This regional town sure knows how to pack a punch. Just north of the Great Dividing Range and only a 90-minute drive from Melbourne, Yea offers a relaxed country experience but with a progressive twist.
Boasting modern street art, award winning wineries, restaurants, historic buildings, a thriving main street and a strong arts culture, Yea Victoria is a key town on the Great Victorian Rail Trail.
HIGHLIGHTS
RAIL TRAIL
The Great Victorian Rail Trail winds through Yea, making it a great stop to wet the whistle, indulge the palate and inspire your inner creative, as cyclists can explore the fabulous range of welcoming country pubs, great eateries, local art galleries and quirky stores.
YEA WETLANDS DISCOVERY CENTRE
A trip to Yea, Victoria, isn’t complete without a wander through the Yea wetlands and the Yea Wetlands Discovery Centre
Situated on a 32-hectare floodplain the wetlands are home to platypus, koalas and many native and migratory waterbirds that watch over the billabongs. While the YWDC is an environmental learning and accredited visitor information centre, where you can also learn about the traditional owners, the Taungurung people.
The Yea Wetlands may be small on a world scale, but they provide inspiration in spades, opening your eyes to an abundance of bird life and fauna throughout the seasons.
MURRINDINDI SCENIC RESERVE
Pack a picnic, throw a line in, or even pitch a tent at the Murrindindi Scenic Reserve. Situated at the northern end of Toolangi State Forest, this large green oasis is less than 2 hours from Melbourne.
It includes tumbling waterfalls, Mountain Ash, fern-filled gullies and is the perfect place for bushwalking, bird watching, fishing and paddling in the shallows of the Murrindindi River.
EAT & DRINK
Yea Peppercorn Hotel
The Yea Peppercorn Hotel caters to many travellers passing through to Lake Eildon in the Summer and Mt Buller during Winter.
It is also a welcome overnight venue for cyclists exploring the 134 kilometre Great Victorian Rail Trail which passes through Yea, just across the road from the hotel at the old railway station.
Being only 1.5 hours out of Melbourne it is the perfect distance for a day trip or overnight stop. Serving delicious Indian food from 5.30pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and more traditional pub fare from Thursday to Sunday, with lunch available on weekends only.
With boutique accommodation available as part of the premises, why not make the most of your visit and stay a night or two? With five queen rooms onsite and a two bedroom apartment nearby, Yea Peppercorn caters for couples and small groups.
FESTIVALS & EVENTS
wawa dharrang
wawa biik has collaborated with Taungurung artist Uncle Mick Harding and his sons Mitch and Corey who take you on a journey through the Goulburn region to share the backstory of their work ‘We Scar Many Trees’, an innovative sculptural trail created using scar trees to convey their cultural stories and connections.
You will learn about their techniques and designs and have the opportunity to yarn with the artists over a bushfoods barbeque lunch, followed by a stringybark rope making workshop.
STAY
Yea Springs Holiday Accommodation
Yea Springs has two large and luxurious holiday units of 100 square metres each, set on four beautiful acres in a peaceful rural area, only five minutes drive from the Yea town centre.
The property has direct access to the Great Victorian Rail Trail for cycling and wonderful views of the Goulburn River Valley and Strathbogie Ranges.
The two homes are of the same size and layout, comfortably accommodating up to four persons each.
Both have two well-appointed bedrooms with full wardrobes, ceiling fans and quality linen and bedding.
Wattleseed has one queen bed and two king singles, while Ironbark has queen beds in both bedrooms.
The fully equipped kitchen and exceptionally spacious lounge and dining areas are fully air conditioned, have large digital televisions (satellite transmission) and open onto outdoor covered decks.
Yea Springs is perfectly suitable for couples (or a family of three or four) sharing a single residence, or groups of up to eight people taking both.
And it’s especially great for cyclists wanting to ride Australia’s longest rail trail, which runs from Tallarook all the way to Mansfield.