Travel Romantic weekends
You don’t need long to recharge your batteries in this beautiful part of the world writes CLAIRE GOODALL
It’s a blustery, bright Friday as my husband and I drive north-east out of Melbourne. We’re bound for Marysville, in the foothills of the Yarra Ranges, for a long weekend of R&R: romance and relaxation! We’re soon in the rolling countryside of the Yarra Valley, with neat rows of grapevines lining the hillsides. Calling in at Tarrawarra Estate for a late lunch, we’re lucky enough to find the restaurant almost empty – just us and the tranquil view for company. After our meal the cellar door beckons, but we have another tipple in mind…
Four Pillars Gin Distillery in nearby Healesville offers $10 tastings of its gins. Inside we can see the copper stills (so revered they have names: Carl, Wilma, Jude and Eileen), and our guide explains how they’re used to blend pure local water with botanicals. There’s juniper and a mix of pepperberry, lemon myrtle and spices. It all slips down very easily.
The road becomes windier as we drive up into the Yarra Ranges, through mountain ash trees and eucalyptus woodland. It’s still and silent here, except for the laughing kookaburras and squawking cockatoos. The city and its stresses have already melted away.
Marysville’s main street, which was reduced to cinders after the tragic Black Saturday bushfires of 2009, is today bustling with boutiques, craft shops and cafes.
One side of the street is occupied by the rustic-style Vibe hotel, our home for the next two nights. Between our comfy room with its enormous bed, the sauna and our couple’s massages in the spa, it’s hard to find the motivation to leave!
But next morning we’re up and off. We start at Bruno’s Art & Sculpture Garden, where artist Bruno Torfs talks us through his exhibits. He’s particularly keen to show us a ripped painting – a memento of the day he fled the fire, leaving his home and work in flames. He had to begin his peaceful garden of clay figures again from scratch.
After a tasty lunch at Fraga’s cafe we’re back on the road for a trip to Lake Mountain. Winter snowfall makes this alpine resort perfect for cross-country skiing and tobogganing, but in summer it’s a beautiful backdrop for a bushwalk, with sweeping views over the ranges. There’s a flying fox for kids, mountain bike trails and wildflower walks, too.
On the way back into town we call at Steavenson Falls – one of Victoria’s highest waterfalls at 84m. It’s an easy scramble to the top, where we’re mesmerised by the water cascading down into the valley. It’s so peaceful and romantic we’re still there at dusk, as the stars begin to twinkle and the evening floodlights come on.
We’re sad to leave next morning – but we still have a day of wine tasting to look forward to. After breakfast in Healesville, we meander between a few cellar doors, picking out favourite drops to take home. Soumah is a hitt for its pinot noir, Yarrawood for its pretty pink rosé, while Oakridge gets my vote for its crisp chardonnay.
I take over driving after a lunch of crispy wood-fired pizza at Meletos, so hubby can try the tasting paddle of beers at Hargreaves Hill brewery in Yarra Glen.
It’s with full bellies and a fuller car boot that we head home, feeling relaxed and revitalised after our romantic weekend escape.