Review: Allenvale Cottages Lorne | Australian Traveller

Two hours from Melbourne, three minutes from Lorne and a million miles from anywhere – this little hideaway is lovely and rustic (but not too rustic), says Susan Gough Henly, perfect for a winter retreat

Australians do beach holidays better than just about anywhere. Pity, then, that so many of our beach houses are either of the dreary-and-dumpy bungalow variety, or made of steel and glass, with as much character as insurance offices. As a stylish, low-key alternative, the cottages at Allenvale combine the best of the beach and the bush in a bucolic valley behind Lorne along Victoria’s Great Ocean Road.

Not knowing quite what to expect, I arrive in Lorne with my husband and our two teenage daughters in the middle of the madness that is school holidays. The main street is clogged with cars, the campground is chockers, surfers are jammed into milk bars, and couples wrangle prams along crowded footpaths.

We drive over the hill and let out a collective sigh. Encircled by the Great Otway National Way, Allenvale’s 50 acres greet us by way of a rustic sign and bank of agapanthus and hydrangeas. A flock of ducks waddles across the path from Henderson Creek. Let the beach holiday begin.

The historic property was established by the Allen family back in 1872 as a dairy and orchard farm and supplied the guesthouses in Lorne long before the Great Ocean Road was built post-World War I. Two out of the four cottages, ‘Kero’ and ‘Rose’, are original buildings dating back to the period when the Allens leased some of their land to a logging mill that provided housing for its workers.

Allenvale’s current owners, Jenny and Quentin Young, who made a sea change to Lorne 30 years ago, built the other two (‘Gables’ and ‘Riverbank’), using recycled timbers in order to maintain a resemblance. They live in a lovely home down another dirt road on the property.

I am instantly transported to summers spent in The Hamptons, where we used to rent a 17th-century cobbler’s cottage surrounded by gardens, only a short ride to the beach. Allenvale embodies the same shabby chic aesthetic – its furniture and collectibles are similar to what we would find in the yard sales at the mansions dotting the former potato fields.

We stay in Gables, which is partially screened by a garden of cosmos, roses and artichoke flowers. Its spacious wood-ceilinged living room has polished floors, a wood stove, comfy couches with piles of pillows, candles affixed to wooden spools atop a rustic dining table, a sideboard filled with art and garden books, and a flat-screen television and DVD player on an antique chest. The style is a dash of Francophile with not a touch of twee anywhere. Bowls of fresh country flowers add a welcoming touch.

The two bedrooms are set on opposite sides of the house, one with a queen-size bed and the other with two single beds that can be joined to form a king. Each has a cupboard evocatively painted with Porter’s Milk Wash that gives a chalky well-worn look. A bright country kitchen, with all the essentials for a self-contained holiday, has a kitchen table and pretty dresser decked out with white crockery and piles of magazines. There is just one bathroom, with a shower inside a full-size bathtub, plus a separate toilet and a washer and dryer. A recycled rustic front door opens onto the front porch that catches the morning sun.

A couple of red and green parrots join us for nibbles as we barbecue on the electric grill on the spacious back deck, which sports a huge picnic table and a wicker basket filled with firewood. Koalas growl in the manna gums and a large Eastern grey kangaroo grazes nearby. The bush is just a shuttlecock toss away; eucalypts and grass trees grow on the hillside; ferns and ivy grow closer to the gully where the St George River meanders into the Great Otway National Park.

The next morning we wake to the crowing of a rooster and take out some deck chairs to enjoy our coffee on the lawn in the sunshine.

After breakfast, we hike to Phantom Falls along a track above the St George River, which takes us through Allenvale’s organic orchard of apple, pear, peach, plum and quince trees. Hikes like this are particularly popular during winter sojourns at Allenvale. The days pass dreamily with walks along the beach, berry picking at nearby Gentle Annie’s farm, and forays into Lorne for supplies.

The nights are cool and we snuggle in front of the woodstove poring through the cottage’s gorgeous books before falling asleep to the exquisite luxury of pure sweet silence.

The Details

The verdict: Allenvale is a gem tucked-away over the hill from Lorne’s busy beachfront strip. It appeals to families seeking a low-key country retreat with plenty of outdoor space as well as pre-codgers with a love of Euro-tinged country charm. Meursault-style on a chardy budget.

The score: 15/20; great

We rated: Allenvale’s understated rustic cottages and bucolic setting brimming with wildlife. It felt like an old friends’ unpretentious country house with interesting furniture and books.

We hated: While the toiletries were delightful, the towels could have been fluffier.

Where: 150 Allenvale Road, Lorne, Victoria – a three-minute drive from the beachfront.

Notes: From $215 per night per cottage with a two-night minimum.

Contact: 03 5289 1450; allenvale.com.au

The AT scoring system: Our review scores are based on a series of points, awarded across a number of categories including service, amenities, design, location, value, food and beverage offerings, and that elusive wow factor. 19-20 exceptional; 17-18 excellent; 15-16 great; 13-14 good; 11-12 satisfactory.

The Great Ocean Road has captured the hearts of Australians with its astounding scenery since 1932, but going off-course can enrich your experience with untouched nature, foodie delights and charming towns.

It’s a chilly 16 degrees. My husband pulls on a steamer and jogs – as all seasoned surfers do – into the water. We’re at Bells Beach , the legendary break on Victoria’s Surf Coast that’s home to the Rip Curl Pro, the world’s longest-running event in competitive surfing. Each year, over the Easter long weekend, up to 40,000 people descend on the region for the event. Today, though, we have the beach almost to ourselves, and the less-than-favourable temperature doesn’t deter my husband from surfing this famous break.

Torquay to Anglesea and Aireys Inlet

The red dome of Split Point Lighthouse in Aireys Inlet. (Image: Tourism Australia)

The nearby surf town of Torquay marks the starting point for the Great Ocean Road . Unfolding our map, which we have marked out with a highlighted route for our children to follow, we set off for lesser-known Anglesea, a chilled-out town 20 minutes south of here. Its wide, sandy beach is a gentler swimming option for our young family. Groms can learn to surf here with Go Ride a Wave, which also runs stand-up paddle boarding on the Anglesea River.

Split point lookout — The lighthouse overlooks the Shipwreck Coast. (Image: Tourism Australia)

After a couple of nights in Anglesea, we hit the road again, first stopping at Aireys Inlet. Here we stretch our legs at Split Point Lighthouse, which was made famous by the 1990s television series Round the Twist, before driving under the Memorial Arch that welcomes us, officially, to the Great Ocean Road.

This 243-kilometre coastal road was built by returned First World War servicemen and serves as a permanent memorial to those who fought and died during the war. Carved into rock using hand tools and horse-drawn carts, it was a huge engineering feat and provided much-needed access to isolated coastal communities.

Lorne to Birregurra

Lorne is a delightful beachside stop for lunch and browsing boutique stores. It’s also the gateway to Great Otway National Park , which comprises a varied landscape of old-growth forests, cool-temperate rainforests, heathy woodlands and rugged coast. With the highest rainfall in Victoria, the region is home to many waterfalls – 10 of which are within 10 kilometres of Lorne.

Turning slightly off the main drag, we wind along a gum-shaded road to Erskine Falls. Here, our son leads the way through the hyper-green rainforest and down 200-plus stairs to the cascade that drops 30 metres into a lush fern gully. We hop over large boulders to get closer to the falls, enjoying the entire place to ourselves; it’s worth the return climb.

From Sheoak Falls Picnic Area, there are walking trails to Henderson Falls, Phantom Falls, Won Wondah Falls and Kalimna Falls, some of which follow an old timber tramway from forest-logging days, which only came to an end in 2008.

You can follow your appetite north to the town of Birregurra, which is part of the Otway Harvest Trail that connects farm gates, markets, wineries, breweries and distilleries. It’s home to three-hatted modern Australian restaurant Brae , helmed by celebrated chef Dan Hunter, set among native gardens and an organic farm, and Otways Distillery, which produces small-batch spirits using local produce and botanicals.

Brae restaurant — Brae is a three-hatted restaurant in Birregurra. (Image: Tourism Australia)

Apollo Bay to The Otways

Back on track, the cliff-hugging stretch between Lorne and Apollo Bay is breathtaking. At Teddys Lookout, we overlook the winding road ahead and St George River spilling into the ocean. We spend languid days in Apollo Bay, a buzzy seaside town that boasts a three-kilometre-long, crescent-shaped beach with a backdrop of rolling green hills. One evening, as the sun sets, we take the steep 10-minute walk to Marriners Lookout, which affords panoramic views of the ocean, hinterland and town.

A 15-minute drive along the road, Maits Rest is a lush rainforest gully that has been protected since the early 20th century. Wandering along the 800-metre boardwalk, we inspect the delicate moss-covered forest floor and the gnarled roots of 300-year-old myrtle beech trees, then crane our necks to see their canopies, some 50 metres above us. It’s therapy in nature.

Cape Otway to the Twelve Apostles

The southernmost tip of Cape Otway is a delightful detour, home to the 1848-built Cape Otway Lightstation, the oldest surviving lighthouse on mainland Australia. We climb the narrow winding staircase to the gallery deck, explore the keepers’ quarters and telegraph station, and enjoy a coffee and some ‘famous’ scones at the charming onsite cafe.

It’s a pinch-me moment to finally see the Twelve Apostles in person. This unmistakable cluster of limestone stacks rising abruptly from the sea were never 12, however. When coined this in the 1890s as a marketing ploy, there were only nine; today, only seven remain after two collapsed in 2005 and 2009. We admire these Aussie icons from the viewing platform, in awe of Mother Nature’s ever-evolving artwork.

The Grotto is another natural attraction within Port Campbell National Park. (Image: Carmen Zammit)

Edging the wild Southern Ocean, this part of the coast – dubbed Shipwreck Coast – is made up of many sea-carved natural wonders including London Bridge, The Grotto and Gibson Steps. After exploring the lookout trails of Loch Ard Gorge/Poombeeyt Kontapool – its English name taken from the site of the 1878 shipwreck – we nestle into the sandy beach encircled by towering sandstone cliffs, as our children splash about on the water’s edge, and soak it all in.

Port Campbell to Timboon

Timboon Fine Ice Cream is part of a regional foodie trail. (Image: C McConville)

Just north of Port Campbell National Park, the region of Timboon is part of the 12 Apostles Food Artisans Trail, filled with purveyors of delicious foodstuffs such as Timboon Fine Ice Cream , Timboon Railway Shed Distillery and Apostle Whey Cheese. As an antidote to the indulgence, the 20-kilometre Poorpa Yanyeen Meerreeng Trail is a self-guided ride or walk between Port Campbell and Timboon through tall forests, over historic bridges and past sparkling lakes and farmland with grazing cattle.

Warrnambool to Port Fairy

Warrnambool building — A 19th-century building in Warrnambool. (Image: Peter Foster)

In Warrnambool, a town rich in maritime history, we take the four-kilometre Thunder Point Walk that traces the coast. The kids squeal when an echidna shuffles out from beneath the wooden boardwalk, and we stop to admire a seal lazing on a rock at the port.

Further along, the streets of quaint fishing village Port Fairy are lined with 19th-century cottages, old stone churches and Norfolk pines. Follow the historic walking trail to see some of the 60-plus National Trust buildings. Port Fairy is also home to Port Fairy Folk Festival (6-9 March), one of the country’s longest-running music and cultural festivals. You could time your road trip with the event for a fittingly celebratory end to any journey.

The Great Ocean Road can easily be done in three days, but we’ve spent a week on the road. The highlighted line on our now creased and well-worn map doesn’t follow the famous route precisely. It has sprouted branches in many directions, leading us to untouched rainforest and charming rural towns filled with culinary delights, and where we experienced some of our most memorable moments on the Great Ocean Road.

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

The Monty is a highly anticipated, newly refurbished motel with a chic Palm Springs-inspired aesthetic set across the road from the Anglesea River. Basalt Winery in Port Fairy grows cool-climate wines such as pinot noir and Riesling in rich volcanic soil. Stay among the vines in its tiny home, complete with a kitchen, lounge area and outdoor firepit.

The Oak & Anchor Hotel has been a Port Fairy institution since 1857. Cosy up by the bar in winter or bask in the sunshine of the Lawn Bar in summer. The rooms are beautifully boutique with considered details, such as luxe baths for sinking into post-road trip.

Eating there

The Coast in Anglesea is a modern Australian restaurant focused on local ingredients. Grand Pacific Hotel has been a local landmark in Lorne since 1879 and recently underwent a restoration. It serves a mix of traditional pub and Italian fare alongside ocean views.

Graze is a cosy 40-seat dining room in Apollo Bay with a modern Australian menu complemented by regional wines. Apollo Bay Distillery offers tasting flights, a gin blending masterclass and serves woodfired pizzas.

Review: Allenvale Cottages in Lorne offer Euro-tinged country style