What better way to hold a mid-year strategy planning conference, than in Victoria’s wine country? Round out each day of meetings with a dose of fresh country air, a fireside sofa and glass of local red.

Sound tempting?

Read on to discover five fantastic wine region properties with accommodation and meeting facilities to book this winter. You can also receive free assistance from the Melbourne Convention Bureau team to help you plan the perfect meet, stay and play business event in Melbourne or regional Victoria.

Trawool Estate

Only 90 minutes north of Melbourne by car or rail in the Goulburn Valley is the charming Trawool Estate. Perfect for small group multi-day conferences and meetings, Trawool Estate offers event planners five function space options - from boardroom meetings for 12 to 18 delegates to theatre setup for 30 to classroom set up for 50.

See Trawool Estate Event Pack for detailed room capacities.

Trawool Estate has 20 luxurious hotel rooms including a two-room grand suite, plus seven refreshed motel-style Valley Rooms that offer more space and provide breathtaking and uncompromising views across the Trawool Valley. 

In addition to paying a visit to local wineries such as Mitchelton or Tahbilk Estate, meeting downtime could be a bike ride along the Great Victorian Art Trail, which Trawool Estate is located along. Or simply enjoy the peaceful bush setting of the Estate's grounds and a glass of wine by their open fireplace. The estate offers three restaurants, including award-winning Turbine (Best Regional Hotel Restaurant in Victoria 2022) and Wild Water restaurant. Chef Bob Piechniczek and his skilled team serve beautiful food with Indigenous tones, focusing on highlighting the best locally sourced produce. 

If you're after additional team building experiences, consider the Wawa Biik Indigenous cultural experience, a four hour tour ideal for 12 to 15 people, where passionate Taungurung guides reveal the rich layers of living culture embodied in the land and waterways of Nagambie in Central Victoria.

For tens of thousands of years pre-colonisation, the waterways of the waring (Goulburn River) and its lush tributaries have sustained seasonal food sources and a nourishing cultural life for the Taungurung people, and in return, the Taungurung people have cared for and sustained this place. 

Guides will take your group to a special place that holds deep cultural value. It is here that you can learn about the ingenuity and way of life of their Ancestors who survived by reading and adapting to the changing conditions of these floodplains. Take part in a traditional Welcome Smoking Ceremony, spend time yarning with two Taungurung leaders, connect with their beautiful waterways onboard a cruise through the wetlands of tabilk-tabilk (place of many waterholes), enjoy morning tea using delicious bush foods, a cruise on the Tahbilk wetlands, and a Taungurung-led walk along the Indigenous flora trail.

Lancemore Milawa

Lancemore Milawa is a boutique hotel in Victoria’s wine-famed King Valley, at the base of the Alpine National Park, a three hour drive northeast of Melbourne.

Drawing inspiration from the local environment, the 40-room boutique hotel is a carefully curated space that connects you to nature and its surroundings, subtly integrating the magic of the area within the design.

Lancemore Milawa creates the canvas for a productive conference and even more productive wind down afterward.

In addition to three adaptable meeting spaces, their restaurant and bar, Merlot, is within walking distance to the property. It’s the ideal venue for delegates to slow down, enjoy local produce and wine, and wanderlust at big skies with endless vistas.

Special winter booking incentive: Book your event prior to 30 June for 20 attendees or more and receive a Milawa Cheese Tasting complimentary.

Reach out to MCB with enquiries now

Image: Lancemore Milawa in the beautiful King Valley is extra inviting in winter for conferences.

Cleveland Winery

Situated in Lancefield in the Macedon Ranges and surrounded by 100 acres of vineyards and rambling country gardens, Cleveland Winery is a retreat where delegates can stop and smell the roses.

Their purpose-built conference venue is ideal for small-scale conferences to large executive corporate meetings, while the property also boasts 50 spacious suites with king-sized beds. For larger groups, there is even a unique original country homestead, built in 1887, that can sleep up to 14 guests.

Event planners can choose from a variety of meeting and breakout spaces, such as The Blythewood Room. Catering to 80 guests, the space is filled with natural light from floor-to-ceiling windows, with the added bonus of a balcony with vineyard and mountain views. Each conference serves local food and wine, to get a full taste of the Macedon Ranges experience.

There is also plenty to do when the working day is over – from sampling the best wines from the local region at their underground Cellar Door, to dining on delicious wood-fired pizza and a la carte cuisine in their onsite restaurant.

Reach out to MCB with enquiries now

Image: Cleveland Winery in Lancefield with accommodation and light-filled meeting rooms with vineyard views.

Mitchelton

One of Australia’s favourite wineries, Mitchelton, on the banks of the picturesque Goulburn River, provides a unique and idyllic location for a corporate retreat or team building getaway.

Mitchelton's hotel, designed by internationally renowned architectural and interior design practice of Hecker Guthrie, offers 58 luxurious and spacious rooms which boast a private balcony overlooking the river or vineyard.

You can also choose from a variety of unique indoor and outdoor spaces offering backdrops to suit every taste and season, perfect for an intimate leadership meeting.

Event spaces can be tailored to your requirements, with various rooms to choose from in the Mitchelton Cellar, the Montage Room and the Print Room.

The Print Room is Mitchelton’s most intimate space, suitable for up to 18 guests at a large boardroom-style table. While The Montage Room is ideal for larger-scale meetings and events for 200 to 350 delegates. The Mitchelton Cellar, the largest in Australia, offers its own unique ambiance that will make your conference exceptional.

When it comes to refuelling, The Muse restaurant, overlooking the banks of the Goulburn River, serves modern farmhouse cuisine. There’s also the Provedore for breakfast and lunch café favourites, and of course a Cellar Door for wine tasting experience to top off the day.

Mitchelton is located in Nagambie, around 90 minutes from Melbourne’s CBD.

Reach out to MCB with enquiries now

Image: Mitchelton is the ultimate country retreat for conferences and executive planning meetings.

Jackalope

Nestled on an 11-hectare vineyard on the Mornington Peninsular, approximately 75 minutes from Melbourne, is the boutique Jackalope property – offering 46 luxury rooms, conference space for up to 60 delegates, a 30 metre infinity pool, spa, chef-hatted restaurants, winery, cellar door and cocktail bar.

Their contemporary conference rooms can accommodate small, intimate boardroom spaces through to large networking events, with spaces that overlook their vineyard and hotel grounds.

To break up meetings, there are plenty of downtime team activities to experience, such as a group wine tasting, guided art collection tour, sustainable kitchen garden tour, whiskey tasting, cocktail making and more.

Reach out to MCB with enquiries now

Image: Jackalope is a luxurious, boutique venue for small to medium conference groups.

Ask the Melbourne Convention Bureau for free advice

The Melbourne Convention Bureau team are available to provide free advice and assistance for planning the perfect conference or business event in Melbourne and regional Victoria.

Get in touch with our friendly team.