Activities and Attractions
Although Woodlands is a destination in itself, there is so much to see and do whilst visiting the region.
The township of Healesville offers a great selection of restaurants, cafes and shops open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.The Healesville Hotel dining room offers a mouth watering menu in an elegant setting, as well as their Kitchen and Butcher store next door, offering a stunning array of meats and cheeses, pickles relishes and artisan breads, along with other local delicacies and a selection of fabulous kitchenware available for purchase. www.healesvillehotel.com.au
Healesville Sanctuary, formally known as the Sir Colin Mackenzie Sanctuary, is a zoo specialising in native Australian animals. It is located in Healesville in rural Victoria. The Healesville Sanctuary is a great way to spend a few hours getting up close with the exhibits. www.zoo.org.au/healesville
There are a host of wineries that make up the vast wine region of the Yarra Valley, each offering their own array of wines and dining options.
An elegant degustation lunch or dinner at Ezard at Levantine Hill signature restaurant and winery with its stunning decor and exquisite menu is an experience not to be missed. Tastings are available from the cellar door and they offer an excellent selection of wines. For an outstanding and unforgettable experience, bespoke helicopter tours depart from Woodlands direct to Levantine Hill. www.levantinehill.com.au
On the outskirts of Healesville you will find Rochford Winery, venue for the Day on the Green series of concerts through the warmer months, with some big names appearing and attractive concert packages on offer. Isabella’s restaurant is open 7-days a week offering French-Mediterranean inspired cuisine, as well as their new il Vigneto Pizzeria. Cellar door and gift shop also open 7 days.Visit the Rochford website at www.rochfordwines.com.au
Lower the windows and savour the fragrance of the Australian bush as you pass through the forest. Gaze up at the immense mountain ash trees, which scatter the sunlight on the cool understorey of green ferns below. At the base of the Black Spur you will find Fernshaw picnic area with rest facilities. You can also utilise the picnic facilities at Dom Dom in Marysville State Forest. www.visityarravalley.com.au
Once you have settled in to your cottage at Woodlands, there is no need to leave town for a top quality restaurant meal. Our partners at the Black Spur Inn offer a cosy restaurant or more casual bar setting complete with roaring Coonaras if you’d like to dine out in an enchanting, historic country inn. Also offering a courtesy vehicle with a pick up and drop off service to your door, there is no need to drive and plenty of opportunity to enjoy the fabulous cuisine, warm hospitality…and an extra glass of your favorite tipple. www.blackspurinn.com.au
There’s nothing more enjoyable than sharing wine and stories in a beautiful setting; it’s an experience to be savoured. That’s the welcoming offer from Little River Wines, in the secluded Little River Valley abutting the Cathedral Ranges State Park at Taggerty. Taste the individual character of the sparkling and still table wines and chat with hosts, Christine and Philip Challen, on the crafts of organic (and permaculture) viticulture and winemaking. Tastings by appointment only. Little River is the Aussie Wine Month 2016 Winner – Best Cellar Door Experience and has a current 4-Star rating with James Halliday. www.littleriverwines.com.au
This side of the Black Spur another world of discovery awaits. Nestled within stunning mountain ranges and forests, there are endless mountain hikes to choose from, many mapped for your convenience, offering challenges for the first timer all the way to the experienced bush walker. Bike riding (both the pedal and engine powered) offers a host of tracks, as well as road trips. Forests are scattered with beautiful picnic spots, amazing scenery and fresh air and water in spades. The quaint town of Marysville is the home of Stephensons Falls – Victoria’s highest waterfall. Flood lit at night, it’s a sight to behold and well worth a visit. www.marysvilletourism.com/things_to_do/steavenson-falls
The original and unique artworks of sculptor and painter Bruno Torfs continues to bring joy and inspiration to visitors. Nestled among luscious rainforest setting lives a collection of unforgettable characters lovingly hand crafted by Bruno from clay and fired onsite in his kiln. Bruno has created a world rich with fantast and insightful beauty derived from his imagination and inspired by his intrepid journets to some of the world’s most intriguing and remote regions.
The Marysville Information and Regional Artspace (MIRA) is located right in the heart of Marysville’s main street. The centre is staffed 7 days a week, between 10.00am-4.00pm daily (Closed Christmas Day), providing relevant and up-to-date information about places to stay, things to do and upcoming events in the region. The Phoenix Museum is also located at the Centre, sharing first hand accounts of Black Saturday and the recovery story since. 11 Murchisons Street, Marysville, Vic. 3779 Tel: 03 5963 4567 Email: info@marysvilletourism.com
Lake Mountain Ski Resort is a short half hour drive away and is open all year round, with cross country skiing on groomed trails to tobogganing for the young (and young at heart) during the winter months, and a range of activities available during the summer months, with mountain biking, laser skirmish, tube run and a flying fox to name a few.
There are limited dining options available in Marysville, with many businesses lost to the 2009 Black Saturday fires. However the little town has rebuilt and there are several places to head to for lunch or dinner or to buy supplies. All offer scrumptious menus that change seasonally, in a friendly and warm environment. Country hospitality the way it should be and always has been. Venues to dine in town include The Duck Inn (03 5963 3437), Elevation 423 Bar and Grill (0455 046 423), Fragas Cafe (03 5963 3216), Keppel Cafe (0492 879 503), Marysville Bakery (03 5963 3477) and Radius Restaurant at Vibe Hotel (03 5957 7700).
Less than an hour from Marysville, Lake Eildon is one of Victoria’s most popular holiday resorts. It has 515 km shoreline and stores six times as much water as Sydney Harbour at full supply level. Abutting the lake is the Lake Eildon National Park. Eildon has been a popular holiday destination for many years and is home to a substantial houseboat fleet. In spring and summer, the lake’s long quiet reaches and deep waters attract trout fisherman, water skiers and houseboaters. The lake has both public and private harbours where hundreds of craft are moored. Facililties around the lake include caravan parks, camping grounds, motels, houseboat hire and services, picnic areas and public boat ramps.
Flower delivery Melbourne. Whether it’s one of our famous mixed posies for your Aunts birthday in Ferntree Gully, some bright and happy Gerberas for a get well surprise when your bestie’s got the sniffles in Brunswick or a Thank You to your workmate in Melbourne CBD for covering for you when you took a cheeky long lunch. Don’t forget you can also send balloons, chocolates and champagne along with your flowers, to mark an extra special occasion.
With only one web page to try and outline the endless activities that await, it would be impossible to include all the places of interest within one web page, however we do guarantee that if it’s fresh air, stunning scenery, peace and quiet and a relaxing break less than two hours’ drive from Melbourne CBD, you will have have come to the right place.
We hope you enjoy your stay…
Murrindindi Markets
Alexandra Market
2nd Saturday of the month
9am – 1pm Alexandra Timber Tramway, Station Street, Alexandra
Come and enjoy the atmosphere catering for all tastes and interests featuring plants, herbs, local produce, unique handicrafts, bric-a-brac and collectables. Refreshments available with a coffee cart, BBQ and cold drinks. Free entry and parking and for a small donation, enjoy a train ride around the historic Alexandra Tramway grounds.
Jane 0427 509 988
market@alexandratramway.org.au
www.alexandratramway.org.au
Bollygum Community Market
2nd Sunday of the month
9am – 1pm Bollygum Park, 40 Whittlesea – Kinglake Rd, Kinglake
The kids can play in the unique adventure playground as you soak up the market’s relaxing atmosphere, search for special treasures, try fantastic local produce and much much more.
Cheryl 5786 1696
cheryl.phillips@smartchat.net.au
www.bollygumpark.org.au
Flowerdale Community Market
3rd Sunday of the month
9am – 1pm Flowerdale Community Hall,
Yea – Whittlesea Road, Flowerdale
Country market stalls with arts, crafts, vegies, plants, bric-a-brac and lots more. Hot food, Devonshire teas and cold drinks available. New stall holders welcome, $10 a stall.
Alison 5780 1223
Alron27@bigpond.com
Kinglake Produce & Artisan Market
4th Sunday of the month
9am – 2pm Kinglake Township
Cnr Heidelburg-Kinglake Rd &Healesville-Kinglake Rd, Kinglake
Traditional produce market. Buy direct from the grower, producer or maker. Producers offer the best local, fresh, seasonal produce. Includes displays from many talented local artists.
Robyn 5786 1976
info@kinglakemarket.com.au
www.kinglakemarket.com.au
Marysville Community Market
2nd & 4th Sunday of the month
9am – 1pm Murchison Street, Marysville
Crafts, gifts, clothing, plants, soap, preserves, jams, chutneys, olive oil, honey, fresh fruit and vegetables and wine. Additional stallholders invited.
Louise 0405 146 961
olivetto@bigpond.com
Yarck Country Market
3rd Saturday of the month
9am – 1.30pm Yarck Hall, Maroondah Highway, Yarck
The market helps to fund the hall maintenance and provides an outlet for local produce, jams, craft, plants and wines.
5773 4304
walsh145@me.com
www.visityarck.com.au