Glamping in a vineyard: Balgownie Estate, Bendigo
The need for a little solo adventure was starting to get pretty pressing. I was feeling the need to test out the ankle a bit. Of course, I could do that in Port Fairy or Melbourne, but I was also craving a bit of solitude and newness. So, when I saw the new glamping set up at Balgownie Estate winery in Bendigo in a Broadsheet Melbourne write up, it seemed like the perfect little getaway. I could drive there from Port Fairy pretty easily, it had been ages since I’d been to Bendigo and staying in a beautifully appointed tent on the grounds of a winery seemed very appealing indeed!
Balgownie Estate has been making wine in Bendigo since 1969, focused on estate grown shiraz and cabernet. The property is about 10 minutes out of Bendigo and consists of a cellar door, restaurant, working winery and a variety of accommodation options, with the glamping tents being the latest addition. The restaurant has a great terrace that looks out over the vines and the property backs onto bushland. The Calder Highway is nearby, so you’re never really out of earshot of a low hum of trucks, but they are not so close to block out the bird sounds or impact on the general feeling of peace and quiet you get as you drive through the gates.
The glamping area is a short stroll from the restaurant, with 15 bell tents set up in a cleared piece of bushland leading down to the vineyard. There are three different styles of tents, including the safari style with its own ensuite. The tents are spaced about 50 metres from each other so, whilst you certainly can see all the other glamping sites and can hear people sitting out on their decks, it’s private enough not to be intrusive.
I stayed in the base level bell tent option and it was beautifully appointed. The pitched roof means there is plenty of space to walk around freely, even for people much taller than me! The bed was really comfortable, although the linen was one of the cost saving measures I fear, slightly on the scratchy side! Not so the soft, cosy white robes and slippers provided which were the garment of choice for everyone going to and from the shared bathrooms. There was a well stocked mini-bar fridge with Balgownie wines and Bendigo beers and a kettle with tea and coffee available – only instant for the base range tents! Very importantly for Bendigo (really hot in summer and cold nights in winter), it also had a very effective split system air conditioner installed. It was over 30 degrees one day and didn’t drop below 25 that night so I was very grateful for it!
The tents are set up on timber platforms, with some comfortable deck chairs placed out the front of the tent where you can sit and watch the sunset over the bushland behind the property and the colours change over the vineyard in the other direction.
The shared bathrooms are numbered so you theoretically only share with one other tent. They are removable, portaloo set ups, with three individual bathrooms in a row containing a toilet, basin and shower. They were clean and serviceable and by taking the bathmat, towels and toiletries provided in your tent, it wasn’t much of a big deal if someone had beaten you to the shower first. I’m not sure what the reasoning was about the placement of them. They are well located in terms of distance from the tents, but they are directly in your sight line between the tents and the vineyard (or at least they were from my tent) which is a bit of a shame. It’s a great view of the vines, if you look past the portaloos!
It’s early days for the glamping accommodation and I stayed midweek, but my tent was only just over $100 a night which I thought was great value. There are a variety of packages which include breakfast and/or dinner at the restaurant. Quite a few people made their way into Bendigo via taxi to eat in town also. The staff at the restaurant were friendly and warm, particularly the gentleman in charge of the cellar door and evening service. He coped admirably with a group of four young women plus me who settled themselves in for a tasting that lasted over an hour and covered about 16 different wines, becoming increasingly raucous! The girls were going to have a very good night indeed!
Unfortunately, my experiences at the restaurant were pretty ordinary. I had two breakfasts there and both came to me with bacon I didn’t order! Just as well I’m not a vegetarian! The second morning, despite me being the only person in the restaurant for at least 20 minutes after I arrived, the waitress forgot to give my order to the chef. I waited 50 minutes for breakfast and when it arrived the poached eggs were rock solid and accompanied by bacon I didn’t ask for. I asked for some butter and ate the sourdough toast – it was not a good finish to an otherwise delightful stay! But when I let the receptionist know, she was incredibly apologetic and didn’t charge me for the meal. The dinner menu was appealing, but the execution was disappointing. I had a lovely piece of scotch fillet steak that had been cooked perfectly, but unfortunately was smothered in a heavy, shiraz sauce (promised as a jus) and served with brick like, rectangular chips (on the menu as hand cut chips) and a handful of watercress. It was all fine, but ultimately underwhelming and certainly not worthy of its $40 price tag.
It seems like Balgownie is investing and let’s hope that continues. The site has huge potential and an update of the cellar door décor and a refresh of the perfectly positioned restaurant would really take it to the next level. That said, a stay in the gorgeous glamping tents, a cheese platter and bowl of fries, polished off with a bottle of Yarra Valley chardonnay in summer or Bendigo shiraz in winter looking out over the vineyard are all pretty perfect just as they are now!
Other Bendigo spots to visit
One-hatted cuisine, served in a gorgeous room, on a pretty tired looking Bendigo main street. It was an eclectic, large menu, with lots of Asian influences. Efficient, knowledgeable (if a little cool) service, a solid wine list, an open kitchen to make things interesting and great value lunch and dinner roaming menus. Only issue, you can’t get the roaming options if you are solo dining which is always disappointing, especially in a restaurant geared towards share food. It’s tough going for a solo diner to be able to try some dishes, especially when I think the style of food would have easily been portioned down to accommodate a solo diner. When I asked about the lunch roaming menu advertised on the website and front door (with no restrictions mentioned for solo diners), I was told, “it’s a long, boring story, but we can’t offer that for single diners anymore.” Humph. I ordered two entrees instead to at least try a couple of dishes and both were beautifully presented and executed. The ginger and chicken steamed dumplings came with a tom kha broth and were packed with flavour. Slow cooked pork shoulder, pressed into crispy edged squares and topped with cashews and sugar plums was rich and delicious. The lime cut through any sweetness perfectly. Would love to come back with friends one day to delve a bit deeper into the menu!
Well known for hosting big ticket exhibitions in a rural location. When I visited, it was Marimekko, the fashion house. It’s a beautiful gallery and has a great café attached to it on the edge of Rosalind park. Great spot for a coffee or lunch after your visit (or without seeing the gallery at all if you’d prefer!).
Old Green Bean
Quirky, retro café on the edge of the CBD which was seriously busy on a Thursday morning with city workers popping in for takeaway coffee and plenty of people on laptops eating late breakfasts. Food looked great, the coffee was good and I got no hassles sitting at my table for an hour or so over coffee and study.
I didn’t get there this time, but visited Wine Bank last time I was in Bendigo back when I was still lawyering and remember loving it! It operates as a wine merchant with a huge selection and wine bar and restaurant, with free wine tastings on a Wednesday evening from 5.30pm. Just about enough reason alone to head back to Bendigo for a return visit!
Rosalind Park & the old Post Office and Law Courts
Bendigo has some extraordinarily beautiful old buildings courtesy of the gold rush investment. The courts and old post office on Pall Mall are so impressive, Italian in style and perfectly preserved. The courts are still functioning, with a modern Magistrates’ Court out the back. It’s pretty easy to think you have stepped back in time until you get up close to the building and spot the smokers out the front waiting for their hearing! I guess some things haven’t changed since it was built in the late 1800s.
