Balgownie Estate Winery Retreat & Restaurant Bendigo

Service very slow and forgot our order twice, had to be repeatedly reminded.
Food very overpriced for the quality and quantity (tiny portions). Wine was good though

Nice winery.friendly staff. Rachel at cellar door, Mitch and Safe at the restaurant were exceptional. Food was delicious at the restaurant and nice wines.

This glamping experience in Bendigo was truly extraordinary. The breathtaking scenery, cozy tent, and proximity to a massive winery made it a memorable trip.

The location is simply stunning, offering tranquility and natural beauty. Our comfortable tent added a touch of luxury to our outdoor adventure, making it the perfect place to unwind.

The nearby winery was a highlight, with beautiful vineyards and delightful wine tastings. However, I must mention that the restaurant on-site was disappointing. The food presentation and quality fell short of expectations. I recommend exploring dining options outside of the campsite.

Despite the dining hiccup, I still highly recommend this glamping experience. It's a unique and unforgettable escape into nature, earning it a solid 4-star rating.

Enjoy my photos. @authorlinyt

Enjoyed a lovely night with my wife, we did a wine tasting aswell as glamping in a safari tent. It was a great experience and very relaxing the black label shiraz is fantastic and bendigo was beautiful

Rachel from the wine tasting tour was amazing! Very engaging and a delight to have such a great experience. Thank you Rachel 10/10!

Would be one of the best and most consistent places to eat in Bendigo. Food is great. Service friendly. Fabulous views and relaxed setting. Nice mix of wines - great sparkling, a tasty rose perfect for a sunny day and there’s a selection of quality reds.

We arrived without any bookings, started with a wine tasting of their extensive range, the man serving seemed already very flustered with the 4 people in before us at 11: 30am. But we waited patiently and were sat down shortly after. He mentioned a tasting fee, happy to pay this and totally understand, especially given there was about 20 wines available to try. He poured the wines without explaining anything additional that we couldn’t read ourselves, which was only where the grapes were grown, but he was happy to answer our questions about style, oak, vintages ect. Overall the cellar door seems like an inconvenience to Balgownie, like a necessary add on around the side they are obliged to have as a winery. It lacks atmosphere and we left knowing little about Balgownie as a winery.
Wines not the best in the region, although the 2015 old block Shiraz was divine and well worth the asking price.

The restaurant however is their shining star. The setting, atmosphere and menu are all beautiful, the wait staff are very attentive, friendly and knowledgeable. 2 courses and a charcuterie board all excellent. Thank you kitchen and FOH staff!

We will return.

Lovely overnight stay in the homestead. Had a complimentary wine tasting. The host was lovely and knowledgeable

We stayed night in one of the Safari tents, the tent was very well set up, clean, cosy and beautiful.
However, our neighbors were both very noisy that night even after midnight (one side neighbors were parting and other other side were play music), which made us didn’t sleep well.
The tents are too close to each other, we can easily hear other people talking, and no one told us there was an emergency contact number on their key.
I don’t want to rate too low because the tent and the winery are both beautiful and we enjoy the wine tasting a lot.

Tent is was cute, but toilets aren’t cleaned properly. We went to the wine testing during waiting for check in but the price for sparkling wine not same on the price list and also price list in tent, It said 25 or 28 for sparkling wine (NV Premium Cuvee Sparkling Brut) but when they charge price it double. It’s seem 45 or more than that (isn’t included service charge)
I understand with services charge.we been on public holiday, I’m happy to pay but should make the right one the price that you want to charge.

Had a lovely time thanks for that.
Just 2 things.
1. What’s the reason that you have to walk 600 -700m to your tent with all your luggage why can’t you drive there?
2. Why can’t you put the tent numbers also in the front off the tents?
Can you please do a cop web clean off the restaurant. Not a good image for it!
Food is great and beautiful except for the cob webs. Thanks.

Excellent dining with a five star service.
Wine as expected was excellent, but the food is sensational.
We had no problem getting a table here but be prepared for great explanations from the waiting staff about the wines and food.
Worth the money

The cleanliness is too bad.
There were blood stains on the new bedsheets. And there were hairs rolling around on the floor.
I was not satisfied with the cleanliness.

I arranged for a large group of us to visit on Monday 19th December and as soon as I had to deal with the events team prior to our visit our customer experience went down the drain. The communications I had with Lucy, hadn’t been passed on to Sheena. Lucy had mysteriously vanished and I had repeatedly contacted her only to have Sheena eventually respond demanding a deposit for dinner, she repeatedly called me, even on my wedding day asking for payment. I had let everyone know our timings, reason for travel and when I would and wouldn’t be available. At the start of the week before my wedding I had sent a note to Lucy explaining I needed clarity on a couple of things by certain dates as it was a busy time for me. We had planned for a group from our wedding party and guests to visit after the wedding. Lucy had originally asked for upfront payment which seemed odd, I asked if I could split into groups several times only to be ignored and then contacted by Sheena who requested 20%. This is all fine, but if I’d had upfront communications from the begging that would have been much better.
I had also arranged with Lucy and Sheena for a group wine tasting, this was over the phone and on email. When we arrived we were rudely greeted by Alan who had no recollection of any booking. He didn’t seem impressed at all that he had to serve a group, despite there being no other guests and no other bookings. I had to go and get Sheena from reception to speak with him and explain we had agreed this over the phone and on email. She turned up with an awkward grin on her face, only for them to have some odd exchange and both of them rolling their eyes at each other, like we were the inconvenience. During the wine tasting, Alan rushed around pouring the wine and did not once mention anything about it and kept missing people out. Despite this we bought several bottles after and then without any warning he closed up and locked the doors on us.
Thank goodness our experience at dinner was better, Liam and the other waiting staff are amazing. The food was also incredible and rivals some of the top restaurants I’ve visited. Well done to the kitchen team and Liam, if it wasn’t for you and those kangaroos, we’d have little positive things to say.
In the morning there was once again confusion about breakfast, Tamara the waitress sent my sister in law away saying there wasn’t a booking. She was also rude to a friend of mine who was staying with us, because we hadn’t booked. There wasn’t a booking as this had never been explained or upsold to anyone upon booking nor when we checked in. We all stayed the night and had hoped for breakfast, my husband called the restaurant from the tent to book a table for us as it was easier than asking for a table in person.
Finally, when I checked in the holding deposit was actually debited from my account t instead of held. It was a mistake, but on top of everything else it was just another thing that added to the shambolic service. I received a phone call whilst driving home, I was hoping to never have to speak to a anyone from there again, but had Amber asking me for my bank details because of her error. This could have been resolved when I was checking in or out, in person.
All in, our group would have bought a decent amount of business to Balgownie on what would have been a very quite day/ evening for them. We would have spent circa $5k and it’s incredibly disappointing to receive such bad service. If this business didn’t have the fabulous surroundings, wildlife, fabulous kitchen staff and Liam, they would fail. Your events team need to learn to communicate better with the wine tasting and reception and ask your customers if they’re staying the night, do they want breakfast. We had previously stayed back in February and I remember the wine tasting being average but everything else was fine, plus our booking included breakfast. It’s fair to say, we won’t bother again in the future and neither will anyone else that was part of our group.

We stayed in the homestead with a large group for our wedding while all of our guests staying in the glamping tents. The staff were amazing and helpful. The restaurant also provides great food. They definitely made the weekend an amazing one

Wine was ok, noting a $10 tasting charge (redeemed on purchase) though only the pricier wines available for tasting.decided to order a cheese tasting plate for $36 and it was beyond disappointing, 3 small pieces of cheese with 5 grapes, a couple of marinated figs 4 thin slices of apple and a handful of crackers.and a $12 bowl of chips that barely met the top of a small bowl.shame.sorry but there will be no return business

My wife and I had been gifted a glamping experience off Red Balloon. When we arrived at 1630, we were advised by reception to head to the wine tasting that was included with our stay.

When we entered the venue for the tasting the person running the tasting told us that it would have to be quick as they were closing soon (1700), as a customer when you're being given the hurry-up, it makes you feel like you're not welcome. I declined the wine tasting due to this.

Then bell tent we stayed in was great, with great amenities.

The let down was the restaurant not being open for the guests that were staying at the winery for the night which meant you had to travel into Bendigo for dinner.

If you plan on staying here please note that the restaurant isn't open Mon- Wed for dinner. If we had been told this upon booking we would have booked another night to come to enjoy the experience to its fullest.

My wife had phoned earlier in the day prior to check in to ask about food options at the venue. My wife was told that most people head into Bendigo. As a customer, for future reference for others, staff should maybe advise of some suggestions for guests given the restaurant not being open and not knowing the area.

All in all the glamping side of things was great with some minor customer service oversights.

Excellent degustation food served to 26 people with delightful staff. Enjoyed by all. Thank you.

Had a fun time Glamping! Food was excellent! Rachel was pleasant and very helpful. Will definitely come back!

Poor service. Waited 10 min for table to be available (happy to do so).
Wine tasting was $10 for 6 wines. 4 wines and 45 min later, we gave up, waited almost 25min for our last 2 tasting that never came. Paid and left. Don’t think we will be going back. We did noticed that the couple near us, with the brand named clothing and hand bag were very well served.