Balgownie Estate Bendigo

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.

Tried the 3 course menu for lunch and it was amazing. Food and service were great. Also got to try the wine tasting and it was very generous, the host made sure we enjoy the wine slections. We ended the day and stayed the night in one of their glamping tents. Overall it was a beautiful experience!

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.

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

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.

NOT HAPPY! We were charged $40 for less than an hour late check out. The check out was at 10am and we had breakfast at the restaurant where the food was slow. By the time we finished our breakfast and go back to the tent(expect long walks and not to mention it was raining) to grab our stuff it was already 10:30am, plus you have to walk back to the reception.The receptionist never told us that there is a charge for late check out during check in time. She refused to help as it was ‘automatic by the computer’ and she can’t control the computer so we have to pay the unknown late check out fee. How classic! The entire night stay was approx $140 and costed $40 for less than 60min. Oh and the bathroom/ toilet facilities are shared so you have to wait in a queue if someone is in there, extra waiting time in the morning and at night when it’s freezing :)Everyone here is probably for the experience so you wouldn’t expect 5 star hotel service and facilities, but even 5 star hotels don’t charge late check out like this.We stayed there for 2 nights where we had to move tents for the second night. Again check out at 10am and check in after 2pm, surprisingly they didn’t deducted $40*4hrs = $160 from our stay. The aircon was loud as an airplane flying over every time it starts for the second tent, had very bad sleep plus the unacknowledged late check out fee. Definitely not coming back!

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!

Stayed in the twin tent bell. Lovely location. I’m 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 wasn’t open. Lots of convenient things inside the tent but the heater was loud and making strange noises and couldn’t find the remote anywhere to turn it off so hardly got any sleep. Also if there is electrical things inside the tent why wasn’t there a fire blanket/ extinguisher anywhere in case of an emergency? The biggest thing that baffles me is the fact you can’t park your car next to your tent, if you have a lot of luggage this isn’t 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.

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

Thank you to all the staff. It was a wonderful stay, dinner and experience. Cottage was perfect. Service at dinner was exemplary. Food was top notch and tasty. Wine was just what I needed. My wife and I will definitely come and stay here again.