Easter time in Melbourne is a four-day weekend when you can embark on some vegan daytrips in Melbourne. It’s an interesting time of the year, being the start of Autumn yet the last of summer’s sunny days shine through. These are the days when stolen moments can be taken for some vegan local travel. This time is also spent with loved ones or your beloved, while experiencing new destinations while eating delicious vegan food and recharging the batteries. You may know that Easter starts the week prior, even more time when you can take another daytrip. This proves that these easy Easter vegan daytrips in Melbourne can be taken anytime.
Palm Sunday Walks in Preston
Palm Sunday couldn’t be any sunnier, the perfect weather for a walk in nature. There are many locations around Melbourne for a suburban nature walk, so the day’s choice was Merri Creek Trail in Preston. Winding walking tracks, fit for cyclers, meander through native bushland so it’s easy to forget about the city bustle. All that’s left to do to continue the relaxed vibe is to order a Merri Big Breakfast to enjoy in the courtyard at the Merri Clan, only a 10-minute walk away.
Good Friday Drive to Kallista Tearooms
Good Friday is a time in Melbourne when almost all businesses are closed for the holiday. In recent years, businesses have started to trade allowing local vegans to try new meals and new and unexpected locations. One of these locations is Kallista Tearooms in the Dandenong Ranges. Recent word around the Melbourne vegan community was that these historic tearooms were offering vegan options. What a fun opportunity to take a winding drive into the hills. Here in the hills, eucalypts soar into the sky, as native ferns nestle in the understory below. What waits is a nostalgic 1900’s art deco building that’s serving up a ‘zen bowl’ bulked up by strips of smoked tofu and edamame beans. To finish is a sweet surprise – a slice of rich, gluten-free chocolate brownie sided by a berry coulis. A handful of other menu items are available to be veganised.
Easter Saturday on the Coast for Conscious Cravings Co
Easter Saturday is the odd day out over Easter when almost all business re open, albeit reduced hours for some. Taking the freeway to the coastal area of Moorooduc meant taking a hard turnoff to find a quaint cottage. Conscious Cravings Co serves up organic plant-based lunches and raw, sugar-free cakes and treats, and good coffee. The vegan flavours here are massive, served up on mini-chopping boards with gold-tinted cutlery. A menu that is simple yet dense in flavoursome ingredients, like their avocado on toast with creamy chunks of house-made almond feta and a sprinkling of hemp seeds with a side of coffee with soy milk in a mosaic cup. To close the meal is a slice of passionfruit cheesecake. All of this is best served out on the veranda or while sitting in beach chairs in the courtyard out the back.
East Sunday Means a Lazy Family Lunch at V Series
Easter Sunday does equate to family time, at V Series in the inner-city suburb of Kew where travelling families can share a meal. Another reason why I enjoy coming here is because they make one of my favourite meals – Tofu and Hash Benedict. I remember coming to V Series in the early days of becoming vegan and Tofu Benedict was one of my first memorable restaurant meals. So, it’s been a classic in my travel notes ever since. Luckily, I can still eat this dish even after going gluten-free. Imagine a tower of grilled vegetables (mushroom, a potato hash-brown) inter-layered by slices of avocado and fresh tomato then crowned by crispy tofu and poured over with a cascading layer of glistening hollandaise sauce; all vegan, of course. Coming to V Series also means indulging with a vegan cupcake afterwards and it’s a struggle to choose from so many flavours. The dessert-loving vegan in me would love one of each, but this is too greedy. Salted caramel hits the spot with a light chocolate sponge topped with whipped caramel cream frosting and pierced by shards of shiny toffee. My favourite as you know, a soy latte, finishes the meal best.
Easter Monday Hiking at Grant’s Picnic Ground
Even though the seasons of summer and autumn are still bordering one another, Melbourne can kill the summer-like vibe with a cool, misty morning. Still, a hike through Grant’s Picnic Ground is possible; bringing this circumference of daytrips around Melbourne to an invigorating close. Nestled in The Dandenongs among Sherbrook Forest, the mist settles in for a cool climate wander among the understory of native ferns and ground-scrub. Looking above, tall eucalypts tower towards to the sky. The immediate picnic ground is where sight-seeing visitors here loop the area for a casual wander. More serious hikers can surge forward to complete an invigorating loop, complete with a steep hill-climb. Just be sure to pack your hiking sneakers or boots.
Did you head out on any daytrips over the Easter break? Why not plan one for this weekend?
If you feel compelled to visit any of these day-trip destinations, then check out my trip notes below.
Start the Merri Creek Trail at A.H Capps Reserve on Halwyn Crescent so you’re within walking distance from The Merri Clan, 15 Gilbert Road Preston Victoria 3072. Phone: +613 9480 5940. Hours: Closed Monday and Tuesday, Wednesday to Friday 7.00am to 11.00pm, Saturday 8.00am to 11.00pm and Sunday 8.00am to 10.00pm. Entry is free to the Merri Creek Trail which is accessible anytime.
Take a drive to Kallista Tearooms for their all-day menu with vegan options. 103 Monbulk Road Kallista Victoria 3791. Phone: +613 9755 2659. Hours: Monday to Friday 9.00am to 5.00pm Saturday and Sunday 8.00am to 5.00pm.
Head to the coast for a meal at Conscious Cravings Co. 8/475 Moorooduc Highway Moorooduc Victoria Australia 3933. Phone: 0409 742 695. Hours: Monday to Friday 7.30am to 3.30pm, Saturday 8.00am to 3.30pm and closed Sunday.
Travel to inner city Melbourne for a lazy, long lunch at V Series. Shop 4/26 Princess Street Kew Victoria 3101. Phone: +613 9939 6133. Hours: Monday to Sunday: 8.30am to 4.00pm (also open for dinner Friday and Saturday 6.00pm to 9.30pm).
Take a hike in The Dandenongs with your starting point being at Grant’s Picnic Ground. 70 Monbulk Road Sherbrooke Victoria 3789. Phone: 13 19 63. Open 24 hours and entry is free.
If you’re keen to map out these weekend trips in Melbourne for yourself, you can also check out my contribution to GPSmyCity. This is a destination where you can create your own customised self-guided city walks through their series of user-friendly apps. Just head to this weblink!
