Set on the upper reaches of the Yarra River, surrounded by lush forests of mountain ash, Warburton is less than ninety minutes from the Melbourne CBD. We had two staycays there because tbh, one just wasn’t enough! On our first sojourn, we had a quaint little Airbnb studio apartment, walking distance from the main street, the welcoming committee, a family of deer and some very cheeky parrots!
A picturesque town in the Shire of Yarra Ranges, it’s a must-do if autumn leaves and susurrous streams are your jam. Listed as one of the best places in Victoria for russet and yellow foliage, the big maples don’t disappoint. The Yarra River is a backdrop to the main street, gently cascading through this tiny town, providing an achingly beautiful autumn tableau vivant. For real, you cannot take a dud photo here!
There’s a flat 5 km trail along the riverbanks, which begins anywhere you want to start. Walk up one side of the river, cross any number of the six bridges to the other side (make sure you don’t miss the heritage-listed Swing Bridge), and take in the views of Mt Little Joe and Mt Victoria.
Warby (yep, the Aussie vernacular strikes again!) is located at the end of the Lilydale to Warburton Rail Trail. Heritage listed, this trail follows the path of the historical railway line through the Yarra Valley, between the Dandenong and Great Dividing Ranges. Thirty-eight kilometres of recreation rail trail, passing through bushland, vineyards, farmlands, forests, and seriously spectacular Victorian countryside. Crossing many restored bridges and past remnants of former station platforms, you can walk, run, cycle or horse ride this trail; BYO pushie or hire one downtown.
There are several interesting walks around Warburton, ranging from ninety minutes to seven hours, with varying degrees of difficulty. We walked part of the O’Shannassy Aqueduct Trail (it’s a 30 km one-way trail, so yeah, nah to doing it all). Carved into the mountainside above the Upper Yarra Valley, surrounded by tall timber and gargantuan tree ferns, the trail follows the now disused aqueduct. There are easy bits and hard bits. Pick a part of the trail and go for it!
An absolute highlight of our Warby vacay was the Redwood Forest, just ten minutes out of town. Planted in 1930 and now heritage-listed, there are approximately 1500 giant Californian redwoods, the tallest around 55 metres, with a capacity to grow to 115 metres and a lifespan of more than 2,000 years! Plan your trip to the Sequoia Sempervirens carefully. On a midweek mini-stay, we managed to be two of only four people lurking in the forest that day. It was deliciously eerie, dwarfed by towering timbers, the canopy filtering dappled sunlight, I was on high alert for Edward and Bella.
For a town the size of a postage stamp, Warburton sure packs a heritage-listed punch! Along with the Redwood Forest, Rail Trail, Swing Bridge and surrounding tennis court, clubhouse and rotunda, there are two hotels that make the big H list. The Alpine Hotel, built in 1885 and lovingly restored during Covid, is a great spot for Yarra River viewing, getting toasty around a roaring fire and chugging delicious mulled wine. The Warburton Hotel Wesburn (the West), one of the area’s oldest remaining hotels on the Cobb & Co coach route, has a colourful public bar that serves ice-cold brewskies to an equally colourful clientele.
The Yarra Valley is famous for its vineyards, and you could do some serious damage on a winery crawl around Warby. We kept ourselves tidy and only visited the one, Boat O’Craigo. With stunning vistas over the vines, we snarfed down an amazing charcuterie board accompanied by a couple of crisp whites!
Time your trip so you get to the Warburton Valley Market, a quintessential country market featuring local arts and crafts, vintage clothing, fresh produce, blacksmiths, woodturners and live music. Local distillers encourage “try-before-you-buy” tasters, and you could be forgiven if the rest of your market experience is done in a squiffy blur. As a market frequent flyer, this one hit different, so don’t miss it!
There’s so much to do and see around this amazing area, so bucket list this and give yourself a week there to fully immerse.
