Leanne De Bortoli and winemaker Sarah Fagan share their favourite places in the Yarra Valley.

De Bortoli Vineyard is a must if you are in the Yarra Valley. The restaurant and cheeseroom are worthy of a visit.
www.debortoli.com.au

Healesville Hotel/Healesville Harvest/Kitchen & Butcher
Run by dynamic husband and wife team, Michael Kennedy and Kylie Balharrie, the Healesville Hotel is a great place for a quick bar meal or for finer dining in the restaurant.
Healeville Harvest is a good place for a quick catchup for cake and coffee.
Kitchen and Butcher is handy for buying tasty treats to take home to cook.
http://www.healesvillehotel.com.au/

 

Giant Steps Innocent Bystander (Healesville) for gorgeous sour-dough bread
Big bustling place to enjoy pizza with a glass of wine but my highlight would have to be their very tasty sourdough bread. In the days our restaurant is closed, I'll often zip over to Healesville to buy a loaf or two of their bread. Yum yum.
Great spot for breakfast on a weekend also. Cannot beat the papers, a pot of tea, bircher muesli and a relaxed atmosphere.
http://www.innocentbystander.com.au/notjustwine.php?id=47
 

Mt Rael for weekend brunch
Set up high on the hill overlooking Healesville and the surrounding mountains it is a terrific place to take visitors for brunch on the weekend.
http://www.mtrael.com.au/
 
Yarra Valley Pasta Shop to fill the freezer
I often pop in to stock up on ravioli and lasagne that I can pop in the freezer for those times i dont feel like cooking. For the truly lazy, they also make very tasty sauces and desserts too.
http://www.yarravalleypasta.com.au/
 
Bella Vedere for lunch
Lovely lunch spot located at Badgers Brook vineyard. If you want to try something a little fancier you can go for their evening degustation experience.
http://www.badgersbrook.com.au/?EXP=36
 
Tea Rooms of Yarck for lunch or dinner
About 45 minutes from the Yarra, it is well worth the drive to experience the delicious Sardinian-style cuisine.
http://maps.google.com.au/maps/place?oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=tea+rooms+of+yarck&fb=1&gl=au&hq=tea+rooms+of&hnear=Yarck+VIC&cid=1475991956493748007
 
De Bortoli Cheese Shop
Yeah, I know its ours but this collaboration with Richard Thomas has resulted in beautifully matured cheese which we can offer to visitors. Also Richard and our staff can advise on some pretty interesting cheese and wine matchings too.
http://debortoliyarra.com.au/cheese-shop.html
 
Tarrawarra Museum of Art
The TWMA was built by the Besen Family some years ago and is a showcase of the Besens contemporary Australian art collection as well as visiting art exhibitions. The architecture of this wonderful building is worth the visit on its own.
http://www.twma.com.au/
 
Natskin Dayspa
Well, a girl has to pamper herself every now and again. Situated at Balgownie Mercure Hotel is is the place to go for a manicure or massage or both.
http://www.natskin.com/yarra-valley/
 
Healesville Sanctuary
Got kids? Well look no further than this place to while away a few hours. All manner of Australian flora and fauna can be found here and is well worth the visit, even without kids!
http://www.zoo.org.au/Default.aspx?DN=37,290,Documents
 
Take a drive around the valley and the Dandenong Ranges through some very spekky scenery.
My favourite drives are:
Myers Creek Rd from Toolangi to Healesville for the tall trees and ferns.
The Black Spur from Healeville to Narbethong. Although ravaged by the fires in 2009, it is still worth the drive to see nature's comeback.
Mount Dandenong Tourist Drive through the Dandenong Ranges is a must-do but dont do it on the weekend. Too busy.
 
Balloon flight over the Yarra Valley
Want to do something a little different? Take a float over the valley and vineyards with Global Ballooning. I've yet to do the Melbourne City flight but have done the Valley one a few times. Memorable.
http://www.globalballooning.com.au/home.htm
 
Red Shed Cafe
Great outlook from the Warramate ranges looking back over towards Healesville and beyond. Family owned winery (Medhurst Wines) and cafe (Red Shed). The cafe being run by the 2 daughters. Hearty, honest food. Very welcoming environment with family labradors and wolfhounds roaming around to boot. Open fires, papers and peaceful. Joy on a sunday morning.
www.redshedcafe.com.au