Home > Melbourne > Yarra Valley Wineries and Puffing Billy Steam Train Day Tour from Melbourne
USD $128.00
Yarra Valley Wineries and Puffing Billy Steam Train Day Tour from Melbourne
Melbourne, Australia
Travel through the Dandenong Ranges and Yarra Valley wine region on a full-day tour from Melbourne. Have morning tea and see spectacular native birds in the rainforest of the Dandenongs, then ride the historic Puffing Billy Steam Train through Sherbrooke forest. Head to nearby Yarra Valley for an afternoon in Victoria's famous wine region. Enjoy three tastings at premium wineries and have the option to include a 2-course lunch paired with wine. Your knowledgeable guide shares informative commentary throughout the day.
Leave Melbourne in a comfortable air-conditioned coach and head 25 miles (40km) east to the Dandenong Ranges, where steep valleys, rushing waterfalls and a rainforest full of mountain ash trees cloak the 2,000 feet (610m) high mountains.
When you arrive in the Dandenongs, stop in at Grants Reserve for a traditional Aussie billy tea with crackers, vegemite, and lamington cake. Enjoy your tea and the fresh mountain air, then step outside to feed colorful native birds, including the crimson rosella, pink-chested galah and sulphur-crested cockatoo. Birdsong can be heard throughout the region.
After Grants Reserve, continue to Belgrave where you board the Puffing Billy Steam Train, a century-old steam train in mint condition. Relax and soak up the scenery as your train chugs along a mountain track through the heart of the rainforest between Belgrave and Menzies Creek. Travel through Sherbrooke Forest and over the old Trestle Bridge, getting great views of Port Phillip Bay as you approach Menzies Creek.
Switch from the train to your coach to make the 1-hour journey to the Yarra Valley. Victoria’s premium wine growing region, the Yarra Valley is known for cool climate varietals, especially chardonnay and pinot noir. You can also expect to find sauvignon blanc, pinot gris, riesling, cabernet sauvgnon, shiraz, and merlot varieties as well.
As you approach the Yarra Valley, see magnificent scenery including the Great Dividing Range. Your first stop takes in Rochford Winery, with the option to enjoy a delicious 2-course lunch accompanied by a glass of their premium wine. If you do not book the included lunch option, you can order à la carte at the winery or bring your own lunch.
After your meal, continue to two other wineries where you savor the wines and learn about the vineyards and winemaking process. In the late afternoon, after visits to three vineyards for tastings, relax on the drive back to your Melbourne hotel.
We enjoyed the train ride through the Dandenong ranges. The second part of the tour, visiting 3 wineries in _br/_ a very short period of time, on a very hot summer day was a little bit to much. _br/_ Tasting almost 18 - 20 varieties of wine within 2 hours can only make you drunk. One winery tasting would be _br/_ enough. I hope you can make some change in that tour. _br/_ Best Regards _br/_ Fritz and Darinka
Review by: John S, February 2018
Excellent and entertaining day out. Recommended
Review by: ADRIENNE M, January 2018
Loved it! Again a great tour by Viator. We loved the scones with cream at Grants Reserve. Here you have the opportunity to feed birds. My advice is just watch others feed them and take a short walk on the well marked trail. You will see many other species of beautiful birds. Unfortunately we did not discover the trail until it was too late. The Puffing Billy, a restored steam train, is a delight as it slowly chugs its way to Menzies Creek. Sit on the side closest to the platform for the best views. The optional lunch at Rochford Winery was very delicious, although the dessert was not in proportion to the meal. The last winery, that many said was the best, was my least favourite. It was unorganized and clearly could not accommodate the number of visitors for a tasting at one time. We were handed a glass on entry to small area with a bar and told when we were done tasting our first one to make our way to the bar. It was one big crush of people, some of whom did not understand the concept of courtesy and insisted on not moving away from the bar once they had received a second tasting. My daughter and I got a Syder and sat outdoors to enjoy the day. Perhaps they should have had two areas and split the two groups. Having said all that, we did enjoy the tastings at the other two wineries and the beautiful scenery or the Yarra Valkey and Dandenongs.
Review by: Julie, January 2018
To be honest, I was expecting more. The drive was ok, and the bus driver/ tour guide was quite informative and pleasant, but the wineries we visited were average and the lunch was just ok. I suppose the best part of the day was the steam train ride.
Review by: David B, January 2018
Very good driver called Roger, very informative but only 3 stars because 1st stop boring bird place. Devonshire tea strange to have in the morning. 2nd stopThe puffing billy train was quite fun but the Yarra valley wineries disappointing just all about sales. although the last farm tried to tell us a bit moreThe wine tastings were not very professional. Thought we would have been given more information about how they are made more of a view of the wineries.
Review by: Sudeep M, January 2018
Very poor local operator. AAT Kings. Did not provide hotel pick up despite giving details. Guest rounded up like cattle. Tour guide Joe was the only saving grace
Review by: Edward R, January 2018
Fun day that really depends on the bus group you're with. The wineries are kind of mediocre, larger places except for the last one. The train is alright -- kind of a silly, tourist trap. Lunch at the first winery was good and worth the extra 20.
Review by: Sheila H, December 2017
The actual content of the trip was fabulous. The Dandenongs are very picturesque, cream tea delicious and the ride on Puffing Billy with your legs hanging out of the window is fantastic. Vineyards are great to visit and we had a lovely lunch. The lower grade is because of the organisation. We were picked up late but then left standing around waiting for our coach for over half an hour in the blazing heat. Coming home our driver didnt drop us off at our hotels, as advertised and paid for, but dropped everyone off where was convenient for him, including where the tour started. He may have gone over his hours but the company should make proper arrangements to get everyone back to where they were picked up. Some were dropped off and told to get trams back to their hotels - something you would need to have an understanding off and was made more difficult as rush hour! So sort this out and it will be a perfect trip - other trips/companies managed it!
Review by: Hengzhi Z, December 2017
Love the experience and the tour. Amazing.
Review by: Dunmired4, December 2017
Beautiful scenery with visits to 3 wineries. Lunch was very good.
Review by: John T, December 2017
We enjoyed Puffing Billy Steam Train tour. _br/_ However, Yarra Valley Wineries is just average. Visited 3 wineries is a bit boring ! _br/_ It would be better if just visit 2 wineries and replace the other one with fruits farm, cheese factory or chocolate factory.
Review by: Derek M, November 2017
This was a nice tour. Some great wines were tasted but lunch was nothing special. Highlight for me being a fan of trains was the ride on the Puffing Billy Steam Train, just a word of warning although you can ride the train sitting on the window it is not the most comfortable way to ride. Give it a go, but you might want to hop back on the seat for the remaining part of the journey. I found that by the end of the day I really had not had enough food for the day and was starting to feel a little off. If I do this again I would take a few snacks with me and a few bottles of water.
Review by: justin m, November 2017
Wow where do I start!!! From getting on the bus the driver was very knowledgeable on the areas we were travelling. The customer services at the parrot zoo, puffing Billy and the three wineries were at paramount standard. The great views were breathtaking and was such a pleasant day, highly recommend this trip to anyone visiting Melbourne
Review by: I-Hua S, November 2017
It's a very special experience to take the Puffing Billy steam train. It made me feel that I went back to the old times. About the wineries, they are okay. It would be more interesting if they can walk us around and show us how they make wines.
Review by: Kathryn D, October 2017
Interesting your. Train ride was fun! First winery was very commercial. I much preferred the second two as they were smaller and made you feel much more welcome.
Review by: EDWIN F, October 2017
This was a very long day because of the rain. We enjoyed the scenery, train and the wine. It was a nice change from the city of Melbourne.
Review by: Joy P, October 2017
The Puffing Billy Steam Train was excellent and the bus driver was very knowledgeable and friendly. The landscapes were lovely. The loading process for the tour took way too long and was confusing. The morning tea and lunch were very good and the wineries were ok. I wasn't really impressed by any of the wineries to buy any of their products. The tastings were not as generous as wine tastings I've done in South Australia or Western Australia. It would have been better not to include the winery tour with a more family oriented tour going to the sanctuary . Still glad we did the tour though
Review by: Linh L, October 2017
I'm not really into the wine tasting experience, but the trip was a great start in Melbourne city. My favorite would definitely be the Puffing Billy Steam Train, an experience I gained nowhere else. Remember to sit by the sides of the train or you won't get a whole great experience. Wish we could stay on the train for longer time. Our driver/guide was Richard, a very humorous guy. We've got a big group, but he managed really well. When we went to the last destination of wine tasting the one with Apple Cider, there is a small outdoor sheep stable, where they keep young little sheep around, they are just so cute and friendly, we even got to feed them. Lunch even though was optional, but I really recommend you guys to purchase it, it is really nice especially the chicken one, with wine, and a small dessert to company with. I really enjoy the tour.
Review by: Sharon W, October 2017
Great day out. Friendly, informative guide, great lunch venue. My five year old son loved the train ride because you could hang you legs out the windows : A long stint between stops, not real good if you get motion sickness.
Review by: Karen T, September 2017
The tour on 6 sept with our friendly tour guide is super amazing! He provide so many details for all the tourist including us while driving along the yarra valley. He is humorous and always enlightening the whole journey :)._br/_ I would recommend this tour. :)
Review by: Jerusha H, September 2017
Our guide, Geoff, was amazing! I really want to commend him. He was interesting, informative, and kept everything moving forward. There were just a few small issues with timing at the first winery our tasting started 15 minutes after schedule, and getting everybody moving forward again once we got behind, but Geoff did a phenomenal job at that. We had a really fun time feeding the birds oddly, that was what I was least excited about and ended up liking the most. I think our favorite winery was Dominique Porchet, as our host was very informative and friendly. I'm sorry I can't remember her name, but she was fantastic.
Review by: Prue A, August 2017
This tour was amazing!
Review by: ianseal37, August 2017
The very professional driver gave great commentary throughout the trip. He looked after his entourage with care and good communication._br/_ The wineries visited offered varied experiences and a quality tour overall.
Review by: Adam H, July 2017
Such a fun day with awesome wineries and a cool ride the historic train - be sure to sit on the railing!
Review by: Ha H, July 2017
This trip is amazing, recommeded!
Review by: Felicia T, June 2017
This tour was amazing!
Review by: tyty.le, June 2017
The tour was so much fun and our tour guide Edward was fantastic! Highly recommend it and would happily do it again next time we and #39;re in Melbourne
Review by: missskybird, June 2017
A most enjoyable day! A comfortable coach, knowledgeable guide who was helpful and friendly although I did think his continuous reference to Asians a little disconcerting and quite unnecessary and maybe a little uncomfortable for the majority of the people travelling of the tour.
Review by: Katharine H, May 2017
I had an amazing day out! Even as a solo traveller the day was so well organised that I never felt stressed and had an absolute blast! Adrian, our driver, had amazing knowledge and did an amazing job! I am not a wine connoisseur but I found all the wineries to be interesting and the lunch was outstanding. The coach is very spacious and, I found that as wine is a sociable pastime, I was able to meet lots if new people. I should also mention that Puffing Billy was one if the highlights of my time in Australia, with amazing views and optional novel seating arrangements it was a real treat!
Review by: Tina D, May 2017
The tour guide was great and the lunch was beautiful
Review by: Briana S, May 2017
Such a fun day trip from Melbourne. The entire experience was enjoyable from beginning to end! The Puffing Billy train ride is something we still talk about to this day.
Review by: Devan T, May 2017
Was a wonderful trip organised so well. Worth every moment.
Review by: Roy, May 2017
The trip was amazing! Richard was an awesome guide and had a lot of knowledge and gave us a bit of background about every place we went to which made the trip very beautiful. The journey was very comfortable.
Review by: vertfleur, April 2017
Our guide, Chris, was very good. We enjoyed feeding the birds after morning tea. It'd been nice to have a bit longer to check out the nature trail. Puffing Billy is loads of fun - be sure to sit in the window and dangle your feet over the rain forest. The wineries were well chosen,with excellent food at Rochford. We bought off the menu and were very satisifed with our meal. The cider at Yehring Farm is truly something special. Try it and buy it if you can.
Review by: Elizabeth H, April 2017
Pleasant scenery on way to Puffing Billy and the half-hour steam train was very enjoyable. However the 1st winery stop was poor This was Rochford Wines. It is a very commercial set up, with an up-range/expensive gift shop. Our small group of 12 arrived about 12noon noon and were told our tasting session wouldn't be until 1.10 - so we had time for some lunch and to wander outside. When we went to the area for tasting we were rushed through 5 wines - in the space of 10 minute! We complained to our guide, who was going to inform his company AAT Kings The 2nd winery @ Dominique Portet was excellent and we were shown round and the process was explained before we had a leisurely time to taste the 5 wines, with personal attention. The 3rd winery was also very good. This was Yearling Farm, which was a family run business, in an attractive setting. Again 5 wines to taste - without any hurry. Our guide from AAT Kings was very good, combining history and humour. This trip incorporates 2 main tourist attractions and is a pleasant way to spend a day but hopefully in future Rochford Wines will no longer be included.
Review by: joceline_j, April 2017
We love the puffing billy train. It really took us back to the early 1900s and they really made an effort to preserve everything well. The scones were okay, we did not pre-order lunch so I cant comment on that. All in all, this would be great for wine lovers. Unfortunately, my parents were sick that day so we couldn't take too much alcohol. The view of the wineries are not as great as the pictures shown here-I would rather went to the Healesville Sanctuary instead. Didn't booked it because I thought it was only to see wombat and birds but turned out the other passengers get to see koala and other local animals as well, wished they would've mentioned it. Another thing that I hate was the fact that they told us to be at our pick up point at 7.25 but showed up 10 minutes late. The driver got on the car ready to leave right away after talking to another passenger awaiting and almost left us if I didn't knock on the car window and asked if we were on his list. We went to be dropped off at Federation Square and had to wait for more than 30 minutes before our bus came. The bus is spacious, has good comfortable seats and a toilet inside which is convenient. Our guide was Richard and he was kind enough to keep us entertained with stories along the way.
Review by: evy.su, March 2017
Everyone in my group enjoy this tour so much. we got to see the wineries, taste different kinds of wine. the coach is great.
Review by: Shirleyluiszeying, March 2017
Collin, the driver and tour guide, was amazing and super entertaining. Even tho I was tired due to work in the past few days, this tour just refreshed my body and soul. Love every moment. Love the lunch at Rochlord. Thank You AAT King.
Review by: Elizabeth W, March 2017
Our favorite part was the drive through the hills, the stop for tea, and the train. We went to three wineries. The last was best it was family owned and run, not as flashy and lovely. Lunch st the first stop was great. Yarra valley is beautiful.
Review by: P-herbert, February 2017
Absolutely brilliant. I'm Will our driver ensured that all he's clients had the best time possible.
Review by: Greta P, February 2017
We were very impressed with the trip. Morning tea was unexpected addition. The hot scone with cream and jam tasty. The lunch at the first winery we visited was excellent. Beautiful surrounding with delicious lunch and the wine tasting very well presented. The driver of the coach was very informative
Review by: Catherine I G, February 2017
This was well worth the money and had such variety. Will, our guide was really good and even joined in serving us wine.
Review by: Paul R, February 2017
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Review by: Ann K, February 2017
This tour was well organized and covered a lot of ground without feeling rushed or hurried. The tour guide/bus driver was great. I would highly recommend this trip to anyone visiting Melbourne who wants to get away from the hustle and bustle of the big city. The countryside and views were very relaxing and beautiful. Loved the ride on Puffing Billy. Such a historic train and fun to ride. Two of the 3 wineries were lovely, especially the last one, sitting outside the rustic building looking out over the countryside.
Review by: Durette C, January 2017
Beautiful country, fabulous wine, need I say more?
Review by: MR A, January 2017
A pleasant drive by coach into the Yarra Valley stopping first at tearooms for Devonshire tea and scones set into the majestic scenery of the Dandenong Ranges. Then off to ride the Puffing Billy steam train actually two trains pulling, through a section of the ranges - very picturesque. Then off to one of three wineries where we stopped for lunch a five star affair, after which we took part in the wine tasting for that vineyard Rochford. In fact all three vineyards were unique to their own style of wine making and location. In all a excellent way to spend a day, even if your not into wine, there is something for everyone.
Review by: kierangkenny, January 2017
The winery visits were not great, staff could have been more helpful
Review by: Elizabeth M S, January 2017
On the day this tour was combined with another one which was visiting an animal sanctuary. This meant those of us on the wine tour were left at the Chocolate Factory for rather a long time while the driver went to pick up the others from the animal sanctuary. This may not seem like a bad thing but there's only so much to see at a chocolate factory even if it is very good one like the Yarra Valley Chocolate Factory. We paid a brief visit to a French winery before the Chocolate Factory but it was rather rushed and I'd have liked longer there. Despite these small grumbles it was a most enjoyable day and our driver was very pleasant and cheerful.
Review by: Neil H, December 2016
A most pleasant day through the charming Yarra Valley, tasting local wines and including the really laid back ride on the historic Puffing Billy with AAT Tours with a cheerful and informative comentary by Edward, our driver.
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