Many wineries host a restaurant so that you can try out their wines when paired with food. Quite often, the restaurants are well worth a visit in themselves, serving up some pretty decent food... and if you are into it, with the bonus of wine straight off the shelf of the wine maker!

This particular area of Victoria in Australia isn't one that I had thought was a really famous area for winemaking... however, there are some wineries in the region... but they don't appear to be as famous as their better known cousins in the much more famous wine making regions of the Great South Land.

Duneed Estate is a lovely looking winery, seated on rolling hills outside of Torquay, a short drive from Geelong. It's definitely a place that you will need a car to get to... but this is Australia... everyone has a car, or two... or three...

The Space

As you pull up to the winery... you are greeted but this quite gigantic building with a huge water feature out the front. This place couldn't possibly be only for the restaurant?

Something that is really important to mention is the large area surrounding the winery... of course, it is mostly work area and you aren't allowed to just run through it... but it is nice to just come outside the building and just stretch your legs a bit and take in the quiet sights!

I got lucky here... a double rainbow!

As you enter the building properly... the thing that strikes you is the fact that it looks much more like a conference centre or a hotel than a winery... or a restaurant.

Just inside the entrance... if you take a peek to the right, there is a wine door teasting area...

... don't get distracted... we are here for the restaurant... and you can visit this again on the way out!

... and here we are. As I understand it, this is also the wine making area. In the off season, they convert it into a proper eating and live music venue... with a small playground for kids. Needless to say, it is a really popular place for young families on the weekend!

The Menu

The food is an interesting mix of food from all cultures... but mostly Meditteranean inspired. Pizzas and Greek style foods dominate the menu.

... and of course, this is a winery... so this page is of paramount importance!

The Food

Starting off the long afternoon menu was a small plate of little nibbles... cheese, crackers and various meats. It's nice being in Australia and getting some really good quality cold cuts!

Haloumi... fried to perfection! I love this cheese... it is super tasty... doesn't make me feel ill, and has that really funny squeaking sound when you chew it! My kids love it too!

Octopus and potatoes... this is a really quintessential Spanish dish. It is really hard to do right, as the the octopus cooks really fast... and when it is overcooked, it is terrible. This was done perfectly!

A Sweet Potato, goats cheese and mushroom pizza. This was really really great... when you scraped the goats cheese off.... despite that little problem, it was a really decent pizza. Sweet potato on pizza... who would have thought that that would have worked?

Lamb skweres in a sort of Greek style with Pita. The meat was decent... but wow, it was seriously cooked. It had a nice crunchy outside... but it did make for a bit of a dry and tough inside. I would have preferred to forgo the crunchy outside and have a nicer juicier middle.

Seeing as this is a winery... and I was the designated driver... I wasn't allowed to drink. So, a really decent Ginger Ale would have to suffice!

The Experience

This place is an awesome place to bring the kids and just have a lazy afternoon drinking wine and nibbling away at food. There is a decent sized playground for the kids, and there is live music as well.. although, you will really want to have a seat well away from the music... the amplification is just way too loud for easy talking.

The place is incredibly popular, so if you are coming with a large party... there will be a need to make a booking or you are likely to be dissapointed.

The staff are friendly.... and the food for the most part is pretty decent. Plus, the wine is pretty good... and if you tried something that you really liked, you can easily stock up on it on the way out the door!

Opening Times

Monday Closed
Tuesday 11am–5pm
Wednesday 11am–5pm
Thursday 11am–5pm
Friday 11am–5pm
Saturday 11am–5pm
Sunday 11am–5pm

Contact Details

Address: 65 Pettavel Rd, Waurn Ponds VIC 3216, Australia
Phone: +61 3 5266 1244
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.mtduneedestate.com.au/

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