Correction (5 October 2026): an earlier version of this page listed places and details we could not stand behind. It has been rewritten from scratch: every place below was confirmed at two independent sources on 5 October 2026, and every price was copied from the page it was published on.
Four weekend plans made the cut, and only two of them are in Mernda. Five Vineyard and the Bridge Inn Hotel sit in the suburb. Plenty Gorge Parklands is a Parks Victoria park in South Morang, and Growling Frog Golf Course is in Yan Yean, so this is a list for Mernda and the area around it.
Every venue fact below is attributed to the page it came from, with the price tag copied exactly as printed. Where a page gave us no price or no opening hours, the page says so and sends you to the venue. Keen? The mini-itinerary is in the last Quick answer.
The quick picks
| If you’re after | Head to | Order this | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| A vineyard lunch or dinner, Thursday to Sunday | Five Vineyard | Margherita | $27 |
| Friday-night pub music and a kids’ deal | Bridge Inn Hotel | Kids meals including a drink and dessert | $10 |
| A gorge walk with picnic and barbecue areas | Plenty Gorge Parklands (Plenty Gorge Park) | see below | not printed here |
| A round of public-access golf | Growling Frog Golf Course | Adult 18 Holes (Daily Green Fees, valid from October 1) | $69 |
Five Vineyard — 280 Bridge Inn Road, Mernda VIC 3754
Five Vineyard’s own site says its restaurant, The Wine Bar, is “Open 12pm to 10pm Thursday to Sunday.” Its cellar door page says “Open 11am - 5pm Thursday to Sunday” and has a Book a Tasting link, and the wine bar menu invites you to ask about tasting sessions and tasting flights. The site also lists “Wine Bar Snacks 4:00 - 5:30pm Thursday - Sunday”.
The lunch menu PDF lists Margherita with tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, basil and EVOO (extra virgin olive oil). The menu prints bare numbers with no dollar sign, so the dollar signs below are ours. An affogato is ice cream or gelato with a hot espresso poured over it.
One weekend detail is worth knowing before you book. The menu says “Menu Subject to Change - Sunday Surcharge 15% - Public Holiday Surcharge 18%”.
On the menu (copied from fivevineyard.com.au/WebUpload_Lunch.pdf on 5 October 2026):
- Margherita: $27
- Chickpea Gnocchi: $39
- Chips: $15
- Affogato: $11
Plan it: the cellar door page has a Book a Tasting link and the wine bar menu says to ask about tastings, so book or ask before you turn up, and check the venue for the day you are going.
Bridge Inn Hotel — 1425 Plenty Road, Mernda VIC 3754
The Bridge Inn Hotel’s site says “Every Friday night we have the best in local entertainment”, which is the pub-music slot in this plan. The line we read gives no start time, so confirm with the pub. The site lists its general opening hours as “Sun - Wed: 10:00am - 1:00am Thu - Sat: 10:00am - 3:00am”.
For families, the site says “Kids are well catered for with a large section of meals available including a drink and dessert for only $10.” The bar page prints no days or times for that deal. The site also describes a “vast indoor playground” and a Sport’s Bar for when the game is on.
On the menu (copied from thebridgeinnhotel.com.au/bar on 5 October 2026):
- Kids meals including a drink and dessert: $10
Rain backup: the pub’s own site describes a “vast indoor playground”, which makes it the wet-weather option for kids on this list.
Plenty Gorge Parklands (Plenty Gorge Park) — Red Gum Car Park, Gordons Rd (off Plenty Rd), South Morang VIC 3752
This is a Parks Victoria park in South Morang, not Mernda. Parks Victoria says Red Gum Car Park is accessed from Gordons Rd, off Plenty Rd. Its page invites you to “Walk the tracks to the beautiful gorge” and lists the facilities as BBQ, Carpark, Lookout, Picnic Area, Playscape and Toilets.
The Hawkstowe Picnic Area section says it “includes new play spaces, BBQ areas and accessible toilet.” Parks Victoria also says dogs must be on lead in the areas shown on its map.
We could not read an entry price on the page, so check Parks Victoria before you go.
Plan it: Parks Victoria gives gate hours of “7:00am to 5:00pm (standard time) and 7:00am to 7:00pm (daylight savings time)”. Those are the gate times for Hawkstowe Picnic Area only, so check the park page for the other entrances.
Growling Frog Golf Course — 1910 Donnybrook Road, Yan Yean VIC 3755
Growling Frog is in Yan Yean, not Mernda. Its site calls it “a stunning public access golf experience”, and the food section lists a restaurant marked “OPEN 7 DAYS” and a driving range. We found no course opening hours on the pages we read, so ring or check the site before you plan around a tee time.
The site’s green fees are marked valid from October 1, and the prices below are from that table. One catch for a weekend: the City of Whittlesea resident rate is for weekdays excluding public holidays, so it does not apply on a Saturday or Sunday. The site says residents and ratepayers “can enjoy a reduced price when playing midweek”. Pull Buggies are $10 and Hire Clubs are $30 on the same fee sheet.
Listed prices (copied from growlingfroggolf.com.au/green-fees on 5 October 2026):
- Adult 18 Holes (Daily Green Fees, valid from October 1): $69
- Adult 9 Holes (Daily Green Fees, valid from October 1): $48
- Residents (City of Whittlesea)* 18 Holes (*Weekdays excluding Public Holidays): $47.50
- GPS Carts 18 Holes: $56
Time needed: the pages we read give no suggested round length, so allow for the fee sheet’s 18-hole and 9-hole options when you plan the day.
Quick answers
What is open in Mernda on a Saturday or Sunday?
Five Vineyard’s site lists its restaurant as “Open 12pm to 10pm Thursday to Sunday.” The Bridge Inn Hotel’s site lists general opening hours of “Sun - Wed: 10:00am - 1:00am Thu - Sat: 10:00am - 3:00am”.
Where can I hear live music in Mernda on a Friday?
The Bridge Inn Hotel’s site says “Every Friday night we have the best in local entertainment”. It names no start time in that line, so confirm with the pub.
Is there a cheaper weekend way to play golf near Mernda?
Not through the residents’ rate. Growling Frog’s City of Whittlesea resident rate of $47.50 for Residents (City of Whittlesea)* 18 Holes applies on weekdays excluding public holidays. The Adult 9 Holes fee is $48 for a shorter round, and the same fee sheet lists separate junior and group rates, so check it if those apply to you.
What is a simple weekend plan around Mernda?
Friday night at the Bridge Inn Hotel for the local entertainment its site lists, then Saturday at Plenty Gorge Parklands within the gate times Parks Victoria prints for the Hawkstowe Picnic Area, then Sunday lunch at Five Vineyard with its Sunday surcharge in mind. Golf at Growling Frog fits any day once you have checked its hours. The backup for rain is the pub’s indoor playground.
How we checked
We checked every place on this page against at least two independent sources on 5 October 2026: the places’ own websites, the Australian Good Food Guide, OpenStreetMap and government pages. Every price is copied exactly as printed on the page linked under Sources, on 5 October 2026. Menus, prices and opening hours change, so check with the venue before you go.
Seen something out of date? Email [email protected] with the page link and what has changed, and we will check it again.
Sources
- Five Vineyard: fivevineyard.com.au/visit-contact, agfg.com.au/five-vineyard-131500, fivevineyard.com.au/the-wine-bar, fivevineyard.com.au/the-cellar-door, fivevineyard.com.au/WebUpload_Lunch.pdf, fivevineyard.com.au/TheWineBarMenuSUMMER.pdf
- Bridge Inn Hotel: openstreetmap.org/466543369, thebridgeinnhotel.com.au, agfg.com.au/the-bridge-inn-hotel-46522, thebridgeinnhotel.com.au/bar, thebridgeinnhotel.com.au/dining, thebridgeinnhotel.com.au/functions-1
- Plenty Gorge Parklands (Plenty Gorge Park): openstreetmap.org/9278364, parks.vic.gov.au/plenty-gorge-parklands
- Growling Frog Golf Course: openstreetmap.org/101676340, growlingfroggolf.com.au, growlingfroggolf.com.au/green-fees
