Yarra Valley Towns on a Wine Day: Lilydale, Coldstream, Yarra Glen, Healesville
The short answer. Most tours spend their day between Coldstream, Yering, Gruyere and Yarra Glen, where the best-known cellar doors, the dairy and the Chocolaterie are. Lilydale is where the train ends and some tours board. Healesville adds gin and the sanctuary, and Warburton the rail trail's far end and the redwoods.
A wine tour itinerary reads like a list of estates, but each estate sits in a town, and the towns tell you what kind of day you are buying. A day around Coldstream is all cellar doors. A day that reaches Warburton is half forest. This guide walks the valley town by town, with the stops in each and the winery tour Yarra Valley that visit them.
The towns at a glance
| Town | Named stops | Why a tour goes there |
|---|---|---|
| Lilydale | Lilydale station, the rail trail start | The end of the Metro line and a boarding point |
| Coldstream | Chandon, St Hubert's, Rochford, Tokar Estate | Sparkling wine, spirits and lunch |
| Yering | Yering Station, Yarra Valley Dairy | Victoria's first vineyard and soft cheese |
| Gruyere | Soumah, Helen & Joey Estate | Two cellar doors open seven days |
| Yarra Glen | Yarra Valley Chocolaterie | The chocolate tasting |
| Healesville | Four Pillars, Healesville Sanctuary | Gin and native animals |
| Warburton | Visitor centre, Cement Creek redwoods | Forest walks and the rail trail's end |
Addresses come from each venue's own site, as of September 2026. The layout is on the Yarra Valley map.
Lilydale: where the train stops
Metro's Lilydale line runs from Flinders Street to Lilydale. If you have no car, this is your front door to the valley, and you can join a tour here. The half-day winery tour has a Lilydale option that boards at the Lilydale Station bus stop on Main Street. The rail trail bike tour offers free pickup at Lilydale railway station.
Lilydale is also where the Lilydale to Warburton Rail Trail begins. It runs 40 km along the old Warburton railway line, for walkers, cyclists and horse riders. Bus 685 leaves Lilydale station for Healesville Sanctuary. Connections are on how to get to the Yarra Valley.
Coldstream: sparkling wine and long lunches
Coldstream has the longest list of cellar doors in this guide. Chandon is at 727 Maroondah Highway, open 11am to 4:30pm daily. It was founded in 1986, and it is where the Chandon and kangaroo tour pours its glass of sparkling wine.
Along the same highway, Rochford Wines at 878–880 Maroondah Highway has restaurants and a gin and whisky experience. St Hubert's, at 1–3 St Huberts Road, has a long history with Cabernet Sauvignon. Tokar Estate, at 6 Maddens Lane, is family owned and opens 10:30am to 4pm on weekdays and 10am to 5pm at weekends.
- St Huberts cellar door is a stop on the Flinders Street tour, with beer, cider or paid spirits for non-wine drinkers.
- Tokar Estate is a stop on the Spring Street and Federation Square full days.
- Rochford Wines is where the hotel-pickup grazing tour pours its wine.
Yering: where Victoria's wine began
Yering Station is where Victoria's first vineyard was planted, in 1838, by the Ryrie brothers. Paul de Castella built the Old Winery in 1859, and it is now the historic cellar door, open 10am to 5pm daily. Several tours stop for a tasting, including the late-start Chandon day and the wine, chocolate and gin tour from the Arts Centre.
Nearby, Yarra Valley Dairy is at 70 McMeikans Road, Yering, open 10:30am to 5pm daily. The private brunch day and the bike tour stop for its cheese.
Gruyere: two cellar doors open every day
Soumah is at 18 Hexham Road, Gruyere, open seven days from 10am to 5pm. It grows Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and Italian varieties such as Nebbiolo and Brachetto, on vineyards 90 to 150 m above the valley floor. Its restaurant is Ai Fiori Trattoria.
Helen & Joey Estate is at 12–14 Spring Lane, Gruyere, with a cellar door open daily from 10am to 5pm. Its restaurant, Re'em, serves lunch from Friday to Monday. Both are stops on the half-day tour, with Payten & Jones between them.
Yarra Glen: the chocolate stop
The Yarra Valley Chocolaterie & Ice Creamery is at 35 Old Healesville Road, Yarra Glen. Entry is free, and it opens 9am to 5pm every day except Christmas Day. Most wine and food days stop here, and the tastings range from ten chocolates on one tour to a private tasting on another. More on the stop is on things to do in the Yarra Valley.
Healesville: gin and native animals
Four Pillars Gin is at 2 Lilydale Road, Healesville. It opens at 10:30am, until 5:30pm Sunday to Thursday and 9pm on Friday and Saturday. The wine, cider, gin and chocolate tour includes a gin paddle here.
Healesville Sanctuary, on Badger Creek Road, is open 9am to 5pm every day, with adult entry at A$58. The hotel-pickup grazing tour gives you an hour of free time in Healesville with a hot drink. The animals, prices and trails are on Yarra Valley wildlife.
Warburton: forest at the end of the trail
Warburton is where the rail trail ends and the ranges close in. The Warburton Waterwheel Visitor Information Centre is at 3400 Warburton Highway. About 15 minutes' drive from town, Cement Creek Redwood Forest holds over 1,470 Californian redwoods planted in the 1930s, some taller than 55 m. The car parks are small and fill by about 10am on busy days.
The Redwoods tour spends 45 minutes in Warburton and 45 minutes in the forest before its winery or wildlife option.
How to choose your towns
You do not have to learn the map. Start from what you want to drink and see, and the towns follow.
- If you want sparkling wine and a long lunch, you want Coldstream. The Chandon and kangaroo tour gives you a glass at Chandon and time to buy lunch there.
- If you want the history, you want Yering. Ask for a day that pours at Yering Station, where your glass comes from Victoria's oldest vineyard site.
- If you want small cellar doors, you want Gruyere. The half day gives you Soumah and Helen & Joey Estate in five hours.
- If you want gin, you want Healesville, where your paddle is poured at Four Pillars.
- If you want to walk or ride, you want Warburton and the rail trail, where your day is as much forest as vines.
If you are still unsure, pick a day that covers Coldstream and Yarra Glen. Most wine and food tours do, and you can add Healesville or Warburton on a second visit. Where each town sits is on the Yarra Valley map.
Tours that reach Healesville and Warburton
Yarra Valley Full Day Grazing Tour: Gin, Wine, Pizza, Cheese
Hotel pickup, then wine at Rochford, cheese at Coldstream Dairy, gin with pizza and the Chocolaterie.
From $133 per person
Check Availability
Wine Tour w Gin, Beer, Cider, Chocolate to the Yarra Valley
Two wineries, a Four Pillars gin paddle and a private chocolate tasting, leaving Spring Street at 9:00.
From $92 per person
Check Availability
Melbourne: Yarra Valley Redwoods Tour with Wine or Wildlife
Warburton and the Cement Creek redwoods, then a winery lunch or Healesville Sanctuary entry.
From $127 per person
Check AvailabilityNext: pick the towns you want to see, then match them to the stops a day visits. Every fare sits side by side on Yarra Valley Tours.