If you spend the week yearning for wide open spaces, fresh air and some real time with the ones you love, Find Your Self in Nillumbik this Sunday – just one hour’s drive from Melbourne (and on your way to the Yarra Valley!).
Today’s General Stores in Nillumbik carry the hallmarks of service that we grew up with, and they have retained the charm of laden shelves, and at least one of everything. The general store/milk bar is alive and thriving in Nillumbik and an essential part of daily life.
Having trained at Art Schools in the 1960s, Ona and Syd’s large Aladdin’s cave is abundant with magical adventures. Ona’s watermedia paintings and etchings have a mythical lyrical feel, while Syd’s have a lightness of touch and air of whimsy, highlighting the spirit of nature in their bushland studio.
Held across a range of locations in Nillumbik, the Artists Open Studios Program offers visitors an opportunity to get a rare glimpse of local artists at work in their own environment. Visitors can meet the makers, view demonstrations and buy original art and handcrafted items directly from the artists
Take a drive this weekend and spend time with your loved ones in the green spaces that are the lungs of Melbourne. In a short time, you’ll have changed up the city scape for the green comfort of trees and pasture – Eltham, Diamond Creek or Hurstbridge are just a couple of destinations to set on your GPS.
The charming township of St Andrews is just one hours’ drive from Melbourne CBD, which is perhaps even less than your daily commute to work! A list to St Andrews Market is a must.
What’s your ideal walk? A meander along well trodden paths? A heart pumping bush track up a hillside? A ‘getting away from it’ hike to a new destination? A walk with a view?
It doesn’t matter what day of the weekend you’re coming to Nillumbik, you can be guaranteed there’s a market to explore. Pack some extra reusable shopping bags, your supermarket this weekend is a SUPER market.
We have been taken to heart by the local Italian community and regularly host large family events. People of Italian heritage, and those who simply love the flavours and feel of Italian culture, all find their ‘home’ here.
“The wine growing area of the Yarra Valley reminds me of the wine region between Florence and Sienna in Italy. The topography and aspects of the climate are very similar. There are rolling hills, and both wet and dry conditions during the year. It’s not crazy cold and the soil provides a similarly rich environment,” says Dino Giammarino, winemaker at Giammarino Wines. “These are great conditions for Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, Montepulciano and Fiano – Italian varietals that I am passionate about introducing to more people in Australia. I make all my wines from my heart.