Servicing Perth & Beyond
How to Organise & Book the Perfect Swan Valley Tour!
After successfully hosting over 200 Swan Valley Charters onboard The Avocado Bus in the past 2 years, I have put together the perfect step-by-step guide with every bit of information needed, to help you plan and book the best Swan Valley Tour, customised to the vibe of your event!
Step 1) Pick the Date
Friday, Saturday or Sunday are the way to go. Some smaller venues are often not open Monday to Thursday.
Saturday is the busiest day in the Valley with people & buses everywhere where as Sundays have more of a chilled out vibe.
Step 2) Invite your Friends
Use Facebook Events or a similar app.
Step 3) Book your Bus
If your group is 21, 13 or fewer passengers, of course you are riding onboard one of The Avocado Bus'! Get a quote or further info here
What makes The Avocado Bus the best option around!
- Complimentary water, mints, phone chargers and WIFI onboard
- Relaxed, friendly and professional service at very competitive prices
- Ice cold air-con and play your own music through the bus speakers on the device with Spotify provided
- If you need more information or ideas then provided below, give me a call or email and ill happily help you plan the perfect tour!
Step 4) Start Planning the Day / Timings
Usual Swan Valley Day Charters onboard my bus go from 11:00am to 5:00pm, being a 6 hour tour. This includes pickup and drop-off to your location of choice and gives us enough time to visit 4 venues throughout the day. I suggest around 45 minutes to 1 hour for a tasting at a venue and up to 2 hours for your lunch stop to ensure you’re not rushed and can really enjoy your day. Additionally, allow 10-15 minutes for travel time between stops.
Here is an example of timings for your convenience:
- 11:00am to 11:30am Pickup and Transfer to Venue 1
- 11:30am to 12:20pm - Venue 1
- 12:20pm to 12:30pm - Transfer
- 12:30pm to 1:20pm - Venue 2
- 1:20pm to 1:30pm - Transfer
- 1:30pm to 3:15pm - Lunch at Venue 3
- 3:15pm to 3:30pm - Transfer
- 3:30pm to 4:30pm - Venue 4
- 4:30pm to 5:00pm - Depart the Valley to your drop-off location
Step 5) Choose and then Book the Venues you will be Visiting
The Swan Valley isn't just for Wine Tours! There are SO many amazing options around including Craft Brewery's, Distillery's, Wineries, Sweet Treats, Cafes and amazing all inclusive Estate style venues. This makes the region an awesome option for all ages and all types of events!
All your venues need to be booked in advance and prime-times on a Saturday can be booked out weeks in advance, so the earlier you lock in your bookings, the better! Here are my favourite venues to give you some ideas:
Distilleries
- Tasting Cost - $5 p/p
- About - Fun, quirky venue with amazing tasting experience, awesome Gins and Vodka's
- How to Book - On website
- Tasting Cost: $20 for a tasting plate with all their offerings or cheap cocktails over the bar!
- About - Nice venue with cocktails on offer, all mixed with homemade spirits and syrups.
- How to Book - Click Here
Wineries
- Tasting Cost - Between $10 to $15 p/p
- About - Stunning rustic vibe Cellar Door with particularly good white wines. There is also a Wine & Cheese tasting deal which is the perfect start to any tour! Also an amazing spot for a group photo!
- How to Book - Online
- Tasting Cost - Between $5 to $15 p/p
- About - The oldest Vineyard in the Valley and truly an amazing venue with 5-Star wines. The Cheese Barrel is onsite and you can do a Wine and Cheese tasting package which is a great experience. Groups of 9 or less don't need to book a cellar door experience at Olive Farm, simply walk in!
- Check out Cheese Barrels Menu
- How to Book - Online
- Tasting Cost - $5 p/p
- About - 15 wines to taste in a very comprehensive tasting! Really stunning cellar door and relaxing shady garden area! Great spot for a photo and VERY reasonably prices takeaway wines to buy!
- How to Book - Click here for more info
- Pandemonium Estate and Swan Valley Gin Company - Website & Facebook
- Tasting Cost: Wine Tasting $5p/p - Gin Tasting $10p/p
- About - Great boutique feel to the cellar door with excellent produce to taste! Have a Gin and Wine Tasting at your groups table and enjoy a few delicious $15 woodfired pizzas to share after midday!
- How to Book - Phone 9296 3537 or email pandemoniumestate@outlook.com
- Tasting Cost - $6 p/p
- About - Fun venue with great live music over the weekends. Very receptive to group bookings and a great sparkling Rose. They also have great share platters for a group lunch or a snack, and for $5 extra p/p you can add cheese and bread to your Wine Tasting! More info on the food here.
- How to Book - via email info@uglyducklingwines.com
Brewery's & Cidery's
- Tasting Cost - Purchase your tasting paddle of choice over the bar ($15 to $20)
- About - Awesome craft brewery, usually over 15 beers on tap and great bar snacks for casual dining options. Best Fried Chicken around!
- Check out their Menu
- How to Book - Online
- Tasting Cost - Purchase your tasting paddle of choice over the bar ($15 to $20)
- About - Cool Craft Brewery and good food menu, some very adventurous beers to try.
- Check out their Menu
- How to Book - Online
- Tasting Cost - Purchase your tasting paddle of choice over the bar ($15 to $20)
- About - Funky venue with so many choices of Cider and Beer. Really cool BeerHall (looks like something out of Munich!) which is a great fun on Saturday's. Its on the same site as IronBark Brewery so any beer lovers can walk over next door in small groups and enjoy another beer!
- Check out their Menu
- How to Book - Online
All Inclusive Estates
- About - Amazing Estate venue with so many choices for food and drink. A great spot for a very formal lunch at The Wild Swan or a more informal share type lunch at The Homestead! Smaller groups can do a tasting of 4 wines for free at the Cellar Door whilst waiting for food. There is also a art gallery, kids playground & accommodation here!
- Check out The Homestead Menu here
- How to Book - Online or info@mandoonestate.com.au
Sweets and Treats
- Tasting Cost - Free
- About - Really cool stop with hundreds of honey related items to try and buy (including Mead, an alcoholic honey based drink!). This is a must for honey lovers or anyone looking to try something really different!
- How to Book - Online
- Tasting Cost - Free Tastings
- About - Free Chocolate tastings, great ice cream and an amazing amount of Chocolate options. Great place to pickup gifts and the Providore is onsite which has loads of Jams, Oils, Spreads, Coward and Black Wines & Choc Liqueurs to taste!
- How to Book - No need to book the Chocolate Factory but book The Providore for the Wine/Liqueur tasting by emailing admin@providoreswanvalley.com.au
- Tasting Cost - Free
- About - One of the coolest venues in the Valley. Do a complimentary coffee tasting, see/smell coffee get roasted and all the coffee related gifts/items you could ever imagine are for sale. No need to book this stop and allows approx 20-30 minutes. For a tour starting early, this is a great way to wake the crowd up!
- How to Book - No need!
Hot Tips:
- Enter your choice of venues into Google Maps and pick the most logical route for the day, before you start booking. This way there will be less time in-between venues or backtracking and more time with a drink in your hand!
- Venues want to deal directly with the visiting group, this is to pass on any extra info, house rules or possibly a deposit may be required.
- Always get your booking in writing (via email)
Step 6) Pay all your deposits and reconfirm all bookings!
Be sure to pay all your required deposits ASAP and a week or so out send a friendly reconfirmation email to each venue.
