By Miki Perkins
South Gippsland, VIC
802 Lees Road, Venus Bay
Phone: (03) 5663 7525; 0439 352 538
Email: contact@venusbay-ecoretreat.com.au
Web: venusbay-ecoretreat.com.au
The location Venus Bay is a small but popular holiday town on a slender peninsula in south-east Gippsland. To one side lies the sweeping beaches of Cape Liptrap Coastal Park and to the other Anderson Inlet, an internationally recognised migratory bird habitat. Wilsons Promontory and Phillip Island are both an easy day trip from the area.
The place Correa Cabin, the only visitor accommodation on the property, is painted in the greens and creamy whites of the Australian flower it is named after. Surrounded by coastal bushland, the simple cabin doesn't skimp on creature comforts. Upstairs, a peaceful double bedroom (with one queen-size bed, one single bed and an inflatable double bed available on request) is surrounded by treetops. Downstairs, the bathroom is the crowning glory - a deep, two-person tub looks through a window into verdant bush.
The experience Wake to birdsong and start the day with a barbecue breakfast on the verandah, cooked on an eco-friendly cob stove that burns coconut fibre. Walk on meandering paths through the six-hectare bush property, much of it protected for local wildlife. Sandy beaches are just a few minutes away for swimming, surfing and fishing, or park yourself on the verandah and relax - a hammock and yoga mats are provided.
Don't miss Bunurong Marine National Park (20 minutes' drive) offers great snorkelling and an opportunity to see the rare underwater flora and fauna along the south Victorian coast (about 80 per cent of these species exist nowhere else in the world); pack your snorkel and picnic and download a guide from parkweb.vic.gov.au. If you prefer terrestrial adventures, walking tracks and the white sands of Wilsons Promontory National Park are a 40-minute drive away.
Need to know
Cost: $250-$325 a night for two to five people; two-night minimum stay.
Where: 170km (2.5 hours' drive) south-east of Melbourne.
Children: By arrangement.
Pets: No.
Wheelchair access: No.
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