I did a tour with VineTrekker Tours in 2019 and because I specifically wanted to revisit Healsville Animal Sanctuary, I contacted them again. I no longer drink wine so did not want to do the wine tasting. So the owner, Paul, agreed that he would sort out the trip to Healsville and I joined the rest of the group for lunch and the last two wine tastings of their day, without having to taste the wines. The guide/driver Cam was friendly and knowledgeable.
I had an amazing trip to Healesville again - my guide Jill was lovely. I was the only person on the tour who had opted to stop at the animal sanctuary so had a one-to-one tour, while the rest of the group visited Cellar Doors nearby. Apart from the very shy and elusive platypus I saw all the animals I wanted to see as we doubled back at the end of the visit to look again for an echidna which we found second time around. I love the sanctuary as I am very interested in wildlife and birds, but don’t like zoos. Knowing that many of the animals here are here because they were found injured or unwell, or because they are endangered species and are participating in breeding programmes, is reassuring.
The daily bird display at the Sanctuary, Spirit of the Sky is amazing. The birds don’t have to participate, the display is in the open air and the birds appear from nowhere as the wardens are speaking. They are obviously responding to food treats but there is nothing forced about this display and it is an opportunity to see both raptors and parrots up close.
The group had lunch at Yering Station which was lovely. I had the duck with pumpkin and halloumi and it was really enjoyable. Then I waited a while in the Cellar Door browsing the shop and gardens while the rest of the group did a tasting. We then drove to De Bortoli and this time I joined in as it was a cheese and wine tasting, and I just had the cheese so felt included in the group. The whole group appeared to enjoy the trip and I would recommend this company to anyone wanting to tour the Yarra Valley / Healesville.
