HEALESVILLE

Healesville

Get your foodie fix in Healesville, a regional food and wine hub surrounded by stunning scenery, before experiencing iconic encounters of the wildlife kind.

Meet your favourite Australian animals
Stare into the snarling jaws of a Tasmanian Devil and peer at a joey in its mother's pouch at Healesville Sanctuary. Get up-close-and-personal to 200 species of native wildlife on meandering paths and walk-through exhibits.

Wine and dine any way you like
You may be in awe of the iconic names of Healesville's wineries, including Domaine Chandon, Rochford Wines and Coldstream Hills, but the approachable winemakers ensure a visit to the cellar door is both educational and entertaining.

Pick up some winery specials to enjoy with a gourmet picnic in the peaceful fern gullies and mountain ash at Badger Weir Park.

Sate your appetite in town with gourmet pizzas and artisan breads at Giant Steps/Innocent Bystander, or a posh pub meal at Healesville Hotel.

Local artistic culture
Find artistic inspiration at Toolangi Pottery and in the handcrafted jewellery at Silvermist Gallery. Snap up vintage bargains in second-hand shops or hand-made items at Healesville Community Market.

Things to do

Healesville Sanctuary

The place Melburnians take visitors for a look at native animals, including the camera-shy platypus, koalas, dingoes and eagles.

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Yarra Valley Railway

See the Yarra Valley from a completely new perspective on a heritage railway ride through a brick tunnel on the Yarra Valley Tourist Railway.

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Yarra Ranges National Park

Spot the endangered Leadbeater's Possum around the vital catchment for Melbourne's water supply, home to forests of mountain ash, rainforest and fern gullies.

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Giant Steps/Innocent Bystander

Watch the Giant Steps and Innocent Bystander wines as they're handmade while sipping fresh coffee, artisan breads, gourmet pizza and the house wines.

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TarraWarra Museum of Art

Taste fine wines, dine in the stunning restaurant and browse Australian modern art from the 1950s onwards in major exhibitions and the permanent collection.

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Major events

Rochford Concert Series – December-March
Yarra Valley Open Studios – September

How to get there

Healesville is just under an hour from Melbourne on the Maroondah Highway. Travel north-east on the Eastern Freeway and continue onto Eastlink tollway. Exit at Ringwood Bypass and turn left onto the Maroondah Highway and follow the road through Ringwood and Lilydale to Healesville.