dotheyarravalley.com.au

Gulf Station in Yarra Glen is one of the most original timber farms left in Australia. The complex which was built in the 1850s is home to an historic homestead and original buildings like the barn, schoolhouse, butcher shop and dairy.  Join Tania, from Do The Yarra Valley for a quick video tour.

It’s pretty hard to beat a sunny Autumn afternoon spent strolling through a historic homestead, watching blacksmiths at work, men chopping wood, children blowing bubbles and enjoying a hot cuppa accompanied by a fluffy scone topped with local strawberry jam and fresh cream. If that sounds good to you then brace yourselves for some bad news. Gulf Station is currently closed for renovations. The good news is, it’s re-opening later this year and will be much improved with the homestead being reinterpreted and Yarra Glen’s original school house being restored.

For more information on Gulf Station visit their website.

Think you want to be a Zoo Keeper? Then this is for you.

Keeper for a Day at Healesville Sanctuary is designed as a careers program for secondary school students in years 9 and above. We joined the program and followed a group of students as they went behind the scenes at Australia’s most popular wildlife attraction. We were impressed by the quite enthusiasm of the group we spent the day with. Watch our video below to see what it’s all about.

Of all the choices we have to make in life, choosing a career path has to top the list as the most important and difficult. The aim of this program is to give students a feel for what’s involved in the everyday life of a zoo keeper. At Healesville Sanctuary this means working with native Australian animals. It’s a full day of activity that includes, enclosure maintenance, animal health checks, egg making (plaster eggs used in the birds of prey show), animal enrichment, keeper talks, food preparation and animal handling.

Numbers are limited to 20 students, so if you want to participate in this program we suggest you book well in advance.

Upcoming Program Dates:

Term 2 holidays: June 29, 30 July 6, 7
Term 3 holidays: Sept 21, 22, 28, 29

Time:
9.30 am – 3.30 pm.

Year level:
Year 9 and above

Cost:
$99.00 (includes morning tea)
BYO Lunch

Healesville Sanctuary has recently opened its new Dingo Country exhibit – read the full story.

If you are looking for budget accommodation in the Yarra Valley,  you don’t get much cheaper than $30 a night for a family.

That’s just one of the many reasons to consider camping. Here are some others:

• It’s peaceful
• You can get away from technology
• It forces you to slow down
• You can sit around a camp fire and talk
• You get plenty of fresh air
• You can gaze up at the night sky
• Your stress and troubles tend to vanish away
• Surely that’s enough reasons to make you want to do it!

If you need more watch our camping video below.

Here’s a list of camping spots in the Yarra Valley region:

BIG4 Badger Creek Holiday Park	BIG4 Bager Creek Holiday Park located in Healesville caters for everyone! The AAAT 4.5 Star rated Caravan Park offers camping, cabin accommodation and there’s even a homestead for larger groups. Guests can enjoy Badger Creek which flows alongside the property and there is also BBQ’s, Recreation Rooms and a Swimming pool to enjoy.
Healesville Tourist Park	Healesville Tourist Park offers caravan and cabin accommodation. Facilities include in ground pool, undercover BBQ area, children’s playground and a function room available for hire. For more details visit their website.
Kinglake National Park	Kinglake National Park offers camping at the Gums Camping grounds. This campground is popular with families and is set next to a mountain creek. Facilities include toilets, free public BBQ, picnic tables and fire places.  Campers must pre book and there is a cost. For more details visit the website.
Black Spur Motel & Caravan Park	Is under new management! The Park which fortunately suffered no damage during the bushfires is surrounded by lush green forest and offers motel rooms, cabins and campsite accommodation. Facilities include mini golf, children’s playground, BBQ area, Recreation room and camp kitchen. For more info please visit their website.
Warburton Caravan & Camping Park	Enjoys over 1km of Yarra River frontage and the park has over 100 powered sites and several acres available for general camping. Facilities include 4 amenity blocks, coin laundry with dryers, tennis court and undercover BBQ facilities. For further info visit their website.

The Yarra Glen Art Show is now on 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 is in a large marquee in the ‘Maple Courtyard’, which is adjacent to the Main Gardens.

Watch our video below as Tania takes a tour of the show and talks to Heather Smith from the organising committee.

April 2 – 5; Good Friday to Easter Monday

Open 10am – 5pm daily

For full details visit the Yarra Glen Art Show Website:

Not Just Another Dam Park!

Maroondah Reservoir Park, or Maroondah Dam as it’s more commonly known, is located just over an hour east of Melbourne along the Maroondah Highway. If you are planning a trip to the Yarra Valley it’s a great place to stop and stretch your legs. Explore the gardens or walk the path to the top of the dam wall. The car park is situated at the base of the dam wall and from there it’s a surprisingly short walk to the top. From the wall you can enjoy the magnificent panoramic views across the dam and look back over the walls edge to the gardens below.

Watch our video below to get a feel for the park and learn about some of the features including the time capsules.

There is plenty of wildlife to see and depending on where you walk you may catch a glimpse of any of the following: wombats, wallabies, echidnas, lyrebirds, Bronzewings, Cockatoos, Galahs, Sacred Ibis, King Parrots, Crimson Rosellas, and, in the evenings, Brushtail and Ringtail Possums, Sugar and Yellow-bellied Gliders and Tawny Frogmouths.

OPENING HOURS:
During daylight savings time: 8:30 AM until 8:00 PM
Non daylight savings time: 8.30 AM until 4:30 PM

FACILITIES:
There are free wood and electric barbecues, picnic tables, boiling hot water on tap for making hot drinks, play ground, toilets and walking trails.

GETTING THERE:
To plan your route  - type in your address and click get directions.

Mathew’s career has been as rich and exciting as the culinary delights he has become famous for.

Mathew’s career began at The Snooty Fox, a quaint little restaurant on the popular Dandenong Tourist Road. From there it was all up, securing a position at the iconic Café Cuccina in Melbourne’s trendy South Yarra to Hotel Sofitel.  Mathew describes his experience there, under the direction of Raymond Capaldi and Marcus Moore as,”The best training a young chef could get.” From there it was off to Daylesford’s award winning Lake House where he progressed to Head Chef. During his nine years at the Lake House he made “guest chef” appearances in New Zealand, Fiji and Dubais. Mathew was awarded the title of Australia’s “Best Sous Chef” and chose as his prize a six week appointment at the famed New York Restaurant Daniel.

We caught up with Mathew at a recent demonstration at Ferndale Farmgate’s first Gourmet Greenhouse Farmers Market and asked him about his inspiration and his love of the Yarra Valley. Watch the interview below:

If you’d like to enjoy Mathew’s exquisite approach to food visit Chateau Yering’s Eleonore’s Restaurant or Sweetwater Cafe

To book call 1800 237 333