Family farm reborn as unique wedding destination

Sisters Pip Minney and Ali Kooloos hail from a family of pioneers, a legacy their newest venture aims to safeguard into the future.

The duo has recently transformed their family farm Tuckerberry Hill – the Bellarine Peninsula’s home of blueberry and strawberry picking – into a unique wedding and events venue that celebrates and elevates its rural setting, aptly named Tuckerberry Hill Events.

The farm was founded in 1976 by the sister’s grandparents, Margret and John Tucker who, ahead of their time, established one of the first berry farms of its kind in Victoria and started growing blueberries during a time when the fruit was not well-known by the public.

When Margret passed in 2000, ownership of the farm passed to her daughter Christine Lean and her husband David, who have worked hard over the years to not only expand and improve the site, but also promote all the growers and producers operating across the region.

 

 

The farm’s transition now is as much motivated by a desire to allow Christine and David to step back into retirement, as it is a recognition of the ongoing challenges facing farmers across the country, with economic uncertainty, drought and a changing climate continuing to pose threats to the industry.

“This family farm holds such a dear space in our heart. We grew up in the house next door. We moved here from New South Wales when I was two,” Pip said.

“This farm is special to us, special to our kids; it’s special to our parents and their siblings, so really the weddings and events idea came about because we’re thinking about the future and about sustainable viability.

“We have to think about how to keep this farm, how to share it with the community, because we know a lot of people have really special memories of coming here and picking berries when they were a kid, and now they bring their own kids.”

 

 

And not ones to do things by halves, both Pip and Ali plan to maintain their full-time careers alongside Tuckerberry Hill Events.

Indeed, much of the work done to prepare the farm for the transition took place over long weekends and with the support of their parents and partners.

“It’s about being very organised, leaning on each other and working out what your priorities are and knowing when you don’t need to do something,” Ali said.

She believes the experience has already brought the family closer together.

“The best thing is that even on the hard days, we can still laugh.

“Life can change in a minute or a second, so we’re just happy to be there, happy to have mum a part of the journey.”

 

 

Those who book the venue for an event will have exclusive access to the space, with multiple locations across the farm able to serve as the perfect backdrop for a gathering, ceremony or photographs, including the farm’s Gum Tree Grove and a secluded grouping of she-oaks with a vibe the sisters describe as “reverential”.

“We like to say ‘It’s our farm, your way’,” Pip said.

“We’ve got an incredible perspective with the driveway, we’ve got furniture you can use, we’ve got the changing blueberries, so at different times of the year sometimes the leaves are red, sometimes they’re bright green, and then we’ve got the typical farm scenes which we know people love.”

The venue boasts a commercial kitchen with a walk-in cool room, a revamped multi-purpose room which can be used for a photobooth, kids’ space or bridal suite, and a hall with a vaulted ceiling designed as a “blank canvas” guests can put their own spin on.

 

 

“It’s nice to have a different offering,” Pip said.

“There are such gorgeous wineries and other venues who are doing such incredible things on the Bellarine Peninsula that we feel like we complement them. It’s just something a little bit different for this area.

“What we’re learning is that people love the idea of getting married on a berry farm. They’re doing things like having a strawberry jam bonbonniere party favour.”

And for those concerned about the future of berry picking on the site, along with its famous ice-cream, fear not, both will continue to be part of the farm’s offering with those who book the venue also able to incorporate the activity into their own event.

 

 

But it is the venue’s pricing structure – there is just one fee, with no hidden charges – and the flexibility and DIY-nature of its offering, that Pip and Ali believe really sets Tuckerberry Hill Events apart.

Taking the learnings already gained from the weddings and events that have been held at farm since Tuckerberry Hill Events’ launch last month, the sisters are now looking ahead to their future bookings with excitement.

For more information, head to tuckerberryhillevents.com.au