By KATH GANNAWAY
DECISIONS, decisions … Melba, Maroondah or Warburton? Or all three?
Fanning out from Lilydale, the three highways of the Yarra Valley are the arteries that pump oxygen into the communities and tourism heart of the region.
The Melba, named after Australia’s original super-star of opera, Dame Nellie Melba, begins at Coldstream where Dame Nellie’s Coombe Cottage is now open to the public as a restaurant and for garden tours.
Winding its way through the some of the district’s first and finest vineyards it takes in Yering, Yarra Glen and on to Dixons Creek and Steels Creek before climbing towards Toolangi and Kinglake.
The Maroondah takes in the farmlands and vineyards from Coldstream to Healesville before snaking its way through the tall timbers of the Black Spur and on to Alexandra. Branch off at Narbethong and you find yourself in the once again beautiful village of Marysville.
The name ‘Maroondah’ comes from the Aboriginal word meaning leaf. The meaning is most profound as you drive through the Black Spur, surrounded by leafy, green vegetation all-year round.
And, the Warburton Highway. The highway which runs through numerous towns from Wandin through to its name-sake town at the end of the line is perhaps the most diverse of the three arterials.
Named after Police Magistrate, Charles Warburton Carr, it continues on as the Warburton-Woods Point Road, to Reefton, McMahon’s Creek and the Upper Yarra Dam.
The old railway line from Lilydale through to Warburton is now a 40km long multi-purpose rail trail frequented by locals and visitors alike.
Touted as Victoria’s most accessible and well-used rail trail, it winds its way through bushland, farmland, world-class wineries, forests and numerous townships.
Any of the three highways offers more than enough places of interest to warrant more than a day trip.
For those, however, who don’t have the luxury of a long break in this beautiful part of the world, with an early rise, a good map and a bit of pre-planning, it’s not only achievable, but enjoyable to loop your way along the Warburton, meeting up with the Maroondah at Marysville, then along the Melba through Toolangi and back to base … wherever that may be.
Don’t be daunted by the distance … just take to the highway – or highways – and see some of the most magnificent scenery Victoria has to offer.
