Albert Park Melbourne: Wedding disaster as gastro outbreak affects at least half of 300 guests

A wedding has turned from joy to disaster when more than half of the 300 guests were struck by a suspected gastro outbreak.

Family and friends were celebrating at The Park Melbourne on September 16 when they started falling seriously ill.

Witnesses said a flower girl was among the first to fall ill.

In the days that followed, a procession of attending guests, from toddlers to the elderly, began experiencing vomiting, high fever and, in some cases, hallucinations.

One estimate said that ‘at least thirty’ people became ill, while another source claimed that half of the guests became unwell.

Bahaa Harb, site manager of The Park and River’s Edge, told Daily Mail Australia it was investigating the cause of the ‘reported outbreak’.

“We are working closely with event guests and the municipality to determine the cause of the outbreak,” Mr Harb said.

It is understood that children at the wedding ate hamburgers, while adult guests were served chicken and pork.

Mr Harb said Port Phillip Council approved a “precautionary deep clean” at the site.

Victoria’s Department of Health also confirmed it was involved in the investigation into the outbreak.

“The department is aware of an outbreak of gastroenteritis involving guests who attended a shelter in Albert Park on Saturday,” the statement said.

“We are working with Port Phillip Council to investigate the source of the outbreak and ensure all appropriate infection prevention and control measures are in place.”

A handful of guests are said to have become so upset that they were taken to Sunshine and Royal Melbourne hospitals.

Two people were released from the hospital on Tuesday.

The Department of Health said the incident was not related to the ongoing cluster of listeria cases in the state.

Contaminated food is believed to be the source of a listeria outbreak at up to three hospitals in Queensland.

Cases were also reported in Victoria and NSW.