In the know

House style

Pared back high-design – simple rather than fussy luxury.

Grounds

Grass merging to wild, cliff-top bushland.

Sleeps

2–8 (at each of two villas).

Ideal for

Special occasion couples, groups of friends or families – anyone who appreciates nature or modern architecture.

Rates

From AU$3,500 a night for two to AU$5,000 for up to eight, including breakfast, dinner, a range of drinks and tax at 10 per cent – the first two kids under 12, sharing with an adult, stay for free.

Minimum hire

Two nights.

Also

Earliest check-in, 3pm, but notify staff if you'd like to arrive earliier. Your luggage can be stored at the Lodge until villas become free. Check-out: 11am. Smoking is not allowed, nor are pets.

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Interior

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Bedrooms 

Each lodge has four bedrooms. The master suite commands pole position at the far end of a long corridor, with its own bathroom and dressing room. Windows the width of both properties command breath-taking ocean views. The other three bedrooms in each villa queue up behind in minimalist, cubed fashion, serviced by their own bathroom near the family room. These rooms have side views to the bush and sweep of the bay.

Kitchen A sleek galley kitchen services the main, formal living and dining area, bisected by a huge, postbox-red fireplace. Kitchen appliances from the best European brands and acres of storage make this a smart, practical space whoever's doing the cooking.

Living room An antique Persian rug, a bold contemporary painting, designer furniture from Europe – the main living area in each villa is a strong, minimalist statement in whites, reds and blacks.

Dining room A generous wooden refectory table, seating eight to 10 comfortably, takes pride of place on the other side of the fireplace – with its own Persian rug and matching floral study.

Other A separate family room or study provides another common area off the main spine of each building.

Outdoor

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Gardens There's a clearer, semi-lawned area around each house, on a slight slope – good for petanque or croquet or for just lying on and looking up at the sky.

Parking There is parking at the front of each lodge for two cars. More can be accommodated close by.

Other A generous courtyard extends out from the main formal living area.

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Planes Melbourne's Tullamarine Airport is just under three hours' drive away; low-cost Avalon, closer to Geelong, a little nearer (just over two hours').

Trains There's a regional rail service to nearby Colac, 40 kilometres inland from the coast, but services are slow and infrequent and there's still nearly an hour's transfer to the lodges.

Local taxi service Details of reliable local taxi firms available on request.

Directions by road Depart Melbourne on the Princes Highway (M1) to Geelong. From Geelong, you can either take the scenic route, along the Great Ocean Road (B100) through Torquay, Lorne and Apollo Bay, or continue on the A1 to Colac. If you've gone the coastal route, Moonlight Head is well signposted to the left about 10 kilometres after Lavers Hill. If you've stayed inland, take the Lavers Hill Road from Colac, and join the Great Ocean Road for this last 10- kilometre stretch. There are two parking spaces available, with room for additional cars.

Review

Approaching Moonlight Head Private Lodge through the bucolic, cow-lined fields of surrounding farmland doesn't prepare you for two things. Firstly, the views that open up of the majestic, surf-fringed beaches of the Great Ocean Road ahead of you, and the towering, bush-clad cliffs which line them. And secondly, the elongated, almost living brick structures which sit, supine, on the more manicured fields of the Lodge proper. Outside, the Lodge's serrated tin roof is at once mechanical sawtooth and animalistic crested lizard and creates an extraordinary silhouette, especially at dusk. Its bricks are recycled – a warm kaleidescope of burnt reds and yellows – and out of the long rectangle are cut geometrically precise windows of various sizes and shapes. Three separate structures cluster together, but each faces out to gaze at a different aspect of bush, cliff and ocean, and feels completely private and isolated. Inside the two villas tend to simple, high-design minimalism rather than soft, fluffy luxuriousness, showcasing a few iconic design pieces over comfy clutter. In some ways, it's a masculine, Mr Smith aesthetic but design junkies of any persuasion will love it, and if you like impeccably styled interiors that make you feel a million dollars, then you'll no doubt get used to its atmosphere of refined luxury. Who can argue with a tension-adjusted seven-foot by seven-foot Savoir empire-size bed overlooking some of the wildest coastal scenery in Australia? Indeed, who can leave it?

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