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?
