Waurn Ponds Estate

About Waurn Ponds Estate

Waurn Ponds Estate is a purpose-built conference and events venue at the far end of Nicol Drive South, behind Deakin University's Waurn Ponds campus. It sits on wide, peaceful grounds with a kitchen garden, a walking track and an infinity pool. There are three indoor event areas and three outdoor ones. The Barrabool Restaurant is the main dining room, seating 100 for a banquet or holding 150 standing, and it leads out to the kitchen garden. The Bistro has floor-to-ceiling glass, its own bar and a terrace, and suits 16 seated or 30 standing. For bigger crowds, the Lounge spreads over three levels and takes up to 250 cocktail guests, while the Lawn holds 300 with open views across the estate. The Kitchen Garden, tucked among the vines, works for welcome drinks for about 120, and the Pool Terrace suits a small warm-weather gathering of 20 seated. All food is cooked on site by the estate's chefs, who use seasonal local produce. Menus range from grazing tables and canapés to three-course banquet dinners, and most common dietary needs are handled at no extra cost. The team handles social functions, end-of-year celebrations, cocktail parties and corporate dinners, and helps choose the right space and menu. Eight conference rooms with built-in AV, microphones and cameras sit alongside the event areas for daytime sessions. The estate is open to everyone, not only university groups, and guests can stay overnight in the on-site rooms if they wish.

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