LIVING A CABIN LIFE IN VICTORIA WITH STELLA THE STARGAZER

LIVING A CABIN LIFE IN VICTORIA WITH STELLA THE STARGAZER - Bookings are now open for a night with Stella the Stargazer: Visit Victoria’s newest limited-edition off-grid accommodation experience.

Hitting the road in late 2022 and early 2023, the activation will see Stella – a uniquely Victorian ‘tiny home’ – set up shack in three Victorian regions for 8-weeks apiece, enabling visitors to get a taste of what makes each of these locations so special.

The first activation will take place at Blue Gable's vineyard in Maffra, with Stella popping up among the gently rolling hills of Central Gippsland from 14 October 2022. Stays two and three will see Stella set against the rugged coastline of the Great Ocean Road in February and March followed by the jagged sandstone mountains of the Grampians in April and May, with more details to be revealed in due course.

To bring the activation idea to life, Visit Victoria partnered with Port Fairy-based design and manufacturing business, Ample, which specializes in high-quality transportable buildings. Ample recruited a team of local artisans to build this unique structure, which lightly treads the line between modern comfort and embracing the elements.

Fitted with everything a hotel guest needs, and nothing they don’t, Stella is all about quality over quantity and highlights the superior results that can be achieved with upcycled and hand-made materials. The modest nature of the design seeks to redefine the concept of luxury. The use of engaging textures and materials along with carefully curated pieces from a bygone era, take guests back to a simpler time which allowed for reflection and appreciation of life’s little rituals.

Designed to inspire visitors to turn off digital screens and enjoy their surroundings, the space abounds with unique features including a roll-out sleeping platform for stargazing and a shower with operable glass louvres, so guests are immersed at once in the landscape and a halo of steamy hot water.

Those who like to cook up a storm on holiday won’t be disappointed. Stella’s kitchen is centered around a woodfire that also functions as a hotplate, with glass sliding doors that open out onto a modular deck with a fire pit for evening fiestas.

For anyone needing more of a reason to book, those who stay will enjoy breakfast, a welcome hamper, and a bottle of wine curated by renowned Victorian chef Alejandro Saravia from Farmers Daughters. This will include native treats and other highlight producers of the region. A premium dinner pack may be selected at an additional cost.

Guests can breathe in the fresh air, relishing in the knowledge that their home-away-from-home has a minimal impact on its surrounding environment; the off-grid management system ensures this is a building that gives more than it takes.

Many measures were taken to reduce the carbon footprint of the construction process, including repurposing corrugated iron, Victorian hardwoods, and old pieces of steel from a demolished rural farm shed in Penshurst, Victoria.

As well as lessening the environmental impact, these materials provide an authentic aesthetic which is distinctively Victorian, paying homage to the ‘Aussie shed,’ which has a meaningful place in the built history of Victoria and Australia. Interior items from crockery to bedding will be sourced from Victorian designers and manufacturers.

Tariffs:

Monday – Thursday: $330/night
Friday – Sunday: $390/night

Dates:

Stella in Gippsland: Friday, 14 October 2022 to Thursday, 15 December 2022
Stella on the Great Ocean Road: Friday, 3 February 2023 to Thursday, 6 April 2023
Stella in the Grampians: Friday 17 April 2022 to Thursday, 18 June 2023

Stella the Stargazer features:

Stella the Stargazer offers guests a bespoke stay experience, including:

‘Floating’ roll-out sleeping platform for stargazing
Glass sliding doors open out onto a modular deck with a firepit
Central woodfire that functions as a hotplate
Queen-size bed with selected linen and soft furnishings from Weave Home Australia, Society of Wanderers, and Grampians Goods Co.
Private luxury bathroom with Dindi Naturals and Grampians Goods Co toiletries
Welcome hamper of local produce including a bottle of wine
Curated breakfast provisions
Tea and coffee