Melbourne's Wild & Wine Wonders: Yarra Valley Escape

What a wonderful experience filled with up close encounters with so many animals in the Sanctuary as well as in their own environments. Complimented with visiting 2 wineries for a fabulous lunch and wine and cheese pairing. Paul was so knowledgeable about everything…. Melbourne, the animals and most definitely the wines!

It was a fabulous day and we learned so much! Paul is an excellent tour guide and a wealth of knowledge. We thoroughly enjoyed the Sanctuary and saw so many of Australia’s native animals. The wineries he took us to were excellent and the lunch was very special. Highly recommend to do this excursion.

Highly recommend this trip! Healesville Sanctuary and wine tasting in Yara Valley was AMAZING! The day was perfectly planned ensuring that you got to experience the best of Yara Valley in one day in a relaxed pace. Started in beautiful Healesville Sanctuary, then lunch with an incredible view followed by wine tastings including a paired wine and cheese tasting. They are experienced in this field and it shows. Paul made sure that everyone was comfortable having a good time and got to taste a variety of wines as well as wines of your preference. It is a small group tour meaning you get to know the other people on the trip. Really good value and definitely worth it. Communication prior to the trip was good. I was picked up at my hotel. Recommend for solo, couple and group travelers. Enjoy!

This was without doubt the best tour I’ve experienced on all my travels, and likely will remain a favourite for a long time. From the start, communication was seamless — I had to reschedule both the tour date and the Koala encounter, and everything was handled promptly and with such ease. On the day, the group was small and well-balanced, which made the experience more personal and relaxed. Our host Paul was wonderful — warm, knowledgeable, and engaging throughout. His way of sharing stories and insights made the sanctuary and vineyards come alive, and he created an atmosphere that felt more like traveling with a group of friends than being on a tour. I truly appreciated his energy and kindness. The Healesville Sanctuary was beautifully done, and seeing the wildlife up close was a highlight. The Yarra Valley vineyards were stunning, and the wine tasting was a joy. The whole day flowed so naturally, balancing information, fun, and quiet moments to take it all in. Highly recommend this tour — it was memorable, well organised, and left me feeling enriched and grateful.

A must do tour. The sanctuary was great, loved seeing all the native animals. We paid extra for the kangaroo experience and it was amazing. We actually got to feed them. Paul our guide was great and very knowledgeable he stayed with us pointing out things. The lunch was delicious and we enjoyed all the wineries. Was a scenic ride as well and would do tour again if back in Australia.

I really enjoyed my trip to the Yarra Valley. I chose the Healesville Sanctuary and Wine Tasting combo tour. I had to reschedule once, but it was handled very smoothly. I did the tour solo, but was with a group of about 8 other people. Although, I was the only one who had the zoo package. They timed it out really well. The wine group was dropped of first and then the guide took me to the zoo. He recommended the noon bird show and it was great! I paid extra on the zoo's website for the up close koala experience. (Worth it!) But even without that, it would have been great. I was picked up around 1 and we headed off to a fabulous lunch. There were two wine tastings after that. My favorite one was the cheese and wine pairing. So good! Highly recommend this tour and company.

Rob the guide and driver was great; knowledgeable and good fun. the Healesville sanctuary was very good and the time spend there long but not too long; visiting Yealing Station and having the tasting then meal followed by De Bertoli tasting and cheese was outstanding.

We had a fantastic day with Paul on the Wildlife & Wine Tour with Vinetrekker. The itinerary was well balanced—visiting a selection of wineries, enjoying a delicious lunch with beautiful views, and spending time at the Healesville Sanctuary where we saw koalas, baby Tasmanian devils, kangaroos, and even a joey. Paul was an excellent guide—punctual, very knowledgeable about Melbourne and the Yarra Valley, and extremely accommodating. The van was comfortable and made the day even more enjoyable. Overall, it was a wonderful experience and we highly recommend Vinetrekker Wine Tours.

A greqt day in the Yarra Valley. Our guide was extremely informative about Melbourne, wineries, and (for us) Australia in general. It was a pleasure to be in his competent hands. Seeing the animals (and the bird show) at the Healesville Sanctuary was a great experience. One can really get close and experience them. The wine tastings and the lunch and cheese pairings were a pleasure. We are glad to have spent the day this way and recommend this tour.

Well run tour. Good attractions. Lunch and wine tasting at a well respected winery. Also the tour to Australia wildlife sanctuary was world class