The Best Wedding Venues on the Bellarine Peninsula
Salt on the breeze, vines running down towards the bay, and a sea-change pace that settles over your guests somewhere past Geelong. The Bellarine Peninsula sits about 90 minutes south-west of Melbourne, and its wedding venues showcase the region to perfection: restaurants on the surf beach, wineries looking across the water, olive groves and working farms, all a short drive apart.
Our favourite Bellarine Peninsula wedding venues are The Dunes Ocean Grove and At The Heads on the water; Jack Rabbit Vineyard, Terindah Estate and Scotchmans Hill among the vines; and The Oxley Estate, Basils Farm and Rusty Gate for gardens, paddocks and room to make the day your own.
The Bellarine at a glance
| Venue | Setting | Guests | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Dunes Ocean Grove | Restaurant on the surf beach | 112 seated, 180 cocktail | $22,500 minimum spend |
| At The Heads | Waterfront at Barwon Heads | 130 seated, 160 cocktail | $25,000 minimum spend |
| The Oxley Estate | Coastal farm, Portarlington | 140 seated, 200 cocktail | $75pp plus venue hire |
| Rusty Gate | Olive grove ceremony site | Up to 150 | $2,000 for a ceremony |
| Jack Rabbit Vineyard | Bayside winery | 120 seated, 200 cocktail | $230pp plus venue hire |
| Terindah Estate | Bayside winery | 180 seated, 200 cocktail | Price on application |
| Scotchmans Hill | Winery estate, Drysdale | Enquire | Price on application |
| Basils Farm | Farm on Swan Bay | 104 seated, 150 cocktail | $230pp plus venue charges |
Why get married on the Bellarine Peninsula?
The Bellarine offers coastlines with dramatically different outlooks. On the ocean side, Ocean Grove and Barwon Heads have surf beaches, a river mouth and wide southern skies. On the bay side, Portarlington, Drysdale and the hills above Bellarine look across calm water to the You Yangs and, on a clear evening, the Melbourne skyline. Between the two run vineyards, olive groves and farmland, a cool-climate wine region and a food scene built on Portarlington mussels, cider, an iconic bakery (shout out to Ket Baker) and long cellar-door lunches.
For your guests, it feels like a getaway without the logistics of a true destination wedding. The drive from Melbourne is easy, a ferry runs from Docklands to Portarlington and from Sorrento to Queenscliff, and there are enough beaches, cafes and cellar doors to make a seamless recovery the day after.
What to know before booking a Bellarine wedding venue
Plan for the breeze. With water on two sides, wind is part of the Bellarine’s personality. Ask every venue about its sheltered ceremony option and wet-weather plan, and choose from the incredible pool of local wedding professionals, who know how to work with the weather.
Getting your guests there. Most venues are 85 to 95 minutes from Melbourne via Geelong. Public transport thins out past Geelong station, so a coach between accommodation and the venue is worth budgeting for, although ubers are an option too (albeit not plentiful in peak times). Guests from the city can take the passenger ferry from Docklands to Portarlington, and anyone coming from the Mornington Peninsula can cross on the car and passenger ferry from Sorrento to Queenscliff.
Where everyone stays. Holiday houses in Ocean Grove, Barwon Heads, Point Lonsdale and Queenscliff book out quickly over summer and the school holidays, so send save-the-dates early. The Oxley Estate has accommodation on site. And for a boujie accomodation option, check out the newly refurbished Queenscliff Hotel.
Choosing your season. Late spring and early autumn bring the mildest days and the gentlest winds. Summer is glorious and busy. Winter gives you a quieter coast, fireside receptions and the bay at its moodiest, so ask venues about off-peak pricing.
Our favourite wedding venues on the Bellarine Peninsula
From black-tie dinners above the surf to festoon-lit alfresco parties, these are the Bellarine venues we’d send our besties to.
The Dunes Ocean Grove
The beach wedding, dressed for dinner
- From: $22,500 minimum spend
- Guests: 112 seated, 180 cocktail
- Ceremony: the Native Dunes site above the beach, or indoors
- From Melbourne: 1 hour 30 minutes
Picture your guests with a drink in hand, watching surfers catch the last sets of the afternoon through floor-to-ceiling glass. The Dunes sits right above Ocean Grove’s surf beach, and its timber-and-glass building lets the ocean set the scene.
You’ll say your vows at the Native Dunes ceremony site, among coastal grasses with the water stretching out behind you, then move inside for a feast built on local produce: roving canapés, shared mains and, if you desire, a live oyster shucking bar.
The room suits black tie as easily as linen and bare feet, and the skilled events team keeps the day flowing so you can spend it with your people. It’s one of very few Victorian venues where the beach sits at the edge of the celebration itself.
Ivory Tribe insight: Steal ten minutes on the sand straight after the ceremony. The light off the water is beautiful, and the breeze does wonderful things to a veil.
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At The Heads
On the water at Barwon Heads
- From: $25,000 minimum spend
- Guests: 130 seated, 160 cocktail
- Ceremony: by the jetty or facing the Barwon Heads Bridge, or indoors
- From Melbourne: 1 hour 30 minutes
At The Heads stands on the water’s edge at Barwon Heads, looking across the river mouth to The Bluff. Think warm timber and glass, decks that open up on fine evenings, and a front-row seat to the tide coming in. Ceremonies can face the jetty or the much-loved Barwon Heads Bridge, and your guests will watch the light shift across the water as the first canapés come out.
The kitchen leans into Bellarine produce, from a classic seated dinner to oyster shucking stations, and the head chef will build something bespoke if you have a menu in mind. The team’s relaxed, generous hospitality makes the whole day feel like the best long lunch with everyone you love.
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Jack Rabbit Vineyard, Bellarine
Bay views from the vines
- From: $230 per person plus venue hire
- Guests: 120 seated, 200 cocktail
- Ceremony: several lawn and vineyard settings
- From Melbourne: 1 hour 35 minutes
Jack Rabbit sits high on the slopes above Port Phillip Bay, with true 180 degree views that reach to Geelong, the You Yangs and, on a clear evening, the Melbourne skyline. You’ll say your vows overlooking the bay and stay right there for cocktails as the light softens, before everyone heads inside for dinner. With vines all around and a helipad on the property, a grand arrival is entirely possible.
The hospitality team has the awards to match the outlook, and the estate’s own wines pour all night. It’s a winery wedding with polish, where the view takes care of the styling.
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The Oxley Estate, Portarlington
Coastal farmland, entirely your way.
- From: $75 per person plus venue hire
- Guests: 140 seated, 200 cocktail
- Ceremony: several indoor and outdoor locations
- Stay: on-site accommodation, from spa suites to a manor house sleeping eight
- From Melbourne: 1 hour 30 minutes
Ten acres of gardens, olive groves, orchards and young vines, 500 metres from the beach at Portarlington, with Port Phillip Bay along the horizon and donkeys, alpacas and goats keeping an eye on proceedings from the paddocks. The Oxley Estate is made for couples who want to design every part of the day. Bring your own caterer, line up food trucks under festoon lights or stage a long formal dinner: the ceremony spaces, timber furniture, bar and a private retreat for the two of you are already in place.
When the music stops, nobody needs a taxi. Your guests can stay on site, and the morning after belongs to the pool, the gardens and a slow coffee by the fire pit.
Ivory Tribe insight: Take the whole property for the weekend and host a Friday welcome dinner. With your favourite people already settled in, the wedding day kicks off filled with relaxed vibes and everyone ready to celebrate.
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Basils Farm, Swan Bay
A photographer’s dream on Swan Bay.
- From: $230 per person plus venue charges
- Guests: 104 seated, 150 cocktail
- Ceremony: the Front Paddock or Farm Gates with Swan Bay behind you; the Pavilion, cottage or a marquee if the weather turns
- From Melbourne: 1 hour 30 minutes
Basils Farm looks across Swan Bay to the rooftops of historic Queenscliff, with a settlers-style cottage, a contemporary Pavilion and lawns rolling down towards the water. The Pavilion seats 104 at long banquet tables beside a living green wall, and the menu draws on the farm’s own garden and the region around it.
What sets Basils apart is how warmly it welcomes ideas. Helicopter arrival? Vintage fire truck? Retro caravan photobooth? If you’ve dreamt it, the team will help you make it happen.
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Terindah Estate x Truffleduck, Bellarine
Vineyard drama above the bay
- From: price on application
- Guests: 180 seated, 200 cocktail
- Ceremony: the lawn overlooking the bay, with the Barrel Room and heated deck for wet weather
- From Melbourne: 1 hour 30 minutes
From the ceremony lawn at Terindah, the You Yangs rise across Port Phillip Bay and the city skyline floats on the horizon. The day unfolds like a long, lazy lunch: vows on the lawn, canapés among the vines, then upstairs to an event space wrapped in floor-to-ceiling glass.
Weddings here are run by Truffleduck, one of the Bellarine’s favourite caterers, so award-winning wines and beautiful food keep the focus on the table, and the estate’s elevated position gives your photographer a new angle at every turn. Smaller celebrations and elopements are welcome too.
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Rusty Gate Estate, Curlewis
A ceremony among the olive trees
- From: $2,000 for a ceremony
- Guests: up to 150
- Ceremony: outdoors, across several garden and grove settings
- Best for: ceremonies and portraits
- From Melbourne: 1 hour 25 minutes
Rusty Gate is an award-winning olive grove with long views across the bay and established gardens full of corners worth saying “I do” in. Choose a grand ceremony on the lawns or a smaller one tucked into the gardens, then gather everyone among the silvery trees for portraits that look like summer in Provence.
Ivory Tribe insight: Pair a Rusty Gate ceremony with a reception at a nearby winery or restaurant, and your day moves through two very different Bellarine landscapes.
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Scotchmans Hill, Drysdale
A French provincial residence among the vines
- From: price on application
- Guests: enquire with the venue
- Ceremony: lawns looking towards Queenscliff, The Heads and the Mornington Peninsula
- From Melbourne: 1 hour 30 minutes (20 minutes from Geelong)
Arrive along a tree-lined drive at one of the Bellarine’s best-known wineries, where vineyard views roll away towards the water. Ceremonies take place on the lawns, looking out over Queenscliff, The Heads and across the bay to the Mornington Peninsula, with chairs and an arbour ready for you.
Afterwards, guests move into The Residence, a French provincial-inspired space set among established English trees. On-site catering and estate-grown wines keep everything in one place, with a wedding suite for getting ready.
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Make a weekend of it on the Bellarine
An invitation to the Bellarine doubles as a holiday, so give your guests a head start on your wedding website.
- Cellar doors: Jack Rabbit, Terindah and Scotchmans Hill pour with a view, and Oakdene and Flying Brick Cider House in Wallington are made for a long lunch. For gin and cocktails, head to The Whiskery.
- Eat: dinner at the historic Queenscliff Hotel, local produce at TARRA, or Venetian-style small plates at Mona Cicchetti Bar.
- Explore: walk to the red-and-white Point Lonsdale Lighthouse, swim with dolphins out of Queenscliff, or stroll across the Barwon Heads Bridge, then spend the afternoon wandering the township’s cafés and boutiques.
- Arrive by water: take the passenger ferry from Docklands to Portarlington, or the car ferry from Sorrento to Queenscliff.
Bellarine Peninsula wedding FAQs
Most Bellarine Peninsula wedding venues are 1 hour 25 minutes to 1 hour 35 minutes from the Melbourne CBD by car, via Geelong. Venues around Ocean Grove and Barwon Heads are closest, while Portarlington and Queenscliff add 10 to 15 minutes. A passenger ferry also runs from Docklands to Portarlington.
Late spring (October to November) and early autumn (March to April) bring the mildest weather and lighter winds for outdoor ceremonies. Summer is beautiful but busy and can be breezy by the water, while winter suits venues with fireplaces and indoor views of the bay.
The Bellarine has waterfront restaurants (The Dunes Ocean Grove, At The Heads), bayside wineries (Jack Rabbit Vineyard, Terindah Estate, Scotchmans Hill), farm estates (The Oxley Estate, Basils Farm), a heritage station property (Soho Estate) and ceremony-only locations (Rusty Gate).
Yes. The Dunes Ocean Grove sits above the surf beach and At The Heads is on the water at Barwon Heads, and both have indoor spaces if the weather turns. For a ceremony on the sand itself, check permit requirements with the local coastal manager or council before you book.
The Oxley Estate has accommodation on site. Otherwise, guests can choose from holiday houses, boutique hotels and caravan parks across Ocean Grove, Barwon Heads, Point Lonsdale, Queenscliff and Portarlington. Book early for summer and the school holidays.
Ceremony-only locations start from about $2,000 (Rusty Gate). Waterfront restaurants quote minimum spends from $22,500 to $25,000, wineries and farm venues offer packages from around $230 per person, and The Oxley Estate starts from $75 per person plus venue hire with your choice of caterer.
Most couples book a coach or shuttle between accommodation and the venue, because public transport is limited beyond Geelong station. Guests can also arrive by ferry from Docklands to Portarlington, or from Sorrento to Queenscliff.
Victoria is lucky to boast an abundance of wedding venues that will truly wow you and your guests. For the lowdown on all our favourites across the state, head here.
Interested in having your venue featured on Ivory Tribe’s favourite wedding venues in Victoria? Shoot an email to [email protected], and we will be in touch!
