This was published 13 years ago
The Buckland, Porepunkah review: Seclusion and space
Back to nature ... the Buckland's studios are designed for privacy.Credit: Heath Missen
Marie McNamara is in front of a studio audience at a property with views of Mount Buffalo.
Warning: showering at the Buckland can be disconcerting. We stay in studio 2, which features a spacious walk-in, double shower with floor-to-ceiling windows. There is a blind over the window for the modest guest but since the outlook is a beautiful native forest, we roll up the blind to embrace that indoor-outdoor experience.
So, resplendent in middle age and sporting a shower cap, I spy two gawking kangaroos, so transfixed that they stop grazing. The Buckland has five secluded apartments, spaced well apart and each nestled in bush, so if you want to, you can strut about your studio naked.
But remember to get dressed for breakfast. A satisfying cooked breakfast, including excellent coffee, is part of the package and is served daily in a stylish farm shed in a paddock about 300 metres from the studios.
Our hosts, Sabine and Eddie, are a fastidious and friendly German couple who want you to enjoy your stay at the Buckland, nestled in the Buckland Valley, near Bright.
They've run this getaway since 2005, offering architect-designed luxury accommodation for couples. The four one-bedroom studios are 4.5-star rated and a fifth one-bedroom studio is five-star rated.
The studios are dotted along the treeline on this sprawling 16-hectare property and each studio has private decks with stunning views of the Buckland Valley and Mount Buffalo.
The Buckland has some eco features with studios built on passive solar lines, facing north, with cantilevered roofs over the decks to keep the summer sun out but allow the winter sun in. The windows and doors are aligned for cross breezes in summer and the windows are double glazed. There are solar heat pumps for hot water and rain water is collected.
It rains on our first day and we're mesmerised as water drenches the already-green pastures and surrounding hills, followed by a mist that rolls in from the mountains.
The Buckland is designed as a tranquil retreat for couples only.
Each studio has a huge and comfortable king-size bed with a massive Doona and lots of pillows (three different sorts for the fussy).
There is a fully equipped kitchen with a serious-looking coffee machine and the lounge has contemporary furnishings. The decor is tasteful, earthy tones and the overall impression is sleek but cosy and welcoming. If you tire of the views from every window, there's a flat-screen TV, DVDs, magazines and books.
There is a wood fire heater already set up but if you can't be bothered, a reverse cycle heater/cooler is a remote control button away.
Eddie and Sabine have thought of everything: slippers by the door, dressing gowns in the wardrobe, an umbrella, good-quality toiletries, fluffy towels, a towel rack warmer in the bathroom and a mini fridge stocked with excellent wines.
The Buckland is close to Bright and its cafes and restaurants and Mount Buffalo national park, for bushwalking.
VISITORS' BOOK
The Buckland
Address 580 Buckland Valley Road, Porepunkah.
Bookings Phone 0419 133 318, see thebuckland.com.au, email stay@thebuckland.com.au.
Getting there From Melbourne, take the Hume Freeway, exit at Milawa, go to Myrtleford and then Bright. About four hours from Melbourne.
How much Studios one to four for Friday and Saturday nights (minimum two-night booking) $320 a night; studio five for Friday and Saturday nights, $350 a night.
Summary Perfect retreat for couples, luxury in a natural setting, peaceful.
Verdict 17
The score: 19-20 excellent; 17-18 great; 15-16 good; 13-14 comfortable.
All weekends away are conducted anonymously and paid for by Traveller.
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