Luxury awaits at Five Acres Accommodation

Images by Marnie Hawson
Styling by Belle Bright

Set on rolling farmland overlooking the ocean, Five Acres Accommodation is the newest (and maybe coolest) place to stay in Phillip Island.

Between raising three children, running the popular business The Pantry Phillip Island and building three luxurious seaside cabins, you might wonder when Phillip Island-based couple Katie and Rommy Lamaro sleep.

The hardworking duo, who just two weeks ago opened the doors to Five Acres, first purchased the farmland back in 2018 with a simple aim: give Phillip Island the luxury accommodation it deserves. And may we say, they have well and truly succeeded.

Located in Ventnor, less than two hours drive from Melbourne, these three flawless cabins stand side-by-side with sweeping views of Western Port Bay. Designed in tandem with Mitch Bagley from Onsite Design, each one features the same floor plan but with different finishes. One is underpinned with earth tones for a grounding stay, another is a little dark and moody, and the last has been finished with greenstone for a bright and lively feel.

Interiors have been thoughtfully curated by renowned stylist and decorator Belle Bright for a cosy, minimalist feel. High-end finishes like handcrafted Tasmanian oak furniture, custom-made concrete baths, bespoke upholstery and art from local artists makes each of the spaces truly unique. You’ll be photographing from every angle when you get there.

And of course, let’s not forget the exterior. The micro-farm is indeed working, with over 90 fruit and nut trees and an abundance of veggie beds growing up a storm. As for the cows and sheep that roam the property? Well, Katie says they’re more like pets.

Guests staying in the cabins can expect a continental breakfast (made in part by Katie herself), as well as a small bottle of complimentary gin from a local distillery. For the ultimate respite, we recommend cracking open a bottle of red from one of the wineries nearby, putting your feet up in front of the natural wood fireplace and enjoying the ocean views.

Unforgettable relaxation is the mainstay at Five Acres, and now that Melburnians are travelling regionally more than ever, the Lamaro’s may even get some rest themselves.

“It’s been a busy time, but we’re so glad to be where we are now. We can’t wait to welcome people,” Katie said.

THE DETAILS
WHAT: Five Acres Accommodation
WHERE: 46 Mchaffies Lane, Ventnor, Phillip Island
WHEN: Check website for bookings and availabilities
MORE INFO: Five Acres


	

Exploring the Bellarine Peninsula with the Bellarine Belle

Itinerary: Connie Trathen
Images Supplied

The Bellarine Peninsula – with its panoramic ocean views, white sandy beaches, locally-sourced food and wine, and salt-soaked surroundings. Little wonder the region is a lodestone for those who seek relaxation and rejuvenation.

Connie Trathen made the move to the Bellarine over 10 years ago. Currently residing in Point Lonsdale, the travel guru lived in Portarlington for 11 years and works as the marketing and business development coordinator at Grand Hotel Portarlington – which is set to receive a multi-million dollar renovation.

Easily accessible from all sides, Connie says the Bellarine is a mystery to be unearthed. “It’s still a bit of a secret and people like to say that they’ve discovered a new place!” she says.

Here are some insider tips on how to make the most of your Bellarine discovery.

For breakfast

Annie's ProvidoreSince opening its doors in 2004, Annie’s Provedore & Produce has made a name for itself for its gourmet food and incredible customer service. A local favourite and foodie hotspot, the store serves up a stellar brekky, lunch and dinner menu along with a range of pantry staples. “I don’t mind a wander down the main street for a good retail window shop and it’s always tempting to stop in Annie’s for a treat,” Connie says.

For a family day out

Tuckerberry Hill

While Connie doesn’t have kids of her own, she says she can easily keep her nieces and nephews occupied when they visit, particularly in Portarlington. “Our time is often full of swimming at Portarlington Beach, a safe and calm north facing bay beach, as well as berry picking at Tuckerberry Hill, ice-cream shops including Pier View Lolly Shop in Portarlington which sells ice cream as well, the Miniature Railway and the great new park in Portarlington!”

 

For baked goodness

Ket Baker Bellarine

A favourite amongst locals and visitors alike, the Ketbaker Shed Bakery is renowned as home to the finest sourdough pastries in Geelong and the Bellarine. Think croissants of all sorts, pain au chocolats and escargots, and the most heartwarming sourdough loaves. “Stop in for artisan small batch sourdough breads and treats,” Connie says. “It’s worth the short detour.”

For lunch

Paddock Cafe Bellarine

Relaxed and friendly, The Paddock Café is an ambient and insta-worthy destination where good flavours and good vibes merge to enhance the dining experience. “I always choose to drive down Wallington Road if I can, and my hot tip is to stop at The Paddock Café for a chicken congee with kimchi,” Connie explains.

For the best fish and chips in the region, Connie says you can’t go past the Barwon Heads Fish and Chip Shop. “It’s a classic. Old school, and I have fond memories going there in my teenage years when I used to come to Ocean Grove. I went there recently and they had some beautiful battered prawns, sweet potato cakes and huge homemade dim sims. And yes, delicious chips!”

For cider

Flying brick cider bellarine

At the end of Wallington Road, Connie recommends you veer right and hit up the local cidery Flying Brick Cider House. “This is a venue that caters for all with beautiful food and brews and ambling grassed areas if you have kids who want to let off some steam,” she says.

For fab dining

Merne at Lighthouse

Connie recommends Merne at Lighthouse for its “views across to Queenscliff, great food, amazing craft beer list, and great banter with hospitality professional Caleb Fleet”.  Situated in the middle of the Peninsula, the idyllic restaurant is nestled amidst a thriving olive grove and emerging vineyards, boasting panoramic views of the surrounding farms, dairies, orchards and growers. Explains the inspired paddock-to-plate dining experience.

For a well-deserved tipple

McGlashan's Winery

For award-winning wines in the heart of the Bellarine Peninsula, head down Swan Road (often bypassed) and stop at McGlashan’s Winery. “Their rosé is delicious and for those looking for somewhere to stay in the region, their new Eco Villas overlooking the vines are pretty special,” Connie says.

Connie also notes the Curlewis Winery as another favourite spot to peruse. Located off the beaten track and managed by a husband-and-wife team, the cool-climate winery boasts “great wines, vinyl, and good food”. “It might be a discreet and understated cellar door, but the wines sit proudly at many fine dining restaurants around Australia,” Connie says.

For panoramic views

Dell Lookout Bellarine

Driving back from Curlewis Winery, Connie and her husband love to stop in at Clifton Springs for world-class views at the Dell lookout looking across to the You Yangs, Avalon Airport, Mount Macedon and even spying Melbourne city.

Living only minutes away from wineries, eateries and natural wonders, Connie says the Bellarine is the perfect merging of country and sea. “It fits our lifestyle of having water and fishing and is full of great food and wine,” she proclaims. “Being close to the ocean provides this bounty, but the region also provides the perfect climate for the wineries and what they grow.”


For more ways to explore the ever surprising The Bellarine, head to the official website for the region:  www.visitgeelongbellarine.com.au

And follow Connie on all her Bellarine adventures via Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/bellarinebelle/

Charity surf contest set to replace Rip Curl Surf Pro (and it’s old-school surfboards only)

Images by @boltblowers & @steveryanphotography

Step aside pro-surfers, there’s a new event set to make waves on the Surf Coast: Bolt Blowers Invitational (and it’s old-school boards only).

When the Rip Curl Surf Pro Bells Beach event announced its cancellation for the first time in 60 years earlier this month, the Surf Coast community, as well as surfers state-wide, were pretty darn disappointed. The event is a huge tourism attraction and celebration of the region’s most beloved sport.

But like all good optimists, the Surf Coast Council didn’t dismay. Instead, they saw an opportunity. Enter the Bolt Blowers Invitational – a surf contest to be held at Bells Beach this Easter raising funds for mental health awareness.

Organised in collaboration by Surfing Victoria, The Bolt Blowers and the Surf Coast Shire Council,  the surf contest will fill the place of the Rip Curl Pro and all profits will go towards mental health charity One In Five and Aboriginal mentoring organisation, Strong Brother, Strong Sister. After the year we’ve had, the event couldn’t come at a better time.

“With the cancellation of the 2021 Rip Curl Pro, this was the perfect opportunity to raise the profile of this event and the issues around mental health we are all facing after a tough 12 months,” said Surfing Victoria CEO Adam Robertson.

Strong Brother, Strong Sister are an Aboriginal owned and operated organisation that fosters excellence in young people through positive mentoring. The funding from Bolt Blowers Invitational will allow Aboriginal young people to access a positive Aboriginal Mentor once a fortnight to learn how to surf, water safety and most importantly to improve their health and wellbeing.

The money donated to One In Five will be put towards funding medical research into mental health at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, and Monash Health.

As for the contest itself, anyone can apply within a team of seven. The only condition is you need to be riding either an original single or twin fin board that pre-dates 1983. Your team’s wave scores will be tallied and the winning team discovered from there. Entries open March 9th, with first priority going to those who have supported the event before, and there will be a maximum of 24 teams in total.

Whether you’re keen to jump aboard (literally) and flex your surfing muscles, passionate about the sport or love the cause, make sure you put the Bolt Blowers Invitational in the diary. Cowabunga dude!

THE DETAILS
WHAT: Bolt Blowers Invitational surf contest
WHERE: Bells Beach, Surf Coast Shire
WHEN: 3rd April 2021 (Easter Saturday)
MORE INFO: Surfing Victoria


	

Bouncing back: four chefs reflect on the lockdown and their journey towards reopening

Words by Richard Cornish 
Images Supplied

With the ‘Ring of Steel’ dismantled, the 25km rule dropped, and our favourite destinations open for business we’re ready to head for the hills, beach, or valleys to celebrate our newfound freedom. There is a palpable energy in the air both in the city with people looking forward to a road trip, and in the regions, with kitchen crews preparing to welcome back long separated city guests. 

We spoke to some of our top chef/owners in regions around the state about their COVID19 lockdown, what they did to survive, and what they plan to serve up to us when we arrive to dine with them. 

Tedesca Osteria

Mornington Peninsula #onehourout

Tedesca Osteria RestaurantBrigitte Hafner baked us our daily tarts and made us our daily vitello tonnato when she and Jamie Broadway ran Gertrude Street Enoteca in Fitzroy. It closed forever over winter, preceded, thankfully, by the opening of the bucolic dream that is Tedesca Osteria. Perched on the spine of Main Ridge on the Mornington Peninsula, overlooking flowing creeks, stringybark forest and vineyards beyond, Tedesca Osteria is reminiscent of those classic European Michelin star restaurants with set menu dining.

When we spoke, Brigitte had just finished her second service since reopening after lockdown. “We were a bit anxious,” says Brigitte. ‘But what happened during lockdown was that we became a team. We only opened in March and did not have time, really to prepare,” she says.

With lockdown, she and her team, including Broadway, went to work preparing food boxes each week to keep Tedesca afloat. They contained comfort food, including bread and baked goods,  her German mother’s strudel and Eccles cakes with cheddar cheese. “We were able to keep most of our team, including our visa holders, together except one, who got a job as a nurse,” says Brigitte cheerily. “We all worked chopping wood, gardening, preparing the food. Skills that we learned and shared. I now have a great orchard planted with amazing citrus and nut trees.” Being in a beautiful part of the world made it easier for Brigitte and her crew, with daily walks along deserted country lanes and long strolls along the beaches of Westernport. “We were also able to have a smokehouse built in which we will smoke our smallgoods when we start getting our whole pigs in from a local farmer.”

This week she has been serving dolmades made with her own preserved vine leaves, mud crab with fresh pasta, tarragon, and garden peas. There is also Great Ocean Road Duck with chickpeas, spinach, and west Indian limes and a Paris-brest to finish. “We learned so much over lockdown about being a team,” says Brigitte. “Now it’s time to put those skills to work.”

Check out Tedeaca here.

Brae

Birregurra #twohoursout

Dan Hunter Brae Restaurant“We are here, and we are open,” says Dan Hunter of Brae at Birregurra. The internationally acclaimed chef has worked around the world and has watched as the pandemic raged through the places in Europe where he worked in his earlier years. “The international imagery of hospitals in Italy and Spain was devastating,” says Dan. “There are worse places being in lockdown than here,” he says of the masterfully converted farm cottage perched on a farmlet, surrounded by acres of orchard and kitchen garden.

“In early April, I looked around and saw a vegetable garden full of late summer produce, and it gave us a feeling of safety. We were comforted being out of the city on a rural property surrounded by produce that could feed the family,” says Dan. “We have the skills to grow the vegetables to feed us.” Dan and his team harvested fruit and vegetables from the kitchen garden and sold them to the local community. This connection with the local people continued with a series of international-themed dinners that took residents to Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and beyond. “We also made picnic boxes with our bread and terrines so people could take themselves away,” says Dan. Dan and his family were able to escape to the seaside area of Skenes Creek near Apollo Bay. “Spending time with the family was so important,” says Dan.

After good spring rains, the dams are full, and the surrounding countryside is verdant with lush pasture that Dan describes as ‘money paddocks’ for the local graziers; Dan looks to his gardens for inspiration for his late spring menu: asparagus, peas, broad beans, lettuce and radicchio to cook dishes like “rainbow trout and broad beans from this season and last, anise myrtle, roe and citrus, radicchio brushed with treacle and black garlic.” With customers back, Dan and his wife Julianne wrestle customer expectations and government COVID capacity rules. “You know what gave me great joy this spring?” asks Dan rhetorically. “The black swans who came to stay on the dam and the evening chorus of frogs. Simple things.” 

Head here to take a look at Brae.

Provenance

Beechworth #threehoursout 

Michael Ryan Provence Restaurant Beechworth“From here in Beechworth, I knew just how devastating the lockdown was for the industry,” says Michael Ryan. He speaks from Provenance, based in a solid-granite, former bank in the heart of historic Beechworth, where Michael cooks his unique Japanese influenced style of cuisine.

“When it first started, it was the unknown. And that is terrifying,” he says. Michael and his team suffered the triple whammy, first the fires over summer, then lockdown one, a brief awakening, then lockdown two. “In the first lockdown I tapped the bounty of the season and made sugo, chestnut jam and lime marmalade and some amazing grenadine,” says Michael. “I pulped 60kg of pomegranates for that grenadine. Not something I need to do again in a hurry.” It was a mild winter in the North East, and Michael spent hours on his pushbike, walking the dog around Lake Samball and time with his wife and daughter. “The biggest decision I had to make every day was what to make for dinner,” he says with a laugh.

Michael also received funding to explore making sake and delved into the arcane art of making amaro, the bitter Italian style digestive. He has extracted over 90 different botanicals. He will soon get his licence so he can buy alcohol and make, he hopes, three different styles of amaro early next year. “But now it is so green, so lush,” says Michael. “The days are long and warm and the nights cool. His garden is amok with shiso, the fragrant Japanese herb almost becoming a weed. He salts it down for six months, ready for the autumn menu.” He is currently serving a set menu of a four-course meal made of 18 small dishes. He is particularly proud of his lup cheong pork sausages he made in the first lockdown and potato chips cooked in beef tallow dusted with a little seaweed salt. He also takes great pride in a dish of cauliflower slow-cooked in lots of butter served with white fish floss and coloured pink with beetroot juice and served with cherry tomatoes marinated in sweet dashi. Off the grill comes flat iron steak, served with miso butter and braised onions. “Delightful with a local Beechworth Gamay,” he adds.

Now he is looking forward to the berry and cherry season. “Cherries for the extracts for the amaro,” says Michael. “And with the raspberries, I will make some old school sable, some yuzu cream, and finish it with some fresh lychees.” He pauses. And says, “You know what, that lockdown will be the long service leave I was never going to get.” 

Check here to find out more about Provenance.

Stefano’s Cantina

Mildura #fourhoursout 

Stefano de Pieri Stefano's Cantina Restaurant Mildura“Mildura went quiet,” says Stefano de Pieri from Stefano’s Cantina at the Grand Hotel, Mildura. “The city went eerily quiet during lockdown. But we were ringed by a hive of activity because the farming never stopped. COVID or no COVID, Australian agriculture never stops. The trucks kept on taking food down to Melbourne,” he says with his usual energy.

Stefano spent a lot of his lockdown walking along the locks of the Murray River. “It is so beautiful, so tranquil, there are so many birds. It all helps me to contemplate where I am in my life. I realised I will be 80 in 15 years! I can not think of that many chefs still behind the stove at my age,” he says. “So I raged against the ‘dimming of the light’ by renovating the dining rooms,” says Stefano with a laugh. He also successfully campaigned to become a Mildura City councilor, hosted the Australian Alternative Varieties Wine Show, made 22 Youtube episodes of a children’s cooking show, and shot a ten-part food television series with SBS. “So, as you can see, I have not been idle,” says Stefano.

He has also been working on his menu, freshening it up, putting on more seafood and vegetable dishes. “What I cook reflects what is grown here as much as possible. So this has been the season for asparagus and artichokes. We have been making our own ricotta, which I use with bullhorn peppers stuffed with smoked eggplant.” Stefano has also got his hands on some locally made ‘nduja, which he is serving with baby calamari. “It is 35°C outside each day,” says Stefano. “We need to serve food that reflects the climate, not just the season.” 

Visit Stefano’s here.

Hidden Gems in Central Geelong You Really Need to Visit Post Lockdown

Words by Mackenzie Pennycook 
Images Supplied

Hidden throughout central Geelong are some truly drool-worthy restaurants and bars; we’ve spoken to some locals and compiled a list of our favourite spots to check out on your next trip to Geelong.

Mavs Greek Restaurant

73B Little Malop St

Mavs Greek Restaurant Geelong Mavs Greek restaurant is the brainchild of the Mavromoustakos’ and holds the title of Geelong’s only authentic Greek restaurant. At Mavs you’re able to sample the best Greek cuisine Geelong has to offer with a number of smaller dishes designed to share, with bigger meals if you’re not keen on sharing (the food is so good I wouldn’t blame you). The fresh and homemade Greek food goes hand in hand with the extensive wine and cocktail list at Mavs. Hidden behind the bustling Little Malop street, Mavs is well worth the find if you’re on the hunt for authentic Greek food.

For bookings head here.

18th Amendment Bar

82A Little Malop St

The 18th Amendment Bar GeelongSitting above the restaurants along Little Malop sits one of Geelong’s most well-hidden gems. The small door and dim staircase almost conceal the award-winning 18th Amendment Bar. Situated upstairs, the bar offers an abundance of cocktails that are not only delicious but also incredible to look at. Think dry ice, edible flowers and beautiful glassware. The bar aims to capture the feel of a Chicago speakeasy bar, transporting you back to the prohibition era. 18th Amendment bar houses an extensive cocktail and spirit list, with expertly trained bartenders ensuring there is always something for everyone.

Head here to book a spot at 18th.

Sober Ramen

85 Little Malop St

Sober Ramen Geelong Ramen Dumpling Sake Nat WineSober Ramen is helping to quash central Geelong’s craving for delicious, authentic Ramen with a modern twist. Sober offers ramen, dumplings, sake and natural wines, alongside speciality cocktails. The tiny restaurant offers the creature comforts of a traditional Japanese ramen restaurant, with an extensive menu and a number of fan favourites including a spicy ramen with three different levels of heat! Open Tuesday through Sunday for eat-in or takeaway ensuring delicious, quick ramen is always on the cards for those in central Geelong.

To get your hands on some ramen head here or follow their socials.

Tomodachi Izakaya and Bar

85A Little Malop St

Tomodachi Izakaya and Bar GeelongTomodachi Izakaya and Bar brings casual Japanese dining to Geelong. Located on little Malop in the heart of Geelong Tomodachi has numerous Japanese dishes designed to share alongside bigger, heartier main meals. Tomodachi also hosts a number of classic cocktails with an imaginative Japanese twist. The meals are quick and delicious with beautiful presentation making it a perfect destination for a quick bite with friends. Open 7 days for lunch and dinner Tomodachi is a venue not to be missed.

To secure your spot head over here.

Valhalla Brewing and Taproom

12-14 Union St

Valhalla Brewing and Taproom Geelong BarValhalla Brewing and Taproom is a go-to spot for ‘seriously drinkable’ beers. Valhalla is a taproom and microbrewery located in the centre of Geelong on Union Street. Valhalla prides itself on producing quality, handcrafted beer. The taproom has a number of taps, some featuring Valhalla’s own brews and other taps reserved to showcase other local and independent breweries. Valhalla regularly hosts live, local music, adding to its cruisy and casual vibe. Open 7 days Valhalla is available at all times to provide excellent quality craft beer and bar snacks.

For bookings or inquiries suss the Valhalla website.

King of the Castle Cafe

24 Pakington St

King of the Castle Cafe GeelongKing of the Castle cafe offers Instagram-worthy brunch that tastes even better than it looks. The award-winning cafe is no stranger to being one of Geelong’s favourite breakfast and brunch venues. The cafe has won multiple awards with its extensive range of menu options, alongside great coffee and bakery sweets. The cafe has customers sitting in a rustic, industrial feel dining hall lined with plants making it the perfect space for a delicious brunch and a coffee surrounded by greenery.

To keep in the loop with King of the Castle head to their website or follow their socials.

Pistol Pete’s Food and Blues

93 Little Malop St

Pistol Pete’s Food and Blues Geelong Restaurant MusicPistol Pete’s Food and Blues aims to bring the authentic taste of America’s Southern states to central Geelong. With food inspired by places such as Memphis, Clarksdale and New Orleans the authentic taste of Louisiana, Tennessee and Mississippi are just a short walk away from Geelong’s CBD. Offering live Jazz and Blues performed by international, national and local artists. Along with gumbo, waffles and PoBoys, this fully licensed venue is bringing Southern American comfort food to regional Victoria.

To discover what all the fuss is about and to book a table of your own head here.

Lipari

10 Union St

Lipari Espresso Bar Geelong Lipari is a Geelong fan favourite, often fondly regarded as one of Geelong’s best Italian restaurants. The homely space offers authentic Italian food, handmade pasta, homemade sauces and fresh bread. The fully licensed restaurant also boasts a great local wine list and a number of imported beers to accompany your meal. Open six days for lunch and dinner Lipari is always available for your authentic Italian fix.

To satisfy those pasta cravings book via the website. 

Courthouse Cafe and Gallery

40 Gheringhap St

Courthouse Cafe and Gallery Geelong Courthouse cafe and gallery offers a range of wholesome, healthy food and has become a must-stop for local business people in central Geelong. Their huge range of takeaway sandwiches, focaccias and wraps quite often sell out so be sure to get in quick for a pre picnic stop. Courthouse also offers in house dining with a range of homemade meals and sweets sure to satisfy every customer. Courthouse is the perfect place to grab a quick and healthy bite to eat in or takeaway for a picnic in the park just a minute’s walk away.

For catering inquiries or to book a table head over to the website.

Sweet Cheeks Cocktail and Dessert Lounge

Level 1/71 Yarra St

Sweet Cheeks Cocktail and Dessert Lounge GeelongSweet Cheeks cocktail and dessert lounge is Geelong’s newest late-night haunt for the sweet tooth. With a Palm Springs inspired aesthetic and an in-house pastry chef the brightly coloured space offers plenty of pancakes, desserts and cocktails. Sweet Cheeks is sure to have something for everyone, including cocktails inspired by everyone’s favourite childhood choccy, the curly-wurly. Situated in the heart of Geelong it’s a must-stop for anyone looking for a sweet treat. Open late Wednesday through Sunday Sweet Cheeks is sure to cure those late-night cravings.

For a full menu of sweet treats and to secure a spot suss them out here or be sure to follow their socials for live updates.

Basils Farm

The Bellarine Peninsula is home to some amazing little finds, most of them set away from the main roads and found by local knowledge or that article you read once somewhere. Basils Farm is a vineyard and restaurant at the end of a spectacular driveway, through the vines, and almost on the beach overlooking the water to Queenscliff. Getting out of the car and discovering where you are is just the start of a beautifully surprising adventure.

With an almost Royal Mail–like attention to the provenance of their produce, they are crafting tasty dishes with veg from their extensive garden (a small section of which you are free to roam). The wines made on the estate are equally as fine and detailed. Two styles of chardonnay are particularly interesting, as is the maritime influence seen in the pinot noir.

Bomboras

Bomboras has an enviable spot overlooking the beach at Torquay, and has the daytime vibe of a lazy beach party. It’s pretty chill here, nothing too fancy, nothing too cerebral. Local beers on tap, a menu of snacks and simple dishes. Good for a quiet recovery late breakfast or lunch the day after the night before. Do the Bloody Mary special it’s got a kick from fire tonic that we loved. Speaking of the night before, that’s when Bomboras goes off. When the lights go down, it’s a buzzy summertime bar with great cocktails, great tunes, and a cool vibe.

Bomboras has other locations on the foreshore and at Point Roadknight (hip coffee kiosks), on the surf coast highway (rooftop bar), and look out for their pop-up beach bar in summer months.

Wye River General Store

Wye River is a tiny hamlet between Apollo Bay and Lorne. Its main feature is a gob-smackingly gorgeous bit of coast where the river meets the surf. Running a close second is the General Store.

A late-ish breakfast at the General Store is a relaxed affair, even with the hubbub of a busy cafe that has the honour of being the only early option on this part of the coast. Sunlight floods the cafe, and on a clear day the view of surfers riding the break and families taking some time together across your avo toast and killer coffee is enough to make your heart a little gladder. If the French toast lulls you into unconsciousness, just order another coffee.

The tiny community of Wye River was hit pretty hard after the devastating Christmas Day fires of 2016. But it’s bouncing back better than ever. The Store and the pub just across the road are something of a focal point for a resilient community getting its stuff back together. There’s a really positive and friendly vibe from the store manager Briony Payten as she tells us how busy it has been, and just how supportive locals, weekenders, and tourists have been too. By the way, if you recognise that surname, yes the wine list does carry the great wines of her brother Ben Payten of Payten and Jones, amongst a strong list of locals.

For warmer days, there’s heaps of outdoor seating, and if children pepper your party, there’s the most epic playground right next door.

Though your focus might initially be on a sourdough toastie and great coffee, once you remember that you have no bread in your B&B and that you forgot your toothbrush, you’ll be glad of the other facet to the business. It’s a true general store, with all the essentials for the weekend visitor. You could easily self-cater from the selection of produce at hand, and all the ingredients for surviving a coastal retreat are available.

LiveWire Adventure Park

High-wires, swinging bridges, and zip-lines. It’s tempting to say ‘Not for those afraid of height’, or ‘Not for the feint-of-heart’. Actually, if that describes you, then LiveWire in Lorne is absolutely for you. It’s super-challenging to face your fear of heights, but oh gosh, the rewards for giving it a go and succeeding are so worth it.

The concept of a high ropes courses is not a new one. You might recall it from school camps, where you climbed a few metres in the air and walked across a wire or took a zip-line flying-fox ride through the trees. What’s new about LiveWire is the sheer scale and audacity of the build. There are three circuits plus a zip-coaster ride. The Canopy circuit is free with your basic entry-fee to the park, and is a series of swing bridges in a loop that takes in the treetops of the famous Otway Forest’s tall timbers, ten metres off the ground. It’s peaceful, and only the sounds of wildlife and of people enjoying other adventures punctuate the sound of the breeze in the leaves.

The Short Circuit and the Super Circuit are designed to challenge you in different and ever-increasing degrees. The Super Circuit is well worth the (mental and physical) effort required for the two hours it takes to complete. There are 53 mid-air trails, bridges, and swings to negotiate. Then there’s the zip-coaster. It’s one of the biggest in the world at 525 metres long, and it’s fun to see different people’s reactions to the hard turns, drops, and the force of gravity. Not as much fun as taking the ride for yourself though!

Standing high in the canopy, safely harnessed with no way of falling any further than your short tie-line, you could take a little time to consider the tiny environmental impact of this remarkable installation, or the bright future for eco-tourism. Honestly though, you’re probably just having the time of your life.

Manzanillo Grove

The perfect olive is the ideal accompaniment to a long afternoon on the deck – still a little salty from the brining, still a little firm from just the right amount of time in the brine, kept in fresh extra-virgin oil.  It’s one of life’s simple pleasures.

Manzanillo Grove started as a gardening project for Renate and Len – something to do in their retirement. It grew rapidly into a business processing well over 100 tonnes of fruit each year. The little shed which once served as a processing facility now houses their farm-gate store. There’s a range of other local produce amongst the infused oils and Manzanillo Grove oil products, but it’s the pure flavour of a simple table olive or a new season cold-pressed oil on bread that carries the day. If you’re planning a Bellarine picnic, start here.

Or, if you’re planning a quiet weekend away, stop at the farm-gate store at the end of the day and grab a big jar of olives and a bottle of oil. Be sure to bring the best sourdough and a couple of bottles of your favourite wine. Then you can sit out on the deck of your accomodation at Manzanillo Grove whiling away the evening. Len and Renate have recently built stylish, self-contained studio apartments right in the middle of the grove overlooking the large dam.