Andrew Harris unwinds on a Yarra Valley loop and wisely spends his time sampling some of the delightful produce of the region.
Some might dream of touring the Yarra Valley in the back of a chauffeured Rolls Royce, stepping out into the fresh air only to bridge the gap between saloon door and cellar door. But, on a clear autumn day, the Yarra Valley is a stunning place to ride. Leaves turn a patina of golds and bronzes; fields green with the first few showers of the season; the sky takes on an impossibly deep peacock blue. Rolling along the Healesville – Yarra Glen Rd feels like a ride through a vintner’s Eden.
Sipper’s Circuit
The best way to sample the delights of the Yarra Valley by bike is a 34km road loop from Yarra Glen and around east to Healesville, and then north out of Healesville and west back to Yarra Glen. Although there are designated bike lanes for much of the way, there can be a lot of traffic, particularly on weekends. Take care, and use the spittoon – as the experts will tell you, you can taste without swallowing.
Don’t be fooled by the apparent shortness of the loop – ideally you’d have two days to spare, so you don’t have to rush the plonk and produce, and you’d pack a pannier or backpack to stay the night in Healesville – there’s just too much to do. If you’re keen to squeeze everything into one day, you’ll miss a lot of what’s on offer, but you can still get a lot out of the trip – just make sure you’re at your first stop as early as possible.
Getting Cheesy
My first port of call is the Yarra Valley Dairy. Apart from their magic persian fetta, this cheese maker produces a brilliant award-winning Ashed Pyramid goatsmilk cheese, with a surprising citrus tang to its strong goaty flavour.
Tasting white cheeses is somehow much lighter on the belly than a yellow cheese journey, something I’m grateful for back in the saddle.
Turning left off the highway onto St Huberts Rd, I stop in at the winery of the same name. St Hubert’s, with its pretty little cellar door, is known for its stellar Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon. It does away with the glitz and glamour of the bigger players and creates a relaxed, homely spot that’s rather difficult to tear yourself away from.
Just up the road is home to the best cider I’ve tasted. With lush apple groves sharing the stage with the vines, Punt Road Wines brews the French-style Napoleone & Co apple cider, named after the family that continues to own and run the winery. It’s mildy sweet, full-flavoured, a little dry on the finish and super-refreshing after a bit of a ride.
Post-cider, I pass the famous Domaine Chandon, already well into the middle of the day, and continue along to Rochford Winery, a renowned winery and often-times concert venue – at the end of May you’ll be able to dismount and dance along with the Salsa Beats Festival 2010.
For now there’s no time to salsa – I’ve got a seriously good lunch waiting for me. After a steepish, winding descent down to and across the Yarra River, it’s a gradual climb up to the main street of Healesville.
Hearty Healesville
The Healesville Hotel Dining Room is the fanciest component of a culinary complex at the heart of this darling little town, with cafe, bistro and restaurant options.
Though there’s nowhere obvious to lock a bike up out the front, you can just as easily wheel your machine round the back, and either sit by the window in the Dining Room, or outside at a cafe table.
I tuck into an entree featuring delectable local salmon – smoked and tartare – alongside some wonderful Yarra Valley salmon roe, and follow up with some delicate handmade gnocchi. Washed down with a special-release brew from the nearby Hargreaves Hill, it’s all the more delicious.
Note that constant stomach lining is a tried and true technique for negotiating the Yarra Valley, and can legitimise an untold many calories of what would otherwise simply be excess. Especially for bike riders.
Speaking of beer, just up the main street is the White Rabbit brewery, with its meaty dark ale. I duck my head in – bottles march down a conveyor; drinkers joke and laugh and sip – and I earmark this bunny for next time. The same goes for the suitably imposing cellar door and cafe of Giant Steps and Innocent Bystander.
On my way out of town, I see an arrowed sign with the logo of boutique Swedish bike brand Skeppshult, and get excited. I follow the arrow to the incongruously named Mud Factory, and find myself with the couple that runs the place: Greg (bike rider; Aussie) and Julia (potter, hence the mud; Swede). We chat internal gearing and handmade bikes among their showroom of Swedish linen, Swedish bikes and Julia’s fine pottery – hiring a high-quality Skeppshult (pronounced kind of like ‘Schwepshult’) for a wine ride could well add something extra to your Yarra Valley experience.
Artistic Flourish
It’s fittingly picturesque cycling all the way to the Tarrawarra Museum of Art. Leaving Healesville, a few kilometres of gentle climbing up the lower slope of Mount Rael opens up some lovely views to the left, right across the valley, and the softening late-afternoon light is ideal.
Tarrawarra itself has a rather steep driveway, though it’s all justified when I find a designated bike-lock spot at the top. Nice to have someone thinking about us riders.
Art galleries are best appreciated on a full stomach, which is just as well. I haven’t quite worked off lunch by the time I make it to Tarrawarra. A cellar door, restaurant and acclaimed gallery, the TWMA, as its known, deserves more than a brief peruse – all through autumn, the Bushfire Australia exhibition examines how wildfire imagery occurs again and again in Australian art.
Just before I hit Yarra Glen, I know I don’t want all this to end right away. I pull over onto a gravel path and into the shade of a wizened old railway bridge. It strikes me that wine tasting isn’t only about stopping to taste the rosé; it really is also about taking in the scenery along the way, and the Yarra Valley unfolds particularly unhurriedly by bike. An uncorked red needs time to breathe, and the beauty of the Yarra Valley truly deepens with each turn of the crank.
Need to know
- Kind of bike: Slick or semi-slick tyred cross-country MTB or touring bike
- Distance: 34km
- Scenery: Vineyards, distant hills, farmland
- Key Attractions: Wineries, gourmet food outlets, Tarawarra Museum of Art
- Difficulty: Medium
- Ideal for: A fun weekend ride with friends
- Overnight Stays: Yarra Glen or Healesville