Travel

St Andrews Beach is a seldom mentioned slice of Victoria’s Mornington Pensinsula. Wedged between Cape Schanck and Sorrento, the rugged coastline faces Bass Strait rather than the bayside views favoured by the more popular townships on the opposing side of the coastal strip.

But this sense of undiscovered seclusion right in the heart of Victoria’s most popular beachside destination is exactly what the owners of this modernist-inspired beach house were seeking. It’s the perfect local getaway – and yes, you can stay here!

Simone Haag is best known as one of Melbourne’s most in-demand interiors gurus – but before she was a professional taste-maker, Simone spent years working around the world as a snowboard instructor!

While we’re usually profiling Simone’s fabulous design and styling projects on TDF, today she’s taking us around some of her favourite spots to stay, eat, drink and hang out in Mount Buller and Mansfield. Just in time for the snow season to start again on June 22nd!

With all the craziness in the world right now, escaping to an idyllic country cottage with a stocked bookshelf in Victoria’s relaxation capital sounds mighty attractive. Here to fill that void is Poets Lodge – a newly opened accommodation in Daylesford. 

Purchased in 2017 as a dilapidated 1850s house and cottage, wife and husband team Angeline and Richard O’Bryan have since fully restored both properties, and added a new but thoroughly sympathetic third component.

Back in 2013, Jamie and Ingrid Kwong passed this isolated fisherman’s shack buried in the rock face of Great Mackerel Beach on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, and noticed a ‘For Sale’ sign. They could see the ramshackle state it was in from their old wooden boat, but that was half the romance.

After a loving restoration, the pair now share their beloved holiday destination with other seafaring folk. The Little Black Shack is a rustic gem filled with Jamie and Ingrid’s handcrafted furniture, panoramic bay views and the promise of a simpler life.

A lot about Callignee Eco Bush Retreat feels extraordinarily like fate. Just two weeks after its original owner Chris Clarke completed his dream off-the-grid home nestled in the Gippsland bushland, the Black Saturday fires tore through the dense, dry underbrush and destroyed it all.

Ten years later and Callignee has been painstakingly rebuilt and passed onto new custodians, Maggie and Chris Jones, whose combination of spiritual pull and gut instinct drew them to the isolated property.

Right now across Australia there are dozens of churches sitting idle, just waiting for an enthusiastic owner to transform them.

This is the story of The Church at Lyonville, which was deconsecrated in the 1950s, then converted into a residence in the early 2000s.

When this property went up for sale in 2017, Sasha and Tim von Ess jumped at the chance to purchase it as their holiday home. When they’re not there spending quality time with their kids Drew (11) and Audrey (8), they rent it out as short-term accommodation.

Five years ago, when on a holiday to her hometown of Esperance, Western Australia, Fiona Shillington took a wrong turn and stumbled upon a 30-year-old holiday camp that had fallen into disrepair. While most people would simply do a U-turn and be on their way, this moment of fate inspired a major change in lifestyle for Fiona and her family.

Fiona ended up purchasing the camp, and turning it into a unique holiday spot, characterised by its distinctive A-frame cabins. With a lot of hard work, Esperance Chalet Village is now one of the most sought-after accomodation offerings in Esperance!

Lynda Gardener renovated and styled her first Daylesford accommodation 15 years ago, citing the winding roads and proximity to the city as the factors which drew her to the area initially.

Having renovated a number of boutique accommodation properties over more than a decade, Lynda’s latest project sees her back in Victoria’s spa country. This time, she has created ‘Room + Board‘, a small-footprint barn-style Airbnb – her first design from the ground up!

With reportedly the highest ratio of day spas per capita in the country (!), and 85 per cent of the Australia’s natural mineral water springs in the surrounding region, it’s no surprise Daylesford is home to so many stunning accommodation offerings!

Among these is The Station House – a circa 1853 home set on three acres, turned charming holiday rental.

Owner Theresa Albiloi shares with us the renovating process.

Just looking at photos of Marge’s Cottage, it’s hard not to feel instantly relaxed. Located in Poowong, South Gippsland (about 90 minutes from Melbourne), this perfectly idyllic Airbnb looks right out of the pages of Country Style magazine.

Owner Cheryl Guzzardi shares how this once rundown cottage came to be a dreamy accommodation spot.