Professionals Tamborine Mountain 
The name Plunkett should be familiar to long-time Tamborine locals from our very own Plunkett Road. It’s the name of one of the first settling families of our own local history, and Plunkett Villa— a picturesque venue that plays host to everyone from newlyweds to petrol-heads (and occasionally the odd movie star!)— doesn’t bear the name by coincidence. Cecily Plunkett-O’Sullivan is a descendant of the very same family, and as such is more than qualified to tell us about her business and about her fascinating insights into the history of this place, we call home.
by Kyle Hitchmough
How long has Plunkett Villa been operating?
Approximately 3 years. This property, though, belonged to the original settlers of the Plunkett family. The official deed was given to my great-great-grandfather. He arrived from Ireland in Australia by 1863, first at Waterford and then up to Gympie, to the gold fields. Then the parcels of land were made available in 1865 for the first Plunkett settlers in this area, one of the founding families here. We have about 240-250 acres here.
What was your inspiration to turn the location into a function venue?
I personally was born on this property, and also married here, 25 years ago next year. It was a beautiful picturesque area. We inherited the property, and the house needed to be renovated extremely. But once that was done, the idea of a venue here, just like we had, seemed right.
What kinds of services do you provide to assist in hosting functions?
We have our own caterers, but people can also bring in their own. If you want Polynesian or Afghan cuisine, for example, we are happy to work with your preferred restaurant or food trucks. We have the space and the views. We can do weddings for any timeframe. We can do just ceremonies, or we can have just the reception, or the whole package. We can organise a beautiful outdoor area with barrels, high tables, whatever you want.
What kinds of foods do your supplied caterers offer?
We have beautiful spit-roast buffets, which are our most popular because they’re very generous. The choices are wide. It caters for a lot of people. We also cater for people’s various dietary requirements. We are also doing a Mediterranean feasting menu now. There’s a large table area to be able to compliment with large platters, amazing food and décor.
You offer a “pop-up” wedding package and a “traditional” wedding package. Can you describe the difference?
The pop-up weddings we offer are up to 40 people, so it’s a smaller group. They’re usually four hours. For a pop-up, people just want a small intimate group that still provides a beautiful ceremony. We serve from our bar caravan in the afternoon and our marquee bar in the evening. We also offer two-hour ceremonies and micro-weddings. We’re quite flexible.
What kinds of functions do you host beyond just weddings?
We’ve had baby showers, bridal showers and birthdays. We’ve done engagement parties, and we also deal with a lot of car clubs. For example, we’ve had the HSV Club here quite often, as well as the Rolls-Royce Club and we’re talking with the Volkswagen Club and the Historic Bike Club as well. We also do Doggy Day Picnics, which is something we organise ourselves. We also do Irish high teas. We’ve had buses from retirement villages come up, even from as far away as northern NSW.
As a longtime local and a part of Tamborine’s history, what’s your opinion on the area and community?
Tamborine is alive and growing, that’s for sure. I love that the area has grown closer to the world. It feels like things are coming to us, but it’s still beautiful and keeps that country feel alive. We’re out of the urban footprint, and can’t be subdivided, which is a good thing. We’re doing our bit to promote Tamborine and the area, because it’s such a beautiful area. In my brochure, I have a list of what is available to see around here, as well as accommodation lists. The more people who contact us, the more it benefits everybody else.
What do you think Plunkett Villa really provides to the area?
We are also a historic landmark. The property was used for Catholic clergy stopovers, and in World War 2 it was a parachute landing area for American troops. There’s a lot of history in this area that people really don’t know, but we provide that. We also promote a lot of businesses around here, like hotels and accommodation. We recommend the Bearded Dragon Hotel. We also have a network of providers on call to assist in the event planning process. We have celebrants, musicians, cake-makers, and florists, all local. We help put Tamborine Village on the map.
What do you enjoy most about doing this?
I was born here. It’s amazing how you come home. This property was passed down to myself and my brother. We’re very humbled. You want to ensure that the property survives, and that the history behind it survives. That’s what makes it all worthwhile, for people to take away from their happy events that they’ve been somewhere special that has more meaning than just another party. People enjoy the history.
What’s been your most memorable moment from your time here?
We’ve had two or three movies filmed here. The most famous one is called “The Great Raid”, that was put out in about 2005 with Benjamin Bratt and Craig McLachlan. They built a bridge from our property over to my cousin’s property and blew it up! That was big. Because of the vastness of the area, a lot of the airplane stunts were done here too.
Plunkett Villa Tamborine
26-70 Albert River Pl, Tamborine QLD 4270
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