Yering sits pretty comfortably in the Yarra Valley, about an hour outside of Melbourne’s central business district. Drive down Melba Highway, and you’ll see vineyards and old estates popping up between stretches of wide open farmland, with the Yarra Ranges stretching out beyond. To be honest, there’s barely a town centre to speak of, and that’s part of what makes the place so charming.
The space between the wineries is what really sticks out in my mind. Cellar doors are spread out, with rows of vines, rolling paddocks and country roads in between – nothing feels likeit’ss been staged for visitors. Ifthat’ss what you’re after, come to Yering for the space and wine history as much as the wine itself. Give yourself half a day to swing by one or two cellar doors, or stay on for lunch and see where the day takes you. If you’re after shops and a village centre, head on over to Yarra Glen instead.
Experience The Wine Country
The wine country around Yering is all about taking it easy: historic estates are scattered through the vines and farmland, so the real character of the place comes from the bits in between the cellar doors, not just the tastings themselves.
Victoria’s First Vineyard
Yering Station is the real anchor of the area: the Ryrie brothers were amongst the first to plant vines here, and Paul de Castella helped turn it into the estate it is today. You can still pop into the old winery — now a cellar door — and taste some wine in the very spot where it all started.
Cellar door tastings will set you back A$15-35 per person, but that fee gets knocked off if you buy any wine on the spot. And don’t forget to check the prices on Sundays and public holidays; they’re a bit pricier. 45-60 minutes is a good chunk of time to allocate, and smaller groups can usually just stroll on in, but if you’re in a bigger group, or want a private experience, it’s worth booking ahead.
A Smaller Cellar Door
Then there’s Yering Farm Wines, which offers a completely different vibe: a family-owned place where the vines share the property with an apple and pear orchard. And they’ve even got cider and simple platters to snack on — it feels like a whole different scale of winemaking.
How you choose to do things really depends on your priorities. Start off at Yering Station for the history, then pop on over to Yering Farm if you’ve got time for a second cellar door — together they’ll give you a pretty good idea of the different ways winemaking works in the Yarra Valley. Just keep in mind that prices and hours at Yering Farm might not be entirely up to date, so it’s always a good idea to check in before heading out.
Make Lunch Part Of The Day
After a couple of cellar doors, Alowyn Gardens feels like opening a window. Seven acres of garden sit just off Melba Highway, with formal spaces giving way to softer planting and a different mood as the seasons turn.
Adult entry is currently A$17, making the gardens a relatively inexpensive way to put an hour or so between glasses. Children 12 and under enter free, which also makes this one of the easier family-friendly stops around Yarra Glen.
With children, or simply when nobody wants another booking, Yarra Valley Chocolaterie & Ice Creamery is easier still. Entry is free, and a small guided chocolate tasting is available for a few dollars. It works because there is little commitment involved; not every stop needs to become an event.
For something quieter, continue towards TarraWarra Museum of Art. Although it fits naturally into a Yarra Glen itinerary, the museum is officially in Healesville. Adult admission is currently A$18.
The building, art and surrounding country make the detour feel less like another attraction and more like a change of register. For a group split between wine drinkers and everyone else, I would choose the museum or gardens over a third tasting.
See More Than The Vineyards
Back in Yarra Glen, everything contracts around Bell Street. Cafés, the Post Office, and the heritage-listed Yarra Valley Grand Hotel are located in a centre that is easy to understand. There is no grand sightseeing circuit, and none is needed.
What I remember is how abruptly the town releases you. A few minutes from Bell Street, the shopfronts are behind you, and the view has opened again to paddocks, vines and the low country beyond.
That rural history survives at Gulf Station, a National Trust property on Melba Highway. The important detail here is not the admission price but the calendar: Gulf Station currently opens only twice a month.
If your dates coincide, make room for it. If they do not, keep driving.
The Yarra Glen Racecourse can alter the mood just as dramatically. Yarra Valley Racing, Thoroughbred meetings, the Yarra Glen Cup, and market days bring crowds that are largely absent on an ordinary weekday. Check what’s on before booking accommodation; a quiet wine weekend and a race weekend can feel like two different Yarra Glens.
Plan A Day That Actually Fits
Distances are short, but tastings and a long lunch quickly fill the day, so Yering rewards a simple itinerary with fewer, better-chosen stops.
| Experience | Allow | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yering Station tasting | 45–60 min | A$15–35 pp | Wine history and a first Cellar Door |
| Tasting + winery lunch | 2.5–3 hrs | From ~A$100 pp | A slower, food-led visit |
| Two cellar doors | 3–4 hrs | Varies | A relaxed half day |
| Eastern Golf Club | Half day | A$150 pp | Making golf the main activity |
| Full day in Yering | Most of the day | Depends on lunch and tastings | Two cellar doors, lunch and country time |
Drive to Yering,g and it’s about an hour’s trip from Melbourne’s CBD. Once you get there, driving is the way to go because the wineries and other bits and bobs are scattered all over the countryside. If wine is the star of the show, make sure you’ve got a designated non-driving friend or sort out some transport.
For a half-day trip, one big cellar door experience (like Yering Station) plus a visit to Yering Farm Wines or a nature spot is plenty. Alternatively, a full day lets you pop into two cellar doors and grab some lunch. It’s worth resisting the temptation to cram too much in: you’ll find that Yering is at its best when you’ve got some time to chill between stops.
If you’re heading out when the sun is scorching, check the CFA and VicEmergency websites to see whether any fire restrictions are in place. Yering is in the highest-risk part of the state, and the rules can change depending on the season and weather conditions.
If you want to explore other options, you could try Yarra Glen; it’s got some decent town facilities, or Coldstream, which has St Hubert’s as well as loads more wineries to try. Just worth noting, though, that Yarra Yering is actually not in Yering at all; it’s in Gruyere.
