Spring is the shortest good season in the Yarra Valley and the easiest to miss. From September the vines break bud, the paddocks are green, and the weather is warm enough to be outside without being hot enough to hide from.
If you have only seen the valley in summer, spring will surprise you. The vineyards go from bare wood to new green in a matter of weeks, the gums flower, and the light stays late enough to have dinner outside for the first time since March.
What is happening in the vineyards
Budburst usually runs through September, and by October the canopy is filling out. It is the most visibly alive the vineyards get all year, and a good time to ask questions at a cellar door because the growers are in the middle of the work rather than talking about it in the abstract.
Fergusson Winery is about a five minute walk from De'Vine Escape. Immerse and De Bortoli Yarra Valley Estate are within a few minutes' drive.
The season for walking
Spring is the only time of year the valley is comfortable for walking all day. Not cold, not yet hot, and the ground has dried out from winter.
- The Redwood Forest near Warburton. Flat, shaded and at its best when the undergrowth comes back.
- The Black Spur. Tree ferns unfurling through October. Drive it, then park and walk a section.
- The property itself. Ten acres, a lake and gardens. Worth an hour before breakfast while the fog is still lifting.
The one thing to book ahead
A sunrise balloon flight. Spring mornings are often still and clear, which is what flights need, and the valley from the air with new growth on the vines is the version people photograph. Global Ballooning Australia fly over the region.
Family weekends
Spring suits families better than any other season here. Healesville Sanctuary is about 15 km away and pleasant to walk in mild weather, and the Yarra Valley Chocolaterie at Yarra Glen is a reliable second stop.
A warning about the weather
Melbourne's reputation for four seasons in a day is earned, and the valley is worse. A spring weekend can run from twenty-five degrees and still to twelve degrees and raining within a few hours. Pack for both, and do not build the whole weekend around one outdoor plan.
Where to stay
De'Vine Escape is at 68 Wills Rd, Dixons Creek, about an hour from Melbourne. There are 22 rooms across Queen, King Spa and Twin configurations, each with a private patio and ensuite, plus free parking, a shared kitchen and a fire pit for when the evening turns cold anyway.
Spring weekends fill faster than winter ones, particularly around long weekends and race meetings at Yarra Glen. Book direct for the best rate.
Stay in the middle of the valley
De'Vine Escape has 22 rooms on ten acres in Dixons Creek, about a five minute walk from Fergusson Winery and an hour from Melbourne.