Balgownie Estate Bendigo

The glamping experience was unreal! Beautiful accomodating tents with heating and cooling, with a stunning view of the vineyards to wake up to watch the sun set. Wine is spectacular. Food at the restaurant was overpriced however but delicious. Do not order the burrata expecting a whole blob of cheese. Rooms: Rooms were spacious for 3 people in 1 tent. Good facilities near by.
Apr 24th, 2023

We were blessed with gorgeous weather so we were able to fully enjoy our stay by relaxing on the deck and stargazing at night. All the staff were super friendly, and looked after us at the reception, winery tasting and at the restaurant. We had read some of the complaints about the portable bathrooms, but luckily for us, the newly built bathroom block had just replaced the portable bathroom. If there was a campfire on our deck for toasting marshmallows and sausages, it would have been perfect!
Apr 21st, 2023

Stayed in the twin tent bell. Lovely location. Im lucky they left a key out for me when I could only check in late but then tried to return the key at 8am and reception wasnt open. Lots of convenient things inside the tent but the heater was loud and making strange noises and couldnt find the remote anywhere to turn it off so hardly got any sleep. Also if there is electrical things inside the tent why wasnt there a fire blanket/ extinguisher anywhere in case of an emergency? The biggest thing that baffles me is the fact you cant park your car next to your tent, if you have a lot of luggage this isnt convenient at all. I do like the fact that you only share a nice modern bathroom with one other tent, but the tap was so far to the right of such a big sink that water splashes outside of it. Also generally could have been more in the way of landscaping, love the big trees but otherwise felt a bit barren. Overall a nice place to stay but could have been better.
Apr 30th, 2023

Booked glamping for 2, with the voucher for dinner. Overall very pleased with the experience. The tent was in good shape, very roomy and all the amenities like air con and a bar fridge provided. The wine tasting was great, and the restaurant food was really top notch. Fantastic and friendly service the entire time, including breakfast. Not a bad thing to say. For those complaining about the portable "lux" loo's and showers, they aren't ideal, but the ones we used were very clean and did the job. Would recommend this to anyone looking for a quick and affordable get away with some luxury feel to it. 10/10
Apr 18th, 2023

I've been a big fan of Balgownie, but the recent separation of the Cellar Door and restaurant has become really frustrating. Originally it was a great spot to go on a Sunday afternoon have a glass of wine, some light food and enjoy the property (especially with kids). But now it's trying to be upper class and pretentious and clearly not "family friendly". On my most recent visit (and having the kids in tow) I was just hoping to get some simple, quick food (olives, bread and dips, chips etc) between stops. Despite checking on the website before we drove out that the venue offered these, or at least something other than 5 star dining it turns out they do not. When we turned up to the restaurant to be told that if we wanted "snacks" we would have to go to the cellar door as the restaurant doesn't do "snacks" just large platters. So we went to the Cellar Door (which is in the same building) only to be told that they don't offer "snacks" and they could only do a cheese board ($45) or a Charcuterie board. ($55). Now usually that would be fine when it's all of us, but as it was just me with the kids it seemed like overkill to get a full cheese board or meat platter. On a quiet Monday afternoon when there was a total of 0 other people in the Cellar Door it would seem logical you could get some very light snacks so you can sit and have a glass of wine while you explore the grounds. But it seems that unless you aren't wanting to sit down to a 3 course meal, then they aren't that interested in having you. It's a real shame as this was one of my favourite local spots.
Apr 15th, 2023