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.

On the second Saturday of every month Mont De Lancey holds a unique country market. Having around 20 stalls, it’s not on the scale of the Healesville Craft Market, however the goods on offer are top quality and the setting and atmosphere make this market well worth putting on your market list.

As well as the market stalls, there’s pony rides, face painting, Blacksmiths, and wood turning.  To get a feel for what this market has to offer, watch the Web TV epsiode below, as Tania from Do The Yarra Valley takes a quick tour.

As well as the market, Mont De Lancey is host to a Blacksmithing group who meet every weekend at the authentic Blacksmith Shop. Their aim is to keep this ancient craft alive by sharing their knowledge and skills.  According to Fritz, a Blacksmith of 50 years, belting the living daylights out of hot metal is also “very therapeutic”. For those interested in this type of therapy they offer a four-week course and no experience is necessary. We will be devoting a full story to the Blacksmithing Group in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.

Most market days you can also watch the historical re-enactment group practicing in the paddocks around the property. The sight of Scottish, British and French soldiers being charged at full gallop by the cavalry, always makes for spectacular viewing.

The market is open from 9am to 1pm on market days (2nd Saturday of each month).

Entry is by gold coin donation.

For more information call the Country Market Co-Ordinator on 5964 2088. Or visit the Mont De Lancey 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

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…

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