Two Victorian wineries – Polperro on the Mornington Peninsula and Carrajung Estate in Gippsland – give their accommodation offerings a luxe boost.
t first glance, the modest yellow-brick house set on an elevated block overlooking Polperro Winery looks more like a post-war relic from ’50s suburbia than coast-and-country luxury accommodation.owners, however, it offered a golden opportunity to expand the winery’s guest lodgings.
“My old vineyard manager lived there,” says winemaker Sam Coverdale, who has owned the Mornington Peninsula winery next door with his wife, Emma Phillips, since 2013. When their neighbour and friend bought the property, he offered the couple full run of the three-bedroom house. “It was derelict,” explains Phillips. “He said if we renovated it, we could have it.”, which had worked on several projects for the couple – the winery’s hatted restaurants Polperro Vineyard Dining and Many Little, located nearby at Red Hill Village, and Amelie and Frank’s, the exclusive boutique next door.“Hecker Guthrie has a distinctive design style that’s understated, but their eye for detail and level of craftsmanship is exquisite,” says Phillips. From the road, Hecker Guthrie’s handiwork isn’t immediately appreciable, though the Farmhouse, as it’s known, has been given a decent spit and polish. Once you’re inside, however, you appreciate what the design studio has done.The aesthetic is both restful and ’50s retro, only more refined than anything the period likely produced. A palette of earthy greens, yellows and ochres combines with terrazzo floors and benches to set off an eclectic ensemble of modernist furniture, full of rounded edges, and art pieces, such as an antique Mongolian tapestry.“You walk in and just feel this warmth and energy,” says Phillips. While the interiors feel inviting and lived-in, the lose-yourself views inevitably draw you outdoors to an open-air kitchen, dining spaces shaded by a towering oak, and a sunny lounging area with Adirondack chairs circling a fire pit.“This is about celebrating the whole property,” says Phillips. “It’s for big long, lazy lunches we can have catered. We even let a group of girls bring their own chef for a 30th birthday.” Two hundred kilometres east of Polperro in Gippsland, Ivy Huang and her English-born husband, Adrian Critchlow, also wanted to give the accommodation offering at their winery a deluxe boost.bought the 40-hectare property last year. Formerly known as Toms Cap, it came complete with a restaurant, cellar door and five houses.The couple decided to spruce up the accommodation in stages, beginning with two hilltop weatherboards perched side by side looking out over rolling pastures, rainforest and a stand of soaring blue gums.“The accommodation was dated, and the layouts didn’t really make sense,” says Huang. “We wanted to raise the level of comfort and amenity.” Fortunately, Huang has a background in renovating properties. She had also worked with Rebeka Morgan, founder ofThe focus is on local and seasonal ingredients at Carrajung Estate’s restaurant. Morgan and her builder husband, John, joined Huang and Critchlow as co-owners of Carrajung Estate. “Rebeka was the brains behind the revamp,” says Huang. Initially, the women tackled the smaller of the houses, a single-bedder called The Nest for its romantic getaway vibe. Walls were taken down to open the place up and orientate a new kitchen and lounge towards the views. “It was all a bit pokey,” says Huang. A tired spa was replaced with a freestanding bathtub, moved to the deck outside to soak up the vistas.Next came the Lodge, the four-bedroom house next door. A free-flowing kitchen, dining and lounge area was created along the length of the property, anchored by a central open fireplace clad in travertine. Outside on the viewing deck is a barbecue and fire pit. Huang introduced high-end finishes and furnishings, including bespoke elements like the bedheads, bunks and sideboard, and the “fun and joyful” curvy and rippled walls. The palette is neutral. “We wanted a muted luxury that worked with the surrounding nature and views but still popped,” explains Huang.Further upgrades are in the pipeline, and approval has been granted for eight more Nest-like cabins.Other changes by the new owners of Carrajung Estate included rebranding their wines , renovating the restaurant, hiring a new chef and moving the cellar door to the functions space. For Polperro’s Coverdale, the Farmhouse has helped to address the region’s lack of high-end stays. “There aren’t a lot of offerings down here,” he says. “Accommodation is important.”The writer stayed as a guest of Polperro and Carrajung Estate.Farmhouse stays from $950 a night for two nights minimum . Polperro is also offering Farmhouse stays in its getaway packages. One includes a collaboration with the Australian fashion designer Christian Kimber with options to dine in Polperro’s hatted restaurants, try its wines in a private cellar-door tasting and visit the estate’s kitchen farm. Price on application.The Nest from $375 a night, The Lodge from $850. Stay-and-dine packages including a night’s accommodation, a bottle of wine and a three-course dinner start at $599 for two people.
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