Farewell Party Hunter Valley

A send-off has to work for a crowd that rarely socialises together. Colleagues from three different decades, a partner's family, old school friends and the neighbours all turn up for the same person, and most of them want two things: a chance to say goodbye properly, and somewhere they can hear the speeches.

The Lower Hunter pubs handle that mix well because they offer a room of your own without the formality of a function centre. In East Maitland, The George Tavern's Courtyard has a private bar for 50 standing or 40 seated, and the front terrace beer garden takes up to 70. Along Maitland's High Street, The Dining Room @ The Pourhouse seats about 40 inside the 1866 former Exchange Hotel, while The Family Hotel welcomes groups of 25 or more with six savoury canapés from $42 per person.

Morpeth suits a slower farewell. Commercial Hotel Morpeth spreads across four function areas, from a 70-seat dining room to an 80-guest beer garden under the fig trees, and serves two-course menus from $40 per person once the group passes 20.

Choosing between them comes down to the guest of honour:

• Leaving a workplace: a courtyard or terrace keeps it loose, so people can drift in after their shift
• Moving away from family: a seated dining room makes room for longer speeches
• Retiring after many years: a private bar lets old colleagues catch up without shouting over a band
• Heading overseas: a photo booth gives everyone a strip to keep and a gallery to share

OMG Booths travels to venues right across the Hunter, from the Upper Hunter and Singleton down to Maitland and Cessnock, with no travel charge, from $550. For more rooms, browse birthday party venues or plan a get-together later with a reunion.