TarraWarra Estate

At the other end of the winery-meets-art scale is the Yarra Valley’s TarraWarra Estate, home of the TarraWarra Museum of Art.

Directly across from the wine bar, cafe and tasting room is Australia’s first significant privately funded public art gallery. Opened in 2003, TarraWarra Museum of Art is the gift of collectors Eva and Marc Besen, whose interest in Australian art from the 1950s to the present is reflected in the works on show.

The permanent collection features artists such as Arthur Boyd and Fred Williams, while temporary exhibitions embrace younger generations of artists.

The biennial is not due again until mid-2010 but major temporary exhibitions are presented year-round, such as the recent Mythology And Reality: Contemporary Aboriginal Art From The Gabrielle Pizzi Collection.