About

Overview & Vibe

Waratah is a purpose-built wedding and function centre at Huntly, fifteen minutes north of Bendigo, built in red brick around an 1875 chapel that still has its pews. Chapel, banquet hall, courtyard and gardens all sit inside one walled property, so the ceremony, the photographs and the reception happen without anybody getting in a car.

Setting & Style

Warm red brick throughout — the little Gothic chapel with its arched door, a long banquet hall with arched windows and a raked timber ceiling, a fountain courtyard under a verandah, and lawns enclosed by brick walls with festoon lights strung between the gums. A wrought-iron Australiana gateway marks the entrance.

Ideal For

Couples who want a chapel and a hall on the same site, a licensed bar, and the freedom to bring their own caterer or self-cater — and who like knowing the venue-hire figure before they enquire.

The Need-to-Knows

Venue hire is $4,500 + GST for the wedding and reception, including 50 white chairs and tables, round or rectangle. Deposits are non-refundable. Wine barrels are $30 each.
Drinks are either theirs or yours. The venue provides champagne, wine, beer and soft drinks at $60 per head including GST with glasses, ice and full service — or you supply the drinks and pay $1,500 + GST for the same service. Above 75 people it is $20 per person extra.
Catering is external and the site publishes the menus. Two caterers are recommended and their full menus sit on the venue's own domain: cocktail from $68 per head + GST, sit-down from $75 for two courses and $90 for three, buffet, BBQ and tapas in between. Any other caterer or food truck attracts a $1,000 fee. The catering menus are priced on a minimum of 70 guests.
The banquet hall seats over 160.
Accommodation is directly opposite — Red Waratah Accommodation, booked separately through its own site.
Practical things the venue thought worth listing: it is an all-weather venue, it is licensed, there is large parking, and there is a generator backup in case of power outages.

Standout Feature

An 1875 chapel with its original pews, thirty seconds' walk from the hall your reception is in.

Amenities

1875 St Thomas Chapel
Original Timber Pews
Banquet Hall
Raked Timber Ceiling
Fountain Courtyard
Walled Gardens
Brick Ceremony Archway
Festoon Lighting
Wrought Iron Entrance Gate
Licensed Venue
All Weather Venue
Generator Backup Power
Large Parking
50 White Chairs And Tables Included
Wine Barrels For Hire
Self Catering Permitted
External Caterers Permitted
Bar Service With Glassware And Ice
Recommended Caterer Menus Published
Accommodation Opposite
Photo Opportunity Areas
Fifteen Minutes From Bendigo

Ceremony Setting

chapel
garden
lawn
courtyard
outdoor
indoor

Dietary Options Supported

No details available.

Nearby Landmarks

Huntly – The township the venue sits in
Bendigo – Fifteen minutes south
Bendigo Botanic Gardens – At White Hills, between Huntly and the city
Sacred Heart Cathedral – Bendigo's landmark church
Rosalind Park – Bendigo's central park and lookout
Epsom – Neighbouring suburb on the Midland Highway
Greater Bendigo National Park – Box-ironbark forest around the city

On Site Accommodation

Red Waratah Accommodation – directly opposite the venue, booked separately

Price Notes

VENUE HIRE IS PUBLISHED: 'Venue Hire. Full Hire: $4,500 (+GST). Deposits are non-refundable. For wedding and reception - includes 50 white wedding chairs and tables, either round or rectangle. 6 wine barrels are also available for hire for drinks or a stand for your wedding cake at $30.00 per barrel.' The page ends 'All prices are subject to change without notice.'
DRINKS ARE PRICED BOTH WAYS, WHICH IS UNUSUAL AND USEFUL: 'Drinks Package. We provide: $60 (incl. GST) per head for champagne, wine, beer, soft drinks (includes glasses, ice and full service). You provide: $1,500 (+GST). Includes glasses, ice and full service. Any number above 75 people is $20 per person extra.' So a couple supplying their own alcohol pays a flat $1,500 for glassware, ice and bar service rather than a per-head rate - and the $20 step above 75 guests applies to the package.
CATERING IS EXTERNAL, WITH A PENALTY FOR GOING OUTSIDE THE LIST: 'If you are having food trucks or caterers other than Waratah's there is a fee of $1000.' Two caterers are recommended and their menus are hosted on the venue's own domain - Two Sisters Catering of Bendigo (four menus, all dated 15 March 2025) and Debbie Gill of Food, Functions & Catering (five menus, one of them co-branded 'Food, Functions & Catering & Waratah Wedding's Tapas Menu'). The home page also lists 'Opportunity to self-cater' as a feature.
BOTH CATERERS PRICE ON A MINIMUM OF 70 GUESTS ('Price based on minimum of 70 Guests'), and Debbie Gill's menus add 'Our Wait Staff are available for $38 +GST per hr, per staff member' plus platters at '$350 + GST per platter (serves 25-30 guests)' for cold seafood and '$220 +GST each (serves 30-35 guests)' for cheese. Her menus carry the caveat 'Please use menus as a guide, items subject to change due to seasonal availability & price fluctuation.'
NO DIETARY POLICY IS PUBLISHED BY THE VENUE, AND THAT IS RECORDED AS A NULL RATHER THAN INFERRED. Because catering is external, the venue itself makes no dietary statement anywhere on its site. The caterers' menus hosted on the domain carry almost no dietary marking either: across nine PDFs the only notes are two items on the finger food menu reading 'can be made vegetarian'. There is no gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan or allergen statement in any of them. That is too thin to record as a venue-level capability, so dietary_options_supported is NULL and this note stands in its place.
ACCOMMODATION IS OPPOSITE, NOT ON SITE, AND IS A SEPARATE BOOKING: 'Waratah Weddings is pleased to announce accommodation is now available which is directly opposite the wedding venue. To book Red Waratah Accommodation please head to www.redwaratahaccommodation.com'. No room rate appears on the Waratah site.
THE VENUE PUBLISHES A RECOMMENDED SUPPLIER LIST but is explicit that catering is the only area with a fee attached to going elsewhere. Named vendors are Whites & Woods, Daisy and Pine, Sophie O'Keefe Photography and Justin & Jim Photographers. Inspections are 'obligation free ... by appointment'.
THE VENUE IS ALSO A GENERAL FUNCTION CENTRE: 'Waratah Wedding & Function Venue is also available for all events including: birthday functions, engagement parties, baby showers, corporate functions and funerals.' Worth knowing if exclusivity matters.