dotheyarravalley.com.au

Saturday the 17th of July 2010 marked the return of a regular timetabled train service within the Yarra Valley. The Hon Tim Holding Minister for Tourism and Major Events, helped Bill Snell, the last train driver to drive a train from Healesville, to cut the ribbon and officially open the superbly restored Walker Rail-Motor “RM22″. Other special guests included, Margaret Howie, who travelled to school every morning on the RM22 between 1956 and 1961, (Read Margaret’s Story here) and Ben Hardman the Member for Seymour.

The volunteers of the railway have reached a goal that has taken many years to achieve. The goal was to replace the existing trolley service with a train passenger service. To achieve this goal 4 bridges and 4kms of track required restoration to a standard capable for train operations.

Track restoration work has been ongoing since 1989. In 2006-2010, increased volunteer activity and increased resources to purchase track materials has resulted in great progress to track restoration during this period. The track required timber sleepers to be replaced and the track to be lifted and packed with ballast. Sleeper replacement in the running section from Healesville to the tunnel is complete and ready for train action. The largest bridge, the Watts River Bridge, required $100,000 worth of materials to rebuild with these funds supplied from a State Government Grant.

On 9th December 1980, the communities surrounding Healesville and Yarra Glen bid farewell to the Rail Motor Service. The last passenger train on the Lilydale to Healesville line was provided by rail-motors, ceased.

The Passenger Service will resume with Walker Rail-Motor “RM22”, a project that railway volunteers have worked on for over two years restoring the rail motor to “as new” condition. The Walker has been lent to the Railway by the Australian Railways Historical Society and was transported from the Williamstown Museum in 2006.

RM22 is a single carriage diesel rail-motor that once plied the Lilydale to Healesville line, and one which many residents of the area would have once travelled. It will be a very rewarding moment to return RM22 back to the Healesville Line.

The Yarra Valley Railway has won 2 national awards for the restoration projects in the last 2 years. The Association of Tourist & Heritage Railways Australia’s [ATHRA] Infrastructure Restoration Award for 2008, for the completion of the Watts River timber trestle bridge.

Tourist Railways from all over Australia are invited each year to nominate for these awards covering many different categories. The Watts River Bridge Project was selected by ATHRA for this award over other projects from all over Australia.

The second award was won at the 2009 Association of Tourist and Heritage Railways of Australia (ATHRA) awards held in Queensland. The YVR received the “ARTHA Passenger Vehicle Restoration Award 2009” for the restoration of RM22.

What’s Special about this Railway?

• The Yarra Valley Railway has enormous potential as a major tourist attraction. The railway runs through the heart of the Yarra Valley. The Yarra Valley attractions include Wineries, Accommodation, B&B’s, Markets, Racecourses and the Healesville Sanctuary.
• The large volume of passing traffic in the area over the weekend on Melba Hwy and Maroondah Hwy is significant.
• The line offers views of flood plans, dairy farms, vineyards, mountains and forests. The YVR is the only tourist railway in Victoria with a tunnel.

Running Days > 10am – 4pm

• Sundays and Public Holidays,
• School Holidays > Wednesday to Sunday.
• Bookings made anytime by request (Conditions Apply).

For more information about the Yarra Valley Railway visit their Website at – www.yvr.com.au

Lake Mountain Resort is Melbourne’s closest and most family friendly alpine destination. It is also Australia’s Premier Cross Country Skiing Resort with over 30km of pristine trails that are ideally suited to beginners, intermediates and experts alike.  Backed up by a fantastic day lodge, a great Ski School and a designated tobogganing area for kids, the resort provides a great alpine experience for its guests.

Resort Activities

• Cross Country Skiing
• Tobogganing
• Snowshoeing
• Snowmobile Tours NEW FOR 2010
• Snow Play
• Camping
• Mountain Biking – (Summer only but the new trails are fantastic!)

Winter 2010 Events

Family Fun Day – Saturday 12th June, snow season opening event
Mini Series One – Sunday 18th July, kids ski race day
Mini Series Two – Sunday 25th July, kids ski race day
Mini Series Three – Saturday 14th August, kids ski race day
Bullfight Charge – Saturday 14th August, main ski race for the season
Lake Mountain Cup – Saturday 21st August, toboggan race day

Gate Entry Prices – Per Day

• Mid Week – Car $25
• Weekends – Car $35
• Public/School Holidays – Car $35
• Mid Week (Seniors) – Car $15
• Weekend (Seniors) – Car $35
• Motorbike – $12

Don’t Forget

• The resort gates open at 7am and close at 6:30pm
• No animals are allowed within the Resort.
• There is no on mountain accommodation.
• Mobile Phone Coverage is provided by Telstra 3G only.
• Free shuttle bus services are provided from lower car parks.

Finally The Top Reasons to Visit

• Lake Mountain is only 2 hours drive from Melbourne making it the closest Alpine Resort to Melbourne.
• With no chairlifts, visitors only have to pay a trail head fee of $12 per adult and $6 per child to use the XC ski trails. Combine this with lower fuel costs and it makes Lake Mountain the cheapest Alpine Resort to visit for Melbourne residents.
• Visiting Lake Mountain provides guests with a great opportunity to help the local economy of Marysville by enjoying the hospitality of this great town at the base of Lake Mountain.
• Finally the drive through the Yarra Valley including the famous Black Spur section between Healesville & Narbethong only adds to a great day out.

For more information on Lake Mountain Resort including current conditions and snow cams be sure to visit their website here.

Gulf Station is located about an hour from Melbourne’s CBD in the Yarra Valley and is one of the oldest and most intact timber farm complexes in Australia. Built in the 1850s, the historic homestead is surrounded by many original outbuildings such as the barn, dairy, schoolhouse and butcher shop.  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.

As well as this, according to the Gulf Station website, “the National Trust is working with Heritage Victoria to save an 1870’s prefabricated timber house from North Croydon which is of State significance and that was threatened by development. This important property will be relocated to Gulf Station to further develop facilities for visitors and educational groups.”

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.

Healesville Sanctuary has just opened its brand new dramatic rocky high country exhibit, Dingo Country.

Over the years the Dingo has received some pretty bad press, so it’s refreshing to be able to learn the truth about these beautiful creatures. This brand new exhibit has been developed for the Sanctuary’s five Dingoes – and to prepare for puppies later this year! The open enclosure offers excellent viewing for all visitors including young children.

Tania from Do The Yarra Valley spoke to Sue Jaensch a Dingo keeper at the Sanctuary and was surprised to learn that due to loss of habitat and interbreeding, the Dingo has now become a threatened species in Victoria. Watch the video below for the full story on the new exhibit.

Apart from the wildlife experience there is something else about Healesville Sanctuary that makes it a very special place to visit and that’s the people who work there. For so many of them, securing a position at the Sanctuary has been their life’s dream. Speak to any of the employees or volunteers and you find they all share a passion and love for the Sanctuary that is so strong you can feel it in the air.

With so many dedicated, skilled and experienced people working at the Sanctuary it’s no wonder it continues to be Australia’s most popular wildlife experience.

If you haven’t been for a while, you should put it on the top of your “To Do” list and if you’ve never been – you’re life is not complete!

Healesville Sanctuary is open every day of the year including public holidays from 9am to 5pm. For more information visit their website.

Interested in becoming a Zoo Keeper – learn about the Keeper for a Day program – watch our video

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.

If you have ridden the famous Warburton Rail Trail and thought you could tick off cycling in the Yarra Valley, then I’m afraid you have to pencil in an O’Shannassy Trail ride.

What’s so amazing about the O’Shannassy trail is that it’s remained relatively unknown and unused. Yet this is a trail, which in terms of showing off the beauty of the region feels like a natural extension of the Warburton Rail Trail. Where the Warburton trail provides the gorgeous views of the Yarra Ranges National Park, it’s the O’Shannassy trail that allows you to experience the raw beauty of a Mountain Ash forest that has been protected for nearly 100 years.

Like the Warburton Trail, the O’Shannassy trail too has it’s own unique story to tell. The trail follows the old maintenance road of the O’Shannassy Aqueduct, which was built, between 1911 & 1914. An added benefit of the trail following the Aqueduct, is that the ride is almost entirely flat which increases its appeal for users of all ages and abilities.

In 1997 management of the trail was handed over to Parks Victoria and since then the trail has been progressively opened up to trail users. To date five car parks have been built along the route to make the trail more accessible and user friendly.

Depending on how far you want to ride, there are a few options for riders, however my picks are:

Short Ride Tip

Park at the Yuonga Road and ride the 6.8km to the Dee Road Car Park and enjoy a rest and a bite to eat with a sublime view of the valley below. From here you can either ride back to Yuonga Road or ride down Dee Road and reconnect with the Warburton Trail for an easy ride back into Warburton. Once in Warburton, enjoy a break at Three Sugars Café before tackling the steep climb up to the Yuonga Road Carpark.

Total Distance – Approximately 16km

Long Ride Trip

Park at the designated car park on Ewarts Road. A sign on the trail gate says the 200m section of the trail is closed between Ewarts & Don Rd, however with no parking on Don Road, its best to ignore this sign and use the trail. From Don Road there is a short steep climb and then it’s flat riding all the way to the Yuonga Road Carpark. Currently the section between Yuonga Road and the Acheron Way is under construction, so riders will need to ride down Yuonga Road and turn left at the Acheron Way. Approximately 1.5km up the Acheron Way the trail rejoins on the right hand side at the first left hairpin. From here the trail follows a short series of descending switchbacks before flattening out again. The views of the valley are particularly stunning here and it’s a great way to finish up before riding back along the Warburton Highway to Warburton. Once in Warburton take a break before tackling the 1.5km long gradual climb up Dee Road and then turn left onto the trail for the last 5.5km back to your car.

Total Distance – approximately 41 kilometres

If you like your Mountain Bike rides served with a touch of style and adventure then you will want to read about the Granite Grand at Lake Mountain.

If my memory serves me correctly, not so long ago most weekends involved at least one family picnic with friends. Is it just me, or does it seem like that delightful distraction from the cares of the world – the family picnic - is losing popularity? We hope not. Anyway this story may be just what we need to rekindle our picnic spirit.

The Yarra Valley has so many wonderful spots to throw down a rug and unpack the picnic basket and this is certainly one of them. The forest walks among the towering Mountain Ash and the 200 year old tree ferns is a highlight. Not to mention the gentle gurgling of the crystal clear water of the Badger Creek as it tickles the rocks on its way by.

The facilities include shingle roof rotundas, landscaped grounds, wood barbecues, toilets and plenty of parking.

To get a feel for the experience watch our web video below:

	Badger Weir Picnic grounds is located 7km from Healesville (Melway Ref 278 K9). From Melbourne follow the Maroondah Highway through Lilydale to Healesville and then follow the signs.		The park is open every day of the year from 9.00am. Please observe park closing signs.