Discover Australia’s wildlife and wines on a full-day tour to Healesville Sanctuary and the Yarra Valley. Depart Melbourne and head to Healesville Sanctuary where you get close views of native animals such as kangaroos, koalas, and emus. Continue your scenic drive to the Yarra Valley and arrive at a vineyard for lunch accompanied by a glass of wine. Afterward, tour the winery before moving on to De Bortoli Winery for a wine and cheese tasting.

Full-day tour to Healesville Sanctuary and Yarra Valley from Melbourne
See native Australian animals at Healesville Sanctuary
Have lunch at a vineyard in the Yarra Valley
Taste wines produced by two Yarra Valley winemakers
Sample cheeses paired with wine at De Bortoli Winery

Sample Menu

Main

Duck | leg croquette | grape | roast parsnip | pea shoots

Served with bread, oil, sides and estate glass of wine

Main

Barramundi | prawn | truffle | pea | fennel

Served with bread, oil, sides and estate glass of wine

Main

Pork | pickled apple | potato | seeded mustard

Served with bread, oil, sides and estate glass of wine

Main

Autumn veg | arancini | kale pesto

Served with bread, oil, sides and estate glass of wine

What's Included

Bottled water
Lunch and complimentary glass of wine
Driver/guide
Live commentary on board
Hotel pickup and drop-off at select Melbourne hotels
Air-conditioned vehicle
Entry to Healesville Sanctuary

Purchases of a personal nature.
Koala Encounter (currently AUD$30 per person per animal)

Meeting And Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Meeting point

St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne
Flinders St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
Meet by the front steps, Flinders St side, opposite Federation Square.

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

08:30 am

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Pickup details

The Langham Hotel, 1 Southgate Ave, Southbank, Australia The Westin Hotel, 205 Collins St, Melbourne, Australia Sofitel Hotel, 25 Collins St, Melbourne, Australia Intercontinental Hotel, 495 Collins St, Melbourne, Australia Grand Hyatt Hotel, 123 Collins St, Melbourne, Australia Park Hyatt Hotel, 1 Parliament Square, East Melbourne, Australia Marriott Hotel, Cnr Exhibition & Lonsdale Sts, Melbourne, Australia Adina Apartment Hotel, 189 Queen St, Melbourne, Australia

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Does not include meals for infants
Must be 18 years old or older to drink
Please advise of any specific dietary requirements when booking
Collapsible wheelchairs with removable wheels are welcome providing there is someone with the passenger who can help them board and disembark
Operates rain or shine; please dress appropriately

Encounters with a kangaroo, koala, wombat or dingo are available at extra cost. Please enquire if interested although places are limited
Stroller accessible
Near public transportation
Infant seats available
Not recommended for travellers with back problems
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travellers should have a moderate physical fitness level
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 11 travellers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires a minimum number of travellers. If it’s cancelled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveller Photos

Traveller Tips

Even though you feel the tour is little bit expensive, it’s much worth for the prices.

The private guide at the Sanctuary is also a great help to find out more about the Australian wildlife.

Lunch was a little later in the day than we Americans would typically do so be prepared with a snack or get something at the Sanctuary.

Reviews

5.0

183 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travellers.

Showing 1-10 of 183 reviews

Small group. Plenty of...

Lesley_C, Mar 2023

Small group. Plenty of time to experience everything. Very educational. tour guide knowledgeable and friendly.

Response from Host, Mar 2023

Thanks Lesley for the review and delighted to hear how much you loved the small group experience.

Highly Recommend This Tour!

Denise_B, Feb 2023

This tour was wonderful!! Even though it was a hot day and we were part of a group of 10, our guide , Paul, made sure we had the best experience. He arranged for a guide at Healesville Sanctuary who was nice and provided some good information but seemed to go at a slow pace. With so much to see and not much time, we ended up going out on our own. The wineries were great. We had plenty of time to enjoy the wine and lunch at Yering Station. And the cheese and wine at DeBortoli was amazing. Paul was an excellent guide. He provided lots of information and answered all the questions. He even sang for us!!

Response from Host, Feb 2023

Great to receive your review Denise and to know you had the most wonderful day with Paul.

Fabulous Tour

Nancy_W, Feb 2023

Everything was amazing. Cam was fantastic, not only with driving the van, but providing details about the wildlife along the way and wine selections at lunch. It was a fantastic day. Highly recommend.

Response from Host, Feb 2023

Thank you Nancy, Cam will be thrilled to hear you had a fabulous day.

Lovely day in the Yarra Valley

elida, Feb 2023

Rob was a wonderful guide. He was very informed about the wildlife, the scenery and the wines. This tour was a highlight of the time we spent in Melbourne. Beautiful wineries, interesting wildlife and a relaxing day!

Response from Host, Feb 2023

Thanks Elida, your review is greatly appreciated.

Great way to Spend a Day

Vincent_D, Feb 2023

Tour and tour guide (Robert) was excellent. Small group size permitted a more in depth experience both at the wineries and the animal sanctuary. Highly recommended!

Response from Host, Feb 2023

Thanks Vincent and pleased to see that Rob took excellent care of you.

amazing time!

Angel_Y, Feb 2023

Tour guide Rob is professional, day was well planned out. Lunch was also amazing and exceeded expectations. Had an amazing time, great wine tasting, nice visit at sanctuary to see cute animals. Highly recommend!

Response from Host, Feb 2023

Thanks for the review Angel and for the recommendation.

Excellent- countryside beautiful, wine tasting very good, Healesville Sanctuary what I wanted to see.

Hervy_W, Jan 2023

First winery, De Pórtalo, e cellent service and tasting. Cheeses served with wine unusual and tasty. animal sanctuary, scenery very beautiful.

LOVE THIS TOUR!

Amy_H, Jan 2023

This tour was AMAZING and a must do!! Paul set up a private tour of the zoo and WOWED us with meals and stunning wineries!!! MUST DO!!

The ultimate wine and animal sanctuary tour

Marilyn_M, Dec 2022

Our day with Shane was beyond exceptional. His knowledge of Melbourne and the Yarra valley was shared in abundance. He was considerate & pleasant while maintaining and professionalism. The 2 wineries we were at were given tasting and wine / cheese pairings were amazing. The Healsville Animal Sanctuary was very educational and the volunteer guide, David, that Shane arranged for us explained the Sanctuary’s focus to us. Overall I can’t say enough good things about Shane and this tour!! Highly recommend.

Rob is the best guide!

Steve_M, Nov 2022

First of all, Robert Lorenzon was an incredible tour guide! The bus drive, touring the Healesville sanctuary (Alison was the volounteer guide, and was amazing), then the wine tasting was extremely well thought out which made it one of the greatest days ever! Highly recommended!

Care of our endangered friends

David_D, Aug 2022

My wife and daughter got the pleasure of being shown around by a lovely man named Bruce. Who was a wealth of knowledge that he shared with my partner and daughter Ella they had a fantastic time talking with him and learning along the way couldn't recommend it more.

Amazing tour and unforgetable experience.

Yan_Q, July 2022

Thank you Paul for your thoughtful care during the time of the tour, will definitely recommend to my friends.

Response from Host, July 2022

Lovely to hear from Yan_Q and it was our pleasure to have you travel with us to the Healesville SAanctuary and Yarra Valley. Your recommendations are greatly appreciated and we'll look forward to welcoming your friends. All the very best and thanks for choosing to travel with us.

Great experience to yarra valley

Danny_G, June 2022

My family thoroughly enjoyed the trip to yarra valley. Rob was a great guide and patient to show us the sights. Since we were the only group booked on this timing, Rob picked and dropped us off at our hotel. Highly recommended.

Response from Host, June 2022

Thanks for your review Danny and delighted to hear how pleased you were with Rob on your recent Yarra Valley Willdife, Wine and Food Daytour. He is a very generous guide who takes great care of his guests. It was a pleasure to have you travel with us and a bonus that you were collected from and returned to your hotel.

An excellent blend of wine and wildlife... what more could you want?

Joseph_F, May 2022

Our guide, Stephen, was very knowledgeable about the wineries in the local area, as well as the wines we were tasting. Our first stop was De Bortoli, where, in addition to the wines, we also had cheese pairings, all of which were excellent and very well-considered. After this, we headed to Yering Station for more wine and lunch. Both of these vineyards are set in stunning surroundings, which Yering Station makes the most of, its restaurant overlooking the flood plain to the Great Dividing Range. This made for a very pleasant view whilst eating an excellent lunch. After this, we headed to the Healesville Animal Sanctuary, which is an amazing place that allows you to get closer to some of the classic Australian animals than you would ever hope to. Really, this destination is deserving of a day's visit by itself, nevertheless, we still made the most of our afternoon here - enjoying the bird show and seeing the likes of kangaroos, koalas and platypuses up-close. We were even able to stroke a wallaby, which was an unexpected treat. Two minor criticisms: the guide we had at Healesville did not seem to have a specific itinerary planned, resulting in a rather slapdash approach, and, although when booking through Viator we had made a note of my wife's food intolerances, these did not seem to have been passed on, meaning she struggled to find something she could eat safely for lunch. Overall, though, this was an excellent experience and I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone visiting Melbourne.

Response from Host, May 2022

Thanks for your review Joseph_F and delighted to hear how much you enjoyed your Yarra Valley Wildlife and Wine Daytour with Stephen. He's a very experienced guide who takes very good care of his guests and only wants them to get the best possible day out. We're sorry to hear your guide at the Sanctuary was a little disorganised and there were some challenges with your wife's dietary needs but that overall it was a day you'd wholeheartedly recommend. Thanks so much for choosing to travel with us, we're appreciative of the support.

Fantastic day with wine and wildlife

Attila_O, Apr 2022

That was a wonderful day with a visit of two vineries and a real australian animal sanctuary. Rob was a fantastic guide for the whole day, with great knowledge and flexibility, as well. He made our day unforgettable thanks to his vivid personality. We highly recommend this tour for nature and wine lovers.

Response from Host, Apr 2022

Thank you Attila for the review of your recent Yarra Valley Wildlife, Wine and Food Daytour and so happy to hear you had a fantastic day with Rob. He's very generous and cares a lot for the welfare of this guests so not surprised he made the day an unforgettable one for you. It was a pleasure to have you travel with us and thanks for the support. All the best.

Fabulous day, wonderful wine, great day trip

LeeAnne_F, Dec 2020

Covid-19 has been a massive interruption for so many people and businesses, but Paul and Rob didn't miss a beat, and neither did the Healesville Sanctuary and the vineyards. Healesville Sanctuary had only just re-opened, and some exhibits were not available. The staff and volunteers were friendly and welcoming, happy to share their knowledge. The bird presentation was the highlight. Lunch at Yering Station was exquisite and the grounds and cellar door are just beautiful. The van is quite comfortable. Paul is a consummate guide and host, and I enjoyed it so much, I went on another tour the next day.

Response from Host, Dec 2020

Thanks for the review LeeAnn and delighted to have you travel with us on both days. It was terrific to show you the impressive Healesville Sanctuary before your lunch at Yering Station which is indeed a pretty special property and a highlight of the tour. Thanks again for your support, it was very much appreciated.

Interesting day trip

Santa_J, Mar 2020

Nice, interesting trip. Seen typical Australian animals; bird show at Healesville. Wine tasting good, dinner excellent. Really great guide Shaun.

Response from Host, Mar 2020

Great to hear from you Santa_J and a pleasure to have you travel to the Yarra Valley aboard our Wildlife and Wine Daytour. It's a terrific package that combines Australian native animals with high quality wine and food. Having a great guide like Shaun elevates the experience to the next level. Thanks again for choosing to travel with us and all the best.

Winery's and sanction

Andy_M, Mar 2020

Stephen did a really nice job the two winery's and the sanction make a good combo mind if breaks it up thx andy

Response from Host, Mar 2020

Great hearing from you Andy and we'll pass along your thanks to Stephen for giving you a wonderful Yarra Valley Wildlife and Wine Daytour experience.It breaks up the day beautifully and offers some different experiences. All the best and thanks for supporting us.

Excellent!

Julie, Feb 2020

This tour was excellent. Rob was a great tour guide as were the volunteers that walked us through the sanctuary. Could have spent more hours at the wildlife sanctuary, 3 hours was not enough time to see everything. I need to go back. After the sanctuary moved to the Yering Station Winery for our first tasting flight that was most excellent (came home with 2 bottles of their Pinot Noir) followed by an amazing lunch over looking the valley. After lunch drove 15 mins to the DeBortoli Winery for a perfect wine and cheese pairing. Again, some great wine (came away with another bottle of Pinot Noir and Cabernet). Drove through the countryside enroute back to Melbourne, beautiful country, and got to see a mob of kangaroos. Was a perfect day! Picked up at the Marriott Lonsdale 0900 and dropped off shortly after 1800. Proud to say, all 4 bottles, survived the flight back to the US.

Response from Host, Mar 2020

Thank you Julie for taking the time to review your recent Yarra Valley Wildlife and Wine Daytour and thrilled to hear you had the most wonderful experience with Rob. The Healesville Sanctuary is an outstanding facility and you could easily spend a day there. Our offering of nearly 3 hours is longer than any other public tour and is the perfect lead in to your lunch and wine tasting at Yering Station. So happy to hear that your wines made it home safely. All the best and thanks for your support.

Highly recommended

Debra_A, Feb 2020

Shane was a knowledgeable and pleasant guide. He learned all our names and made an effort to engage everyone. The sanctuary was very good as well as the wines we tried.

Response from Host, Mar 2020

Good to hear from you Debra and delighted that your recent Yarra Valley Wildlife and Wine Daytour was a great success. With Shane guiding you through the day, you'll always be in good hands given his dedication to providing guests with the best possible experience. Thanks for your support and all the best.

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Yarra Valley Wildlife & Wine Day Tour from Melbourne with Healesville Sanctuary

From USD 170.62

Select Date and Travellers

Overview

Sample Menu

What's Included

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

Pickup points

Start time

End point

Pickup details

What To Expect

Additional Info

Cancellation Policy

Traveller Photos

Traveller Tips

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