In the lead-up to the Christmas holidays, my work colleagues and I were fortunate enough to celebrate our end-of-year break-up with a Premium Levantine Hill Estate x Microflite Melbourne Helicopter Experience.
Here’s a snapshot of how the day went.
Our Starting Point for the Day: Crown Casino, Melbourne
Jackpot Bar, Crown Casino Melbourne
Kicking off the day early, we decided to ease our pre-flight nerves with a beverage (or two) in the Jackpot Bar at Crown Casino. Situated within the Main Casino floor on the Whiteman Street Melbourne end of the city, and a quick dash across the Casino foodcourt from the Yarra River entrance, the Jackpot Bar pitstop was a no-brainer.
After all, we had some time to kill, and a big day of wine tasting ahead of us, so it made perfect sense (almost), to be downing proseccos before midday.
Boarding Time: Microflite Melbourne Heliport
Melbourne City Helipad, Batman Park
From Jackpot Bar, we trotted across to the other side of the Yarra, where our luxury Microflite helicopter awaited us at the Melbourne City Helipad. Centrally located at Batman Park, 2A Spencer St, Melbourne, the entrance to the Microflite Melbourne Heliport was (fortunately) very easy to find! This was just as well, as we had only a few minutes up our sleeves to make it to our 12:10 pm check-in time (20 minutes before take-off), following our pre-flight beverages at Crown.
Upon our arrival at the heliport, the friendly, warm and welcoming Microflite staff promptly checked us in. After pointing out the luxuriously appointed bathrooms reserved for guest use before boarding, they ushered us into the comfortable pre-flight lounge, where we were served complimentary sparkling wine and beers to set the festive tone of the day.
Microflite Melbourne Heliport Pre-Flight Lounge
After a short but relaxing wait, it was (finally) time to board! It was either the bubbles or the pre-flight jitters – either way, excitement for the day ahead was high.
Up in the Air: The Microflite Helicopter Experience
Aboard our Microflite Helicopter
Following a quick safety briefing and fitting of life jackets (which proved, fortunately, to be non-essential on this occasion), it was time to take flight!
The comfortable, air-conditioned aircraft featured plush, leather-lined seats and had a capacity of six passengers plus pilot. Two of us were lucky enough to be seated up front, with prime viewing out of the large front-facing windows. The rest of us drew the short straw and piled into the back, which was still a great experience, all things considered!
And speaking of the views, they were magnificent! From our airborne position, we had a birdseye view of the city below us, the glistening Albert Park Lake and Port Phillip Bay, and later (approximately 20 minutes later, to be precise), the plush green fields of the Yarra Valley as we approached Levantine Hill Estate.
Port Phillip Bay from Above
The Shrine of Remembrance, Birdwood Avenue Melbourne
The Lush Greenery of the Yarra Valley, Victoria
Another bonus: the helicopter also offers some separate storage space in its luggage hold, which enables return passengers to safely stash away any bottles they may have purchased while visiting the winery. Our pilot was even kind enough to carry our bottles to the aircraft for us!
A Luxury Dining Experience: Wined and Dined at Levantine Hill Estate, Yarra Valley
As if the excitement of a helicopter flight wasn’t enough, as part of the Premium experience, we were also treated to an impressive shared lunch spread, which followed a guided wine tasting of some of Levantine Hill Estate’s finest drops – including the 2016 Estate Sparkling Rose, and the 2020 Estate Pinot Noir.
The wine was superb, and the food was delicious. Some of the dishes we were lucky enough to savour included:
An Entree of Shark Bay Scallops with Ras El Hanout Veloute
Free Range Charcoal Chicken with Saffron Corn Butter
Turkish Beef Manti with Harissa Butter and Lemon Yogurt
Pepita Crumbed Pumpkin with Candied Walnuts
All Good Things Come to an End: A Quick Farewell Drink at Ghost Donkey, Crown
Ghost Donkey Bar and Restaurant, Crown
After a short return flight, we touched down back in Melbourne’s CBD and disembarked our helicopter for the last time. Finally, it was time to say farewell. But, not before ending the day with some cocktails!
We stumbled upon Ghost Donkey, a Mexican-themed restaurant and bar at the very entrance of Crown. It seemed like the easy choice, as we didn’t need to cross the food court or enter the Casino to get in.
As it was a Mexican restaurant, the cocktail list was decidedly tequila-infused. A few of us took part in the frozen Margarita special, while others chose a more out-there option of an “El Burro Coctel” – which came complete with an outrageously donkey-shaped novelty ceramic mug.
Frozen Margarita at Ghost Donkey, Crown
A festive end to an eventful day out, to say the least, and fun was had by all!
