Premium coastal homestead. Gardens, farmland, adventure. Sleeps 8. Pet friendly.

Frank and Barbara are the hosts. We live on the coast, 2hr 25 min from Melbourne. We have three kids, six grandchildren, all in Melbourne. Frank has worked as a Dairy Farm Consultant, advising farmers on growing pasture, feeding cows, and managing their staff and finances. Barb has worked as a management coach and facilitator. We swim, kayak, bush walk, ride bikes and bird watch. We like driving around and experiencing different countries.

Barb and Frank moved here to Waratah Bay five years ago as climate change refugees from Inverloch. We had been coming for the occasional weekend to Waratah since the early seventies. Our Inverloch house was next to the surf beach, a beach that was eroding too fast towards us. This property (27 meters above sea level) was a house sitting in a grassy paddock, typical country of south Gippsland, a bit acidic, and recognised as originally “swamp-heath-land”. The ground can get extremely wet and boggy. We initially dug ponds, or wetlands, and planted native wetland species in them. Each summer the ponds dry out; I do pump some water into them from the dam, but the dam soon runs out. We have not had much rain yet this year; definitely not enough runoff to fill the dam or ponds. There is a little creek on the east side of the property which has not started running yet. The dirt from the ponds became mounds, well drained mounds, on which we planted grevilleas and callistemons, mostly to attract the honeyeaters. We purchased seed from the Leongatha native seed bank and germinated and planted indigenous paperbarks, tea trees, casuarina, hop goodenia, on the flat parts. The swamp paperbark (Melaleuca ericifolia) grows like a weed, and would cover the place if we let it. It is the bush all along the roadside, from the turnoff. We leave some areas as long grass for Snipe cover. In mid-September each year the migratory wading bird, Latham’s Snipe, arrive from Japan/Siberia. They feed in south eastern Australia and return home to breed in March. At different times numerous birds feed on the grain we put out near the back door. Around the house we planted garden beds of mostly roses and salvias. The orchard is about 4 years old.

Spacious home, on 5 acres, set in gardens, surrounded by farmland, view of ocean and Wilsons Promontory