about the club visit their website…

The Yarra Glen Artshow will be held at Alowyn Gardens, located 3.5km north of Yarra Glen on the Melba Highway. This is the first time Alowyn Gardens has hosted the show. The exhibition will be in a large marquee in the ‘Maple Courtyard’, which is adjacent to the Main Gardens.

Watch our video below as Tania talks to Prue Van de Linde from Alowyn Gardens about what visitors can expect over the four days of the show.

Entry to the ‘Maple Courtyard’ is free.

April 2 – 5; Good Friday to Easter Monday

Open 10am – 5pm daily

For full details visit the Yarra Glen Art Show Website:

The first Gourmet Greenhouse Farmers Market at Ferndale Farmgate was a smashing success!

On a perfect sunny day a steady stream of people wandered through the market sampling, organic jams, spreads, wines, and vegetables. The quality of organic produce on offer was outstanding.  The Yarra Valley Gourmet Greenhouse is a two person operation run by Meagan Bertram and Steven Briggs, both of whom have a background in horticulture. To get a feel for the day watch our video below:

Live music added to the atmosphere as did the cooking demonstrations from two of the Yarra Valley’s top chefs,
Dale Prentice Executive Chef at Stones of the Yarra Valley and Mathew Macartney Executive Chef at Chateau Yering.

This market is not all just about eating and drinking and swanning around to pleasant music. There is a very serious side to this market. As Martin Cheney, Managing Director of Australian Harvest Fine Foods explained, “the single biggest way to reduce climate change is to eat organic food. According to a 30 year study organic practices can counteract up to 40% of global greenhouse gas output. A trial of organic and conventional farming practices has proved that organic practices can be the single biggest way to mitigate climate change.”

For more details on the Yarra Valley Gourmet Greenhouse and Ferndale Farmgate visit www.yvgg.com.au/

	100 Ferndale Road, Silvan 3795
	Meagan’s Mobile: 0425 794 167 Stephen’s Mobile: 0419 003 704 Telephone: (03) 9737 9895 Facsimile: (03) 9737 9043

While in Marysville recently, the Premier John Brumby took time out from his busy schedule to speak exclusively with Tania from dotheyarravalley.com.au. Tania asked him about the importance of Yarra Valley tourism in the Bushfire Recovery process. Watch the interview below:

In the interview Mr Brumby talks about the Victoria Bushfire Business Investment Fund, a $10 million fund established to encourage private sector investment and job creation in areas affected by the February 2009 Victorian bushfires. According to the government website, “The Fund aims to restore and improve the business capacity of these areas and enhance economic development to ensure their sustainable future.”

We also spoke to Christine Nixon, Chair of The Bushfire Reconstruction and Recovery Authority, about how she felt the recovery process was progressing. Watch the interview below:

For more information about Bushfire Recovery help, visit wewillrebuild.com.au

Seeing people recover from adversity has a tremendously uplifting affect.

The World’s Longest Lunch held at Maryton Park Bed & Breakfast Country Cottages was the culmination of a concept that began way back in 2002. Last years event was canceled due to the fires, so this years event was the Marysville communities way of saying, “we’re back!” Thanks to the support of Tony and Penni Thompson(Maryton Park), the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, sponsors, friends and neighbors, the event was a fantastic success.

They were so back in the action, that Internationally renowned chef Jamie Oliver interrupted his commitments to drop in for a glass of wine, nibble and a chat with the locals. See what Jamie had to say in our video coverage below.

The Premier of Victoria, John Brumby was also on hand to offer his encouragement and support for the day. Mr Brumby highlighted the importance of Yarra Valley tourism in the regions recovery.

We spoke to many of the locals including Wendy Oates, Treasurer of the organising committee who said, “the event was an opportunity for people in the area to continue to move forward and leave the tragedies of the past behind them.”

What was on the menu:

Canape’s – presented by Holmesglen Rural Learning Centre – Chef: Rolfh Ammann.

Entree’ – presented by Maryton Park B&B – Chef Tony Thompson assisted by Chef Steve Penalosa-Munoz from Lake Mountain Alpine Resort

Mains – presented by My Chef Mike – Chef: Michael Jaeger &
Ruffy Produce Store – Chef: Nigel Robinson

Dessert – presented by Marysville Patisserie – Chefs: Ashraf and Christine Doos

For listings of regional producers visit www.uge.asn.au

For listings of regional cool climate wines visit  www.uppergoulburnwine.org.au

For listings of Olive growers, Olive oil and products visit www.goulburnstrathbogieolives.com.au

Yileena Park is a small boutique winery nestled at the foot of the Christmas Hills just out of Yarra Glen. It’s run by the owners, Bob and Dianne Curtis who share a passion for their winery and the wines they produce. According to Dianne, Yileena Park means, “dream come true”, and for Dianne and Bob it has been just that.

The north facing vineyard is home to small acreage lots of Pinot Noir, Cab Sav and Merlot which produce fantastic wines that have great depths of colour and character.

These wines can be enjoyed in one of the most unique cellar doors in the Yarra Valley. It’s a sandstone design that’s embedded into the hillside for perfect cellaring conditions. A timber panelled staircase leads to a tasting room featuring an open fire place, an ornate Victorian mantle and a superbly finished granite bar. French doors then open up onto a large deck which features views over the vineyard. The cellar door also makes a perfect place for an intimate wedding and can be hired for corporate meetings as well.

If you are a foreign tourist you will want to visit late in the afternoon when the kangaroos hop down to graze among the vines. It’s a pretty unique experience, sitting on a balcony enjoying some of the best wine the Yarra Valley has to offer and watching a group of iconic native animals at play.

Yileena Park is one of the nineteen wineries that make up the Smaller Wineries group. This year they are holding the inaugural Harvest Feast on the 27th and 28th of march. For more information on this event click here.

	245 Steels Creek Road Yarra Glen 3775 Victoria Australia		info@yileenapark.com.au
	Phone: 03 9730 1977 Fax: 03 9730 1355