Blow the budget on a luxury beachhouse

Every family will have a different idea of luxury, but one thing is guaranteed – your dream holiday home is out there.

Whether it’s a separate kids’ retreat, an amazing infinity pool, a modernist haven in Tassie with floor-to-ceiling glass doors or a Balinese-inspired villa in Noosa, you’re bound to find a place with the perfect luxury extras you’ve always dreamed of.

So go on – why not go all-out this year?

Try there…

NSW: Ocean Muse, Port Stephens

This sprawling seaside abode in Port Stephens is flanked by national parkland, creating a luxurious enclave for a family or group to settle in and enjoy the infinity-edge lap pool, amazing views over the bushland out to the ocean, and many bells and whistles.

It’s well–equipped for kids and adults, with a billiards room, large decks, open–plan living and dining and a large garden that’s perfect for playing a spot of cricket after a day at the beach. There are three bedrooms, including one master ensuite set in its own pavilion and another with four single beds. From $800 per night (five nights-plus). 02 9331 2881.

VIC: Zealandia, Portsea

Handily positioned between Portsea Front Beach and Portsea Back Beach on the Mornington Peninsula, Zealandia is a testament to 50s modernist architecture and design. Beautifully furnished, it’s best for families with older children.

With three bedrooms, three living areas, outdoor entertaining areas and an inground pool, you’d be forgiven for never actually making it out the front door. From $500 per night (two night mid-week stay) to $6000 per week (summer peak, one week minimum). Sleeps six. 0418 121 779.

Fin more option with our guide to the best places to stay the Mornington Peninsula.

TAS: Avalon Coastal Retreat, Swansea

If there’s a better view from a beach house, we’d like to hear about it. Perched atop a headland overlooking Oyster Bay on the east coast of Tasmania, this ‘modernist coastal dreaming home’ does everything in its power to embrace the stunning landscape, with floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors, sensational outdoor dining areas, even a Huon pine bathtub from which to enjoy the views.

There are wonderful creature comforts inside, too: robes and slippers, coffee machine, heated floors, an open fire, gourmet kitchen and even a gourmet mini bar. With full beach kit at your disposal and direct access to a secluded beach, it’s kind of a no-brainer. From $900 per night (Sun-Thurs) or $1000 per night (Fri/Sat). Sleeps six. 1300 36 11 36.

SA: Kangaroo Island Villa, Kangaroo Island

Inspired by European villas, the light, airy and curvaceous Kangaroo Island Villa gives you plenty of choices. Enjoy an indulgent lie-in in your circular ‘tower’ bedroom, with its expansive ocean views – or rise early and nip down to the jetty and beach, only a minute away at .

Should you enjoy an outdoor jacuzzi under the stars before or after your barbecue on the deck? Go for ‘house only’ accommodation, or splash out on the ‘full service luxury’ option, where a private chef prepares all meals, snacks and beverages for you? Oh, the dilemmas.

It’s easy to handle all this tough decision making when you’re staying in a place this exceedingly lovely, though. From $590 per night for one room plus $25 for each additional room used (low season) or $950 per night (peak season) for accommodation only. Sleeps six; rollaway bed available for $25 extra. 02 9331 2881.

For more check out the best 8 places to stay on Kangaroo Island.

NT: Mandalay Luxury Stay, Darwin

This gorgeous, colonial-style stone residence on Darwin’s Esplanade carries echoes of the region’s history, from the influence of Colonial traders and Chinese settlers to indigenous art, and combines location with luxury living.

The bedrooms open out onto the grand verandah, with views overlooking Darwin harbour, plus a pool. From $445 per night for one bedroom or $645 per night for three bedrooms (low season) up to $995 per night for three bedrooms in peak season. Enquire about wet season specials. Sleeps six. 08 8942 3012.

For more option check out our guide to Darwin accommodation.

QLD: Balinese Beach House, Noosa

Your own private beachside oasis lies just on the other side of the Balinese-style wooden doors to this unique property on Noosa’s North Sunshine Beach. All airy white spaces punctuated by lovely wooden beams, this conveniently located home is like its own mini–resort, with a saltwater pool, poolside cabana and loungers, daybed and breezy front balcony with beach views.

From $450 per night (low season) to $1000 per night (Christmas). Minimum stays apply. Sleeps six (extra charges apply for additional guests). 0421 887 520.

For more here is our guide to the best places to stay in Noosa.

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Back to 101 Unforgettable Coastal Experiences

Slow down and find your rhythm on a Murray River journey through time and place.

Trust is a funny thing. It seems not that long ago that my mother was insisting on pouring the milk into my cereal bowl, because she didn’t trust me not to slosh it over the table, and yet here I am on the Murray River at Mildura in far north-west Victoria, being handed the keys to a very new and very expensive luxury houseboat.

After a crash course in how not to crash, I’m at the wheel of the good ship Elevate – pride of the All Seasons fleet – guiding her upstream past red-ochre cliffs as pelicans glide above the rippled river and kookaburras call from reedy banks. There’s a brief moment of breath-holding while I negotiate a hairpin turn around a jagged reef of skeletal, submerged gum trees, before a cheer rings out and calm descends as the timeless river unfurls in front of us.

The Murray River winding through Yarrawonga. (Image: Rob Blackburn)

Setting sail from Mildura

Murray River birds — Home to a large number of bird species, including pelicans. (Image: The Precint Studios)

A journey along the Murray River is never less than magical, and launching from Mildura makes perfect sense. Up here the river is wide and largely empty, giving novice skippers like myself the confidence to nudge the 60-tonne houseboat up to the riverbank where we tie up for the night, without fear of shattering the glass elevator (the boat is fully wheelchair accessible) or spilling our Champagne.

My friends and I spend three days on the water, swimming and fishing, sitting around campfires onshore at night, and basking in air so warm you’d swear you were in the tropics. The simplicity of river life reveals an interesting dichotomy: we feel disconnected from the world but at the same time connected to Country, privileged to be part of something so ancient and special.

Stop one: Echuca

19th-century paddlesteamers — A historic 19th-century paddlesteamer cruises along the Murray River. (Image: Visit Victoria)

The six-hour drive from Melbourne to Mildura (or four hours and 20 minutes from Adelaide) is more than worth it, but you don’t have to travel that far to find fun on the river. Once Australia’s largest inland port, Echuca is the closest point on the Murray to Melbourne (two hours 45 minutes), and you’ll still find a plethora of paddlesteamers tethered to the historic timber wharf, a throwback to the thriving river trade days of the 19th century. The PS Adelaide, built in 1866 and the oldest wooden-hulled paddlesteamer operating in the world, departs daily for one-hour cruises, while a brand-new paddlesteamer, the PS Australian Star , is launching luxury seven-night voyages in December through APT Touring.

The town is also a hot food and wine destination. St Anne’s Winery at the historic Port of Echuca precinct has an incredibly photogenic cellar door, set inside an old carriage builders’ workshop on the wharf and filled with huge, 3000-litre port barrels. The Mill, meanwhile, is a cosy winter spot to sample regional produce as an open fire warms the red-brick walls of this former flour mill.

Stop two: Barmah National Park

Just half-an-hour upstream, Barmah National Park is flourishing, its river red gum landscape (the largest in the world) rebounding magnificently after the recent removal of more than 700 feral horses. The internationally significant Ramsar-listed wetland sits in the heart of Yorta Yorta Country, with Traditional Owners managing the environment in close partnership with Parks Victoria. Walkways weave through the forest, crossing creeks lined with rare or threatened plants, passing remnants of Yorta Yorta oven mounds and numerous scar trees, where the bark was removed to build canoes, containers or shields.

The Dharnya Centre (open weekdays until 3pm) is the cultural hub for the Yorta Yorta. Visitors can learn about the ecological significance of the Barmah Lakes on a 90-minute river cruise, led by a First Nations guide, or take a one-hour, guided cultural walking tour along the Yamyabuc Trail.

Stop three: Cobram

Continue east to Cobram to find the southern hemisphere’s largest inland beach. Swarming with sun-seekers in summer, the white sand of Thompson’s Beach is shaded by majestic river red gums and dotted with hundreds of beach umbrellas, as beachgoers launch all manner of water craft and set up stumps for beach cricket. But the beach is at its most captivating at sunset, when the crowds thin out, the glassy river mirrors the purple sky, and the canopies of the gum trees glow fiery orange.

The region is also home to some fine resorts and indulgent retreats. Yarrawonga Mulwala Golf Club Resort has two riverside championship golf courses, luxury apartments and self-contained villas. While not strictly on the Murray, the historic wine town of Rutherglen is rife with boutique (and unique) accommodation, including an exquisitely renovated red-brick tower in a French provincial-style castle at Mount Ophir Estate. Fans of fortified wines can unravel the mystery of Rutherglen’s ‘Muscat Mile’, meeting the vignerons and master-blenders whose artistry has put the town on the global map for this rich and complex wine style.

Stop four: Albury-Wodonga

First Nations YindyamarraSculpture Walk — First Nations Yindyamarra Sculpture Walk is part of the Wagirra Trail. (Image: Carmen Zammit)

Follow the river far enough upstream and you’ll arrive at the twin border cities of Albury-Wodonga. The Hume Highway thunders through, but serenity can be found along the five-kilometre Yindyamarra Sculpture Walk – part of the Wagirra Trail that meanders through river wetlands just west of Albury in Wiradjuri country. Fifteen sculptures by local First Nations artists line the trail, conveying stories of reconciliation, enduring connection to culture, local Milawa lore and traditional practices. It feels a long way from Mildura, and it is, but the pelicans and kookaburras remind us that it’s the same river, the great conduit that connects our country.

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

New Mildura motel Kar-rama. (Image: Iain Bond Photo)

Kar-Rama is a brand-new boutique, retro-styled motel in Mildura, with a butterfly-shaped pool and a tropical, Palm Springs vibe. Echuca Holiday Homes has a range of high-end accommodation options, both on the riverfront and in town.

Playing there

BruceMunro’s Trail of Lights in Mildura — Bruce Munro’s Trail of Lights in Mildura. (Image: Imogen Eveson)

Artist Bruce Munro’s Trail of Lights installation, comprising more than 12,000 illuminated ‘fireflies’, is currently lighting up Mildura’s Lock Island in the middle of the Murray. Murray Art Museum Albury (MAMA) is a hub for contemporary art, with a rotating roster of exhibitions, and is a major outlet for young and First Nations artists.

Eating there

Mildura’s diverse demographic means it’s a fantastic place to eat. Andy’s Kitchen is a local favourite, serving up delicious pan-Asian dishes and creative cocktails in a Balinese-style garden setting. Call in to Spoons Riverside in Swan Hill to enjoy locally sourced, seasonal produce in a tranquil setting overlooking the river.