Athol Hall Function

Kookaburras making love!
Is what I saw both times I attended a wedding at this virgin pure venue. Tucked down in a pocket of secluded bush between Bradley’s Head and Taronga Zoo, this is a find indeed, a vintage gem of a place where the wedding is held out on a gently sloping grass lawn flanked by paternal gumtrees and the Harbour Bridge lit up by the sunset across the water in the background.
Athol Hall used to be a dance hall. Back in the ‘50s sensible partygoers (they were the only kind that existed back then) would jump in a boat and be ferried across to the Hall, where the women would expose their ankles and the men would swoon and they’d all do a sock hop or a jive or something until the wee hours and then the boat would take them away again.
I imagine it wouldn’t come cheap, but can you really put a price on taking your vows while benevolent kookaburras make glorious coitus in the boughs above?

All-​round outstanding venue!
I visited Athol Hall as a guest of a friend’s wedding. The great food and service coupled with the unbelievable views of Sydney Harbour made for a fantastic wedding. It was a truly memorable night.

Unbelievable setting — worth the visit for that reason alone.
This was built as a turn-​of-​the-​century dance hall. It’s an old building up a long walkway, with a giant yard and a fabulous view across the harbour. We had lunch on the veranda, with the harbour, Royal Botanic Gardens, Opera House, and Sydney Harbour Bridge as our view.
The interior is for functions, so lunch is served on the dozen tables out on the veranda. The Thursday we were there they only had three tables occupied the entire lunch period. So this isn’t the place to look for a fabulous chef-​prepared meal. With that consideration, we had a very nice meal.
Their wine selection was pretty complete, and there were daily specials including a pasta and a fish dish. We started with three excellent spreads and some fresh bread. One spread was a homemade humus that was good. Another was an awesome feta and pumpkin combination — never had that before and loved it.
My main course was a big disappointment, not worth mentioning. The sticky date pudding for dessert was excellent. We were there to visit with old friends and were not rushed to leave even though we sat for over two hours. Our waitress was not just good — she gave us a half hour ride to where we wanted to go next when the taxi did not show up. Now that’s service!