Ferntree Gully Hotel can host conferences, company functions, wedding receptions, engagements and birthday parties for up to 300 guests across three function rooms. The pub stands on Burwood Highway in Ferntree Gully, in the outer east of Melbourne, at the foot of the Dandenong Ranges, and has motel accommodation on the same site.
Seminars and company events
The venue sells corporate events and conferences, with a dedicated corporate pack among its event documents. Menus can be set up for conferencing, as a cocktail format or as a seated meal, so a training day can run into a team dinner without changing venue. Garfields has AV facilities and suits presentations, while The Middle and The Corner Bar work for after-work drinks, product evenings and end-of-year parties. The events team plans each function with the organizer, and enquiries go through an online booking form.
Weddings and receptions
Wedding receptions are part of the offer, with a separate wedding pack. Garfields is the room the hotel puts forward for weddings. It has a dance floor, a fully stocked bar, private bathrooms and an outdoor courtyard, and guests reach it through a private entry via the accommodation building. Engagement parties, birthdays and celebration of life gatherings are also catered for, each with its own pack. The website does not describe a ceremony space, so plan the ceremony elsewhere.
Rooms and capacities
The three spaces together take up to 300 guests. The hotel does not publish a figure per room, so the event team confirms the split for each booking. Garfields is the most formal room, with bar, dance floor, AV and courtyard. The Middle has a bar, an in-house music system, a staging area for a band or DJ and a large outdoor courtyard. The Corner Bar is the smallest, with a lounge area lit by art deco chandeliers, a dance floor, music facilities, wall-mounted screens and an outdoor area. Each room has its own bathrooms.
Accommodation
The Ferntree Gully Motel, run by Nightcap Hotels, operates on the same site. That helps when guests travel in from across Melbourne or when a conference runs over two days. The number of motel rooms is not stated on the hotel website.
Catering
Food comes from the pub's own kitchen. Function menus come in three formats: cocktail food, conference catering and seated menus, adapted to the event. Details sit in the function packs available from the website. For everyday dining the pub runs Feast, its buffet, and a sports bar.
History and setting
The hotel has served locals and visitors in Ferntree Gully for many years as a neighborhood pub. It stands in the foothills of the Dandenong Ranges, about three minutes by car from the 1,000 Steps walk, with picnic grounds and walking tracks close by. Puffing Billy, the heritage steam railway, is a short drive away, which gives guests from out of town something to do before or after an event.
Getting there
The address is 1130 Burwood Highway, Ferntree Gully, VIC 3156. Ferntree Gully station on the Belgrave line is the nearest railway stop. Melbourne Airport is on the other side of the city, so most guests arrive by car or taxi.
