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This dreamy cherry-blossom festival in Victoria is about to bloom

Taylah Darnell Taylah Darnell
Flowers, fruit-picking and a whole lot of fun.

It’s that time of year. The winter chill is finally easing. Brave Aussies are starting to shed a few layers. Buds are beginning to bloom, and the sweet scent of spring is officially in the air. And there’s no better place to celebrate than CherryHill Orchards, which is hosting its cherry-blossom festival to welcome the season.

What is Bloom & Graze Festival?

Bloom & Graze, Victora
Welcome spring among the cherry blossoms at Bloom & Graze.

In Victoria’s bucolic Yarra Valley, CherryHill Orchards sits pretty on the outskirts of Coldstream township. The family-owned fruit farm, which has a sister property in nearby Wandin East, is officially opening its gates ahead of harvest season with the Bloom & Graze festival. Running across the second weekend of spring, the colourful celebration is returning after a successful debut in 2025.

A range of market stalls run by local businesses, producers and creators will take over the orchard as it begins to bloom, with wine, cheese, jewellery, flowers and tea. This year’s exhibitors include The Botanical Brothers, Yarra Valley Dairy, Watts River Brewing, Truffle Valley and more.

CherryHill Orchards in Victoria
Sample a variety of delicious treats served up by local producers.

Each vendor will run its own workshop or demonstration, sharing expert advice on everything from cocktail mixology to candle-making. There will also be live music, kids’ entertainment, food trucks and a cherry-inspired farmgate store.

“This is all about bringing our incredible community of producers, makers, and creators together to showcase the very best of the Yarra Valley," says Mike Appleton, CherryHill’s general manager of customer experience, tourism and events. “Set against the breathtaking backdrop of our 100-acre Coldstream orchard as our cherry trees begin to bloom, it’s the perfect way to celebrate spring."

What else is on at CherryHill this spring?

CherryHill Orchards in Victoria
CherryHill’s spring calendar is blooming with fun events in 2026.

If you can’t make it to Bloom & Graze, you don’t have to miss out. CherryHill Orchards is hosting a bloomin’ good line-up of events that rivals Australia’s best spring festivals.

The weekend after Bloom & Graze ends, the ever-popular Blossom Festival kicks off with 12 days of floral fanfare, just as the entire orchard enters full bloom. Running from 18 September – 4 October, it transforms the Wandin East property into a festival of fun for the whole family.

CherryHill Orchard's Blossom Festival in Victoria
Picnic among the petals at CherryHill’s Blossom Festival.

Guests will enjoy a range of themed experiences, like live music, local food and wine tastings curated by the region’s best vineyards, plus plenty of kid-friendly activities.

Come October, the beloved Comedy in the Vines festival kicks off back in Coldstream. Guests can look forward to four days of stand-up, live music, wine tastings and gourmet dining, with appearances from comics including Rhys Nicholson and Mel Buttle from 22–25 October.

And finally, as spring fades into summer, the flowers that have been admired for weeks slowly grow into their final form. It’s that time on Australia’s seasonal fruit-picking calendar – cherries are officially ripe for the picking! Grab your favourite straw hat and stroll through rows of fruit-heavy trees, basket in hand.

CherryHill Orchards in Victoria
Both Yarra Valley orchards welcome visitors throughout cherry-picking season.

Both the Coldstream and Wandin East orchards will be open to the public for cherry-picking. BYO picnic to enjoy lunch in the sun, paired perfectly with your fresh fruit. There will also be cold drinks, food and ice-cream available at both onsite cafes. It’s cherry-flavoured goodness, all spring and summer long.

Dogs are welcome at all times, with a $3 entry fee per furry friend. Tickets for each spring event are available now via CherryHill’s website.

Need tips, more detail or itinerary ideas tailored to you? Ask AT.

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Taylah Darnell
Taylah Darnell is Australian Traveller's Writer & Producer. She has been passionate about writing since she learnt to read, spending many hours either lost in the pages of books or attempting to write her own. This life-long love of words inspired her to study a Bachelor of Communication majoring in Creative Writing at the University of Technology Sydney, where she completed two editorial internships. She began her full-time career in publishing at Ocean Media before scoring her dream job with Australian Traveller. Now as Writer & Producer, Taylah passionately works across both digital platforms and print titles. When she's not wielding a red pen over magazine proofs, you can find Taylah among the aisles of a second-hand bookshop, following a good nature trail or cheering on her EPL team at 3am. While she's keen to check out places like Scotland and North America, her favourite place to explore will always be her homeland.
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Victoria’s surprising new outdoor adventure hotspot

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    A town charmingly paused in time has become a hot mountain biking destination. 

    There’s a forest reserve full of eucalyptus and pines surrounding town – when you combine all the greenery with a main street of grand old buildings still standing from the Victorian Gold Rush, Creswick looks more period movie set than a 21st-century town.  

    old gold bank Victoria
    Grand buildings from the Victorian gold rush. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    This entire region of Victoria – the Central Goldfields – is as pretty-as-a-picture, but there’s something extra-special about Creswick. I used to live 30 minutes north; I’d drive in some evenings to cruise its main street at dusk, and pretend I was travelling back in time. 

    It was sleepy back then, but that’s changed. Where I used to walk through its forest, now I’m hurtling down the state’s best new mountain bike trails. There’s a 60-kilometre network of mountain bike trails – dubbed Djuwang Baring – which make Creswick the state’s hottest new mountain biking destination.  

    Meet Victoria’s new mountain biking capital 

    Creswick bike trail
    This historic town has become a mountain biking hotspot.

    Victoria has a habit of turning quiet country towns into mountain biking hotspots. I was there in the mid-2000s when the tiny Otways village of Forrest embarked on an ambitious plan to save itself (after the death of its timber cutting industry) courtesy of some of the world’s best mountain bike trails. A screaming success it proved to be, and soon mountain bike trails began popping up all over Victoria. 

    I’m no expert, so I like that a lot of Creswick’s trails are as scenic as they are challenging. I prefer intermediate trails, such as Down Martuk, with its flowing berms and a view round every corner. Everyone from outright beginners to experts can be happy here. There’s trails that take me down technical rock sections with plenty of bumps. But there’s enough on offer to appeal to day-trippers, as much as hard-core mountain-bikers. 

    I love that the trails empty onto that grand old main street. There’s bars still standing from the Gold Rush of the 1850s I can refuel at. Like the award-winning Farmers Arms, not to be confused with the pub sharing its name in Daylesford. It’s stood since 1857. And The American Creswick built two years later, or Odessa Wine Bar, part of Leaver’s Hotel in an 1856-built former gold exchange bank.  

    The Woodlands
    The Woodlands is set on a large bushland property. (Image: Vanessa Smith Photography)

    Creswick is also full of great cafes and restaurants, many of them set in the same old buildings that have stood for 170 years. So whether you’re here for the rush of the trails or the calm of town life, Creswick provides. 

    A traveller’s checklist 

    Staying there 

    1970s log cabin
    Inside the Woodlands, a chic 1970s log cabin. (Image: Vanessa Smith Photography)

    RACV Goldfields Resort is a contemporary stay with a restaurant, swimming pool and golf course. The Woodlands in nearby Lal Lal comprises a chic log cabin set on a 16-hectare property abundant in native wildlife. 

    Eating there 

    Le Peche Gourmand
    Le Peche Gourmand makes for the perfect pitstop for carb and sugar-loading.

    The menu at Odessa at Leaver’s Hotel includes some Thai-inspired fare. Fuel up for your ride on baguettes and pastries from French patisserie Le Peche Gourmand. The Farmers Arms has been a much-loved local institution since 1857. 

    Playing there 

    Miss NorthcottsGarden
    Miss Northcotts Garden is a charming garden store with tea room. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    Creswick State Forest has a variety of hiking trails, including a section of the 210-kilometre-long Goldfields Track. Miss Northcotts Garden is a quaint garden store with tea room.