Waurn Ponds Estate runs residential conferences, training programs, corporate dinners and cocktail events for up to 300 guests, with eight conference rooms, six event spaces and 60 bedrooms on one site. It sits on Nicol Drive South, at the rear of Deakin University's Waurn Ponds campus, about 20 minutes from central Geelong and one hour from Melbourne.
Seminars and company events
The estate is built for groups that meet by day and stay the night. Torquay, the largest room at 198 m², seats 200 in theatre style, 90 in cabaret and 48 in classroom. Anglesea takes 60 in theatre style. Duneed and Paraparap work for workshops of around 20, and four smaller rooms, Bellbrae, Ceres, Jan Juc and Moriac, seat 10 around a boardroom table. Several of the smaller rooms sit among the accommodation wings, close to the bedrooms, which suits breakout sessions. Every room has one-touch laptop connection to an extra-large screen, front and rear cameras for hybrid meetings, recording and hearing loop devices. Torquay and Anglesea add a lectern and a set of handheld, lapel and table microphones, and campus IT staff can be booked for support.
Rooms and capacities
For dinners and receptions, the Barrabool Restaurant is the largest indoor venue, with 100 seated or 150 standing, and it opens onto the Kitchen Garden. The Lounge, spread over three levels, takes 250 for a cocktail event. Outdoors, the Lawn holds 300 standing with views across the estate, and the Kitchen Garden, set among vines, takes 120. The Bistro, with floor-to-ceiling windows and its own terrace, seats 16 or holds 30 standing, and the Pool Terrace takes 20 seated or 30 standing in warm weather.
Accommodation
There are 60 guest rooms, which can hold up to 120 people when twinned or shared, including two luxury suites and three accessible rooms. The Apartment is a self-contained unit with two king bedrooms for four guests. Residents have an outdoor heated pool and spa, a 24-hour gym, tennis courts and a 5 km walking track.
Catering
Catering is in-house. Two full-day conference packages run from a grazing-style lunch of salads and filled sandwiches to a seated sharing lunch with a hot main, both with espresso coffee and tea all day. The kitchen also handles cocktail parties, sit-down banquets, corporate lunches and morning or afternoon teas. Breakfast for staying guests is served in Barrabool, and an Express Bistro menu runs on weekdays. The bistro bar opens on request for conference and event bookings.
Getting there
The estate is in Waurn Ponds, on the southern edge of Geelong, about 20 minutes from the city center and an hour by road from Melbourne. Parking is free and Wi-Fi covers the whole estate. The Surf Coast towns that give several rooms their names, such as Torquay and Anglesea, are a short drive south, which helps when planning a team activity after the sessions.
