Have You Heard Y.E.T? – April 2025
We explore visiting the Yarra Valley without the wine in the April edition of ‘Have You Heard Y.E.T?!’
Welcome to the April / May edition of ‘Have you Heard Y.E.T?!’
This month’s newsletter wraps up a BIG April for YET, our highlighted supplier is Moonlit Sanctuary and for our destination of the month we feature the Yarra Valley without the wines!
What’s happening at Your Exclusive Tours?
What a busy month April was with the school holidays, the Easter Break, ANZAC day long weekend, and the largest tourism tradeshow being Australia Tourism Exchange (ATE25) in Brisbane.
In our March addition of “Have You Heard YET?!”, we spoke about the change of seasons into Autumn and enjoyment of an extended summer with warm weather and amazing days. This weather has continued into April and has produced some fantastic days exploring Melbourne and Victoria with our guests.
Over the past 3 years, our volume of bookings has been similar for the month of April with this year having a higher dollar spend per booking. Do I attribute this to warmer weather, 3 short weeks and 2 long weekends, school holidays and easter break in the month? What I do know for certain is the smiles, banter, and laughter from our guests having a marvelous time with us. Highlights include:
A team photo before moving 60 guests over 2 weddings in the Dandenong Ranges with the assistance of a donkey.
Acting as tour host for a language inversion program for 26 kids and 6 teachers from Hong Kong exploring Melbourne & Victoria.
Bendigo Goldmine, Murray River Paddle Steamers, and Silo Art with our VIP guests from Tasmania.
In the last week of April, Your Exclusive Tours went to Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE25) in Brisbane. This was our fourth time attending Australian Tourism Exchange and are now seeing some very positive results from our investment and long term strategy.
With over 75 meetings in 4 days and networking amongst 2900+ delegates, we are growing and developing our trade distribution and partnerships network, along with building on our existing connections and relationships whilst meeting new agents. Personally, I am very thankful for these opportunities and excited to see where they go.
Review of the Month
This month’s review is from Vickie, who enjoyed a school reunion with a difference on the Great Ocean Road. Vickie and her classmates had a great time with Chauffeur Guide Rob. We’d like to thank Vickie for leaving her review.
Our Suppliers – Moonlit Sanctuary
Welcome back to our segment Our Suppliers, which features a location that we love to include on our tour experiences. We’ll tell you who they are, what they do, who should visit, and why we love them! We continue our series this month with a look at Moonlit Sanctuary.
Who are they?
Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park is home to some of Australia’s most iconic native wildlife. From Koalas, Kangaroos, Wallabies, Dingoes and Emus, to the lesser-known Quolls, Bilbies, Parrots and Reptiles, Moonlit Sanctuary is home to a diverse range of Australian animals.
What do they do?
The highlight of a visit to Moonlit Sanctuary is a close encounter. Visitors can get up close and personal with a Koala, Dingo, Emu, Barn Owl, Goshawk, Kookaburra, Wombat or even one of our Snakes (yep, they’re not all venomous!).
Kangaroos and Wallabies free-roam the Wallaby Walk area of the Sanctuary, happily accepting specially curated ‘Roo food’ from guests eager to hand feed and snap a photo with these beautiful creatures.
Visitors love attending the Conservation in Action show. Watch animals such as dingoes, barn owls, barking owls, cockatoos or tawny frogmouths as they go about their training and are rewarded for their natural behaviour, such as climbing, or flying point to point, and the keepers provide insightful details about the different species and their conservation status.
Why we love them
Moonlit Sanctuary provides the opportunity for our guests to meet some of Australia’s most iconic and native wildlife. The connection and commitment to animal welfare, breeding programs, and conservation is seen through our interaction with keepers and staff of Moonlit Sanctuary. Our guests always leave with a smile and numerous photos of their wildlife encounters. Moonlit Sanctuary is a great option as a stop on either our Phillip Island or Mornington Peninsula experiences.
Destination of the Month – The Yarra Valley
When you think of Victoria’s Yarra Valley region, you think wine. And with good reason – the Yarra Valley is one of Australia’s leading producers of award-winning wines.
However, to those of you who do not fancy a drop of red, white, or sparkling wine, and have not visited the Yarra Valley, then you are missing out. Because there is so much to explore and experience in the Yarra Valley.
The Yarra Valley is only a 1-hour drive east of Melbourne and is surrounded by the Dandenong Ranges and Great Dividing Range. One side to the other side the Yarra Valley, the landscape, scenery, and vistas influence the environment along with the tales, stories, and rich history of the area.
Besides wine, the Yarra Valley has a rich history of beer and cider production along with being an amazing food bowl for fresh and local produce, health and wellness, and home to a diverse range of Australian Wildlife.
As far as activities and attractions go, you will be spoilt for choice:
- Foodies can eat their way around the Yarra Valley with endless opportunities to sample the best of the area’s produce, whether it’s picking your own fruits at Rayner’s Orchard or cherries at Cherry Hill Orchard. An informal dining experience at a local pub or café, right through to a luxurious dining experience in one of the Yarra Valley’s award-winning restaurants that pride themselves on paddock / garden to plate. Lastly, a visit to the Chocolaterie is one for all ages.
- Healesville Sanctuary Zoo is a perennial favourite with our guests – its Australian only theme shows our iconic Aussie animals at their best and is rich in first nations culture and heritage, while simultaneously acting as a wildlife hospital and rehabilitation & release centre to support the local wildlife.
- For those who don’t mind an early start, a hot air balloon ride over the Yarra Valley provides a viewpoint you can only get from one of these magical experiences. Hot air balloons can be seen serenely floating over the morning skyline all year around.
- The boutique accommodation to get away from the hassle and bustle of everyday life, or to celebrate that romantic getaway of a birthday, anniversary, or honeymoon. This is a place for all occasions.
We love to explore and experience the Yarra Valley with you our guests and it has become one of our favourite destinations.
You can find out more about our Yarra Valley experiences being The Flavour of the Yarra Valley, Introduction to the Yarra Valley, Family Day in the Yarra Valley, or we can create a customised itinerary for you to explore and experience the Yarra Valley.
Stay tuned for more news in our next edition of ‘Have you heard Y.E.T?!’ where we feature Chauffeur Guide Ben, and in the meantime, if you haven’t yet subscribed, you can do so here: