Victoria | Edition: One.
Five Victorian stays on our list.
Some places make you want to pack a bag before you’ve even worked out where they are.
For the first SO ELSEWHERE List, we’re starting in Victoria with five stays that have caught our attention for very different reasons. A beautifully restored railway carriage, considered country escapes, a flower farm hideaway and a slower way to stay by the coast.
These are places we’d go, places we’re planning to experience, and places we think are worth knowing about.
01 | Steam Carriage
DuffleBird | Forrest, Victoria
Tucked away in the Otways, Steam Carriage is the kind of stay that makes you look twice.
A beautifully restored railway carriage, reimagined as a considered country escape, it brings together character, history and the sort of setting that makes slowing down feel easy.
Inside, the original carriage character remains part of the experience, while thoughtful details give the space a warm, contemporary feel. Outside, it’s all greenery, fresh air and the slower rhythm of Forrest and the Otways.
It’s unexpected, beautifully done and exactly the kind of place we love adding to the SO ELSEWHERE list.
Why it made the list: A stay with a story, and something genuinely different from the usual weekend escape.
Steam Carriage is part of the DuffleBird collection.
IMAGINE. PLAN. GO. KEEP
Instagram: @dufflebird_getaways
Website: DuffleBird Getaways
photography: Marnie Hawson.
02 | The Ridge House
Yarragon South, Victoria
Set amongst the rolling green hills of Yarragon South, The Ridge House is the kind of country escape that immediately feels removed from the everyday.
Thoughtful interiors, beautiful rural surroundings and a sense of space give this stay the quiet, considered feel we’re always drawn to. Here, the landscape is just as much a part of the experience as the house itself.
It’s somewhere to settle in, pour a glass of wine and let the weekend unfold slowly.
Why it made the list: Beautiful design, country stillness and those sweeping Gippsland views.
IMAGINE. PLAN. GO. KEEP.
Instagram: @the_ridge_house
Website: The Ridge House
photography: Marnie Hawson.
03 | Villa Minto
Flowerdale, Victoria
This one had us from the moment we found it.
Perched above a working flower farm in the Victorian countryside, Villa Minto is a beautifully considered escape for two. Warm, understated interiors meet sweeping rural views, with the flower farm below adding something a little magical to the setting.
It’s intimate, peaceful and incredibly photogenic, but more than that, it feels like somewhere you could properly disappear for a couple of days.
Why it made the list: The flower farm, the views, the interiors... honestly, all of it. One firmly sitting on our own wish list.
IMAGINE. PLAN. GO. KEEP.
Instagram: @vila_minto
Website: Vila Minto/ Bloom into you.
04 | Inverloch Glamping Co
Inverloch, Victoria
For when you want to get away, but don’t necessarily want to rough it.
Inverloch Glamping Co brings together the slower pace of camping with a few more of the comforts we’re quite happy not to leave behind. Set on Victoria’s Bass Coast, it’s an adults-only escape designed for switching off and spending a little more time outdoors.
With the coast close by, it’s the kind of stay made for beach walks, slow mornings and an easy weekend with nowhere you need to be.
Why it made the list: A relaxed coastal escape with all the charm of camping, without sacrificing the comforts.
Good to know: Inverloch Glamping Co welcomes guests aged 16+.
IMAGINE. PLAN. GO. KEEP.
Instagram: @theinverlochglampingco
Website: Inverloch Glamping Co
05 | Larnook on the Bay
Bass, Phillip Island, Victoria
Small in footprint, big on views.
Larnook on the Bay is a beautifully considered tiny stay overlooking Western Port, with the kind of outlook that makes you want to slow everything down. The pared-back design keeps the focus exactly where it should be, on the landscape, the changing light and those incredible sunsets.
It feels private, simple and just a little bit unexpected. An easy escape for when you want to disappear for a night or two without travelling too far.
Why it made the list: That view. A tiny stay with a front-row seat to some seriously beautiful Victorian sunsets.
Instagram: @larnook.co
IMAGINE. PLAN. GO. KEEP.
Keep this list
Five stays, five different ways to escape Victoria for a little while.
Some are already firmly on our own wish list, others simply stopped us in our tracks, but each has that little something that makes a place worth remembering.
And this is only the beginning. The next SO ELSEWHERE List is already taking shape.
Until then, save Edition One: Victoria for the next time you’re wondering where to go next.
Imagine. Plan. Go. Keep. 🤍