Warratina Lavender Farm

Warratina Lavender Farm is a family-run lavender farm at 105 Quayle Road, Wandin North, with rows of lavender, homestead gardens and open views across the Yarra Valley to the Dandenongs. It announced itself as dog friendly from the start, and dogs on lead are welcome across the property, grounds and even inside the gift shop. It is an easy half-day add-on to a Yarra Valley run, and a very photogenic one when the lavender is in flower.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome on lead throughout the outdoor fields and gardens, with water bowls typically set out around the grounds, and well-behaved dogs on leads are allowed into the gift shop too. The farm asks only that dogs stay close and that owners clean up. The tearoom has indoor and outdoor garden seating, but check ahead on where food-service seating works for dogs before you plan lunch around it, and bring your own dog treats rather than counting on the farm.

Worth knowing

The tearoom is the food draw, famous for homemade lavender scones with jam and cream, plus lavender lattes, teas and milkshakes, and the gift shop sells the farm's own dried lavender, oils and products. Hours run Wednesday to Sunday from 10:05am to 4pm, closed Monday and Tuesday, and general admission has been free while the fields cycle into spring growth. Peak bloom runs roughly November to January, when the rows are at their purplest and the grounds are busiest, so arrive early in that window.

Getting there and parking

The farm sits on Quayle Road in Wandin North, about an hour's drive east of Melbourne, with free onsite parking and gentle slopes around the gardens. Before or after, the Wandin East Recreation Reserve off-leash area is the closest off-lead run, and the Seville Recreational Reserve off-leash area is a few minutes further along.

Close by with the dogs

The Warburton Rail Trail from Lilydale to Seville runs through this pocket of the valley for a proper on-lead walk, and the Carriage Cafe at Seville is a dog-friendly coffee stop on the way in. The Wandin North destination page lists the rest.

Confirm opening days with the farm before a long drive, especially outside the summer bloom. More Victorian options sit under the Victoria restaurants listing.