About

Overview & Vibe

Coombs Hill Barn is a 160-year-old American barn, imported from Indiana in 2018 and rebuilt on a hilltop across 100 acres of working farmland at Merrijig, in the shadow of Mt Buller and looking out over the Delatite Valley. Katherine and Wade opened it in March 2021 as a luxury private house; weddings followed because couples kept asking. They are blunt about what it is: “We are not your cookie cutter venue, and are very much suited to those with a keen ‘DIY’ eye who are hands on and flexible.”

Setting & Style

The Great Room carries quadruple-height vaulted ceilings, steel-framed windows that frame Buller, Timbertop and the valley, and a 12-metre stone fireplace built from stones collected by hand from the surrounding paddocks. Outside, a large elevated timber deck takes the sunsets. There is no dedicated ceremony lawn because the whole property is one: “Located on 100 acres, the outdoor ceremony locations are endless.” The venue supplies a timber arbour with two bench seats, and 30 oak crossback chairs in the larger packages.

Ideal For

Couples who want a blank canvas and are prepared to fill it. Coombs Hill is BYO drinks and BYO catering with free choice of every vendor, and the venue's own framing is that it provides the space and you provide the day. It is built for elopements and micro weddings first — every package includes three nights in the barn for eleven — and hosts only “a select few larger weddings per year”, typically cocktail style.

The Need-to-Knows

Amplified music is permitted inside the barn only. Outside, a ceremony may use an acoustic player or a speaker and nothing more — a council condition, enforced against the bond. Weddings start no earlier than 10am and finish by 11pm, with everyone but the eleven staying over off site by midnight. Only 11 people may stay overnight; larger weddings use portable toilets and guests keep out of the barn's bathrooms. No camping or caravans, no open fires at any time, and no swimming in the dam during events. The council permit does not allow weddings on Code Red Fire Days, which means a rescheduled date rather than a refund. Viewings are held only a few times a year and must be booked. The 2025/2026 brochure says marquees cannot be erected; the older terms allow them by prior arrangement — ask.

Standout Feature

The barn itself. Not a barn-styled function room but an actual 1860s American structure, taken down in Indiana, shipped, and stood back up on a Victorian hilltop — with a hand-built stone chimney four storeys high and a valley through the windows.

Amenities

Exclusive Venue Use
On-site Accommodation
Historic Building
Open Fireplace
High Ceilings
Commercial Kitchen
Outdoor Terrace
Delatite Valley Views
Air Conditioning
Photo Locations
Tables and Chairs Included
BYO Permitted

Ceremony Setting

outdoor
barn
indoor

Dietary Options Supported

No details available.

Nearby Landmarks

Mt Buller – The barn was "lovingly restored and rebuilt in the shadow of Mt Buller", and its windows "perfectly picture frame Buller"
Delatite Valley – The property "overlook[s] the pristine Delatite Valley", with cocktails on the deck above it
Timbertop – Named alongside Buller as one of the views the steel-framed windows frame
Merrijig – The locality the 100-acre property sits in, east of Mansfield in the Victorian High Country
Mansfield – The nearest town; the venue points guests to Mansfield Coffee Merchant "on your way through town"

On Site Accommodation

The barn sleeps 11 across 5 bedrooms with 4 bathrooms, and three nights are included in every package except the midweek day-hire
Four king rooms — three with individual ensuites and one with direct bathroom access — plus a three-person bunk room
Reverse-cycle heating and cooling in every room, automated in-floor heating, an open fireplace, ceiling fans and air conditioning throughout; a full-size chef's kitchen and a custom 12-plus-seater barn-wood table
A maximum of 11 guests may stay overnight; no variations without prior arrangement, and no camping or caravans at any time

Price Notes

FOUR PACKAGES, EACH A SINGLE TOTAL PRICE INCLUDING GST, from the Wedding Packages brochure dated 29 January 2025 and titled 2025/2026 — READ THE DATING CAVEAT BELOW BEFORE RELYING ON THESE. ELOPEMENT $5,500 inc GST: 3 nights' accommodation in the barn for 11 guests (the brochure values the accommodation alone at $4,000), maximum 11 wedding guests including those staying, exclusive use for ceremony and photos, timber arbour with 2 bench seats, cleaning included, and use of the whole property for getting ready, ceremony, reception, kitchen and photos. MINI/MICRO WEDDING $7,150 inc GST: same 3 nights for 11, maximum 40 reception guests including the 11 staying, exclusive use, arbour with 2 bench seats, 30 oak crossback chairs, cleaning and extra rubbish bins. LARGE WEDDING $10,450 inc GST: same 3 nights for 11, maximum 100 reception guests including the 11 staying, exclusive use, arbour, 30 oak crossback chairs, an on-call manager during the event, cleaning and rubbish, and portable toilets for guests. MIDWEEK, NO ACCOMMODATION $3,500 inc GST: one day only, Tuesday to Thursday, not on public holidays, long weekends or school holidays, exclusive use 8am-11pm with all vendors, guests, equipment and cars arriving and leaving inside those hours, maximum 40 including the couple, arbour, 30 chairs, on-call manager, cleaning and rubbish. EXTRA NIGHTS $1,000 per night on any package. Standard cleaning including linen and towels is in the hire price. THE DATING CAVEAT: the brochure is titled "Coombs Hill Barn Weddings 2025/2026" and was created 29 January 2025, but its own footer on pages 9 and 11 reads "*prices for current for weddings in 2024" (sic). The document contradicts its own title, so treat these figures as indicative and confirm directly. COSTS NOT RECORDED: the wedding terms and conditions document is dated August 2023 and states internally that it applies "as at March 2021", so its bond, card-surcharge and deposit figures are more than two years old and are deliberately omitted here. Its non-price terms do stand: a 50% deposit secures the date with the balance and bond due two months out; cancellation inside four months forfeits the deposit and inside two months forfeits the full payment.
THE CONSTRAINTS ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT THING ON THIS PAGE. MUSIC: "You are only permitted music to be within the Barn itself. An acoustic player or speaker can be used for your ceremony if outside. This is strictly enforced by council and failure to comply may result in a loss of bond." TIME: "Your wedding must start no earlier than 10am and conclude by 11pm with all guests and contractors (excluding the 11 staying at the property) off site by midnight", also strictly enforced by council. FIRE: "There are no open pit or other fires allowed anytime during your event. Weddings scheduled for Code Red Fire Days will need to be rescheduled as our council permit does not allow weddings on Code Red Fire Days." MARQUEES ARE CONTRADICTED BETWEEN DOCUMENTS: the January 2025 brochure says "Unfortunately Marquees cannot be erected on the property", while the older wedding terms say "Marquees on the property by prior arrangement only" — the newer document is the brochure. ALSO: no camping or caravans at any time; no swimming in the dam during weddings and events for insurance reasons; smoking only in the allocated area, never inside, on the deck or in the carport; no nailing, screwing or stapling to any surface without approval; furniture must not be dragged and stilettos are not to be worn on hardwood floors or stairs; guests must park only in allocated areas and not on the road reserve; responsible service of alcohol is the organiser's responsibility, since the venue is BYO. NO PETS, on account of the working farm and livestock. VIEWINGS ARE RARE: "Wedding viewings at Coombs Hill Barn are only held a few times a year", by registration, with the next listed as Sunday 17 May 2026 and the one after that expected in November. Some furniture may be moved if requested in advance, and fees may apply.