A dreamy and cozy space that’s a true cabin in the woods. Long Tide retreat is the most magical space to rest, reconnect & recharge. Set amongst lush, green open lawns and tall majestic rainforest, the barn is perched a few hundred metres above sea level, giving truly epic ocean views. There’s a calm energy from the open spaces and surrounding forest. A vast expanse of land, sea & sky merge with the earthy and warm tones of the cozy barn style house.
The space
This magical slice of nature sits towards the end of a picturesque, approx 2km long, winding, gravel road with breathtaking ocean views greeting you along the way. When you arrive, you will be further welcomed by a wonderfully rustic 2 story timber barn style home, sitting perched atop a hill with epic (we actually do mean EPIC) ocean & forest views.
This sweet haven from the busy-ness of the world has been updated throughout, with fully renovated bathroom and kitchen spaces blending seamlessly with the charm and warmth of recently polished recycled timber floors and natural timber lined walls of the original building.
You'll find the barn surrounded by a relaxed and rambling ornamental, and productive, country style garden that’s permeated by a wild and expansive evergreen forest. You'll be breathing in some of the freshest air you could imagine!
We are avid gardeners and try to keep something flowering and something to eat all year round to enjoy. If you’d like to chat about the garden, please let us know. We always love sharing garden chats with visitors, any time of year. There’s always something happening in the garden!
The expansive and lush green fields immediately surrounding the guest house begin to calm the senses and create a wonderful sensory play of space and form. An invitation to sit and observe the natural world, from the comfort of one of the couches in front of the cozy fire, the elevated deck with a morning coffee, or an afternoon herbal tea whilst the west sun warms your bones.
The outside space is peaceful, and at the same time incredibly dynamic, be it calm and still, or wild, wooly and positively electric with storms. We get all kinds of weather here - often in the same day, so be prepared and pack for all weather.
Inside is eclectic, yet tranquil, with soft, tactile furnishings, natural warm tones and homely touches. We are travellers, too, and have tried to put everything in the barn that we miss when we travel. Lamps for soft lighting, rugs for a nice feel underfoot, plush velvet couches to run your hands over and extra blankets should you need them. There’s no shortage of creature comforts and practical things here.
The guest house is a super unique 2 story + mezzanine barn style house; crafted naturally out of local and recycled timber. It has a beautifully calm energy with a wonderful, cozy, yet rustic feel. No traffic noise here, ever. No light pollution, unless it is a full moon, just the synchronised breathing of the ocean and forest.
The barn style guest house comes with a very spacious living area complete with a large fire place. The living area is situated upstairs, and features comfy couches to spread out on, plus a big, soft leather arm chair to sink into. We have lamps everywhere for golden, warm, ambient light that helps you relax even further. This is a big light free zone, but we do have “big lights” if you prefer - we don’t judge :)
The fireplace is perfect when it's cold outside, and we do not charge any extra to provide all the firewood you need to keep you warm and toasty. When the storms roll in, there is nothing better than curling up on the couch by the fire with a book and a cup of tea.
Please help yourself to kindling and firewood from downstairs when required. For some added convenience the split system AC unit provides instant heat at the touch of a button to keep you warm before you get the fire roaring.
Adjoining the living space we have a beautiful newly renovated and complete kitchen with everything you need. Including a dishwasher and espresso machine. The kitchen space is functionally set up with a fridge, oven, gas cooktop and microwave, through to coffee machine; with complementary locally roasted coffee that is divine.
We also offer an incredible selection of organic teas, from our friends at Love Tea, and locally roasted coffee from our friends at Hello coffee in Apollo Bay.
Kitchen staples come standard including oil, butter, salt + pepper, cow's milk, soy milk and some other non perishable items. If it's in the kitchen, it's yours to use while you’re here.
There's plenty of dining space - indoors and outdoors and a picnic table in the garden, perfect for sharing food with your loved one/s, exhaling for a short or long stay. We have a seasoned BBQ on the deck ready for you to use while soaking up the summer sunshine or listening to the whispering winter breeze.
The main bedroom is has a king bed, wardrobe space and bright, north facing window with blind; looking out to the peace and tranquility of the garden and forest beyond. The pillow top mattress is divine, as are the high quality organic sheets, feather goose down doona, and delicious offering of pillows and extra blankets for those chilly nights; which can be any time of year.
The second bedroom has a queen sized pillow top bed and is found in the upstairs mezzanine and is accessed via a ladder. The roof height is low, approx 170cm at its peak, be sure to watch your head if you’re tall. The walls pitch down either side, making it a truly storybook like escape. It's super comfortable and very cosy with big tree house vibes up there. The Velux roof window pops out, and also comes complete with blind. You may be lucky enough to view the sun or moon rise to the east, or just gaze at the starry sky on a clear night. It's so magical!
The downstairs full bathroom is large, bright and simply luxurious, blending a beautiful polished concrete floor with natural textured timber walls and timber ceiling. Enjoy the big shower complete with relaxing waterfall shower head. A gorgeous enamel claw foot bath awaits those needing a soak, enjoyed day or night. There is a second toilet (with an ocean view!) and with hand basin upstairs.
Stepping outside from upstairs you will find the spacious viewing deck extending directly south with that ocean view that never gets old. The deck comes complete with timber table and chairs, and of course, BBQ.
It's from here you will want to do some wallaby, kangaroo, koala, deer or bird watching or just breathe with the clean forest air. Nature is always in charge here, so just sit back and enjoy the show. There is no bigger treat than watching the stars at night, feeling the beauty of sunrise and sunset wash over you, listening to the birds, gazing at the trees and the flowers, listening to the silence, and immersing in the sheer vastness.
All this as you feel the warmth from the fire, or take a deep soak in the claw foot bath. Bring some wine, cheese, snacks, or whatever you fancy. Just make space to arrive and simply be suffused by the beauty and the tranquility. Your body, your mind, and your soul won't be disappointed.
Our closest beach is a scenic 10 minute drive down the hill to Skenes Creek Beach. We are 15 minutes to Apollo Bay, 60 minutes from Lorne and 25 minutes from the very cute inland town of Forrest (which is especially lovely in Autumn).
The guest house and our adjacent primary residence sit approx 50 or so metres apart. They are separated by a beautiful and thoughtfully planted screen of native trees and shrubs. We are very happy to give you complete privacy for your stay with us, but we are also available should you need anything as we do live on site full time, or next door so to speak. It’s most likely you’ll see us in the garden at some point during your stay.
Many native animals live here and share this space with us. Koalas regularly visit as do wallabies, kangaroos, echidnas, deer and birds of prey. The bird life is phenomenal, and incredible to listen to at first light or dusk, especially when the kookaburras start laughing. Oh, and the owls! You might get a glimpse of our resident Powerful Owl or hear the Boobook. If you don’t glimpse the owls, you’ll hear them.
Our favourite part of day is that dreaminess of sunset time, where the sky is often ablaze with intense colours that fill the atmosphere. On a clear night the sky is truly something you have to witness. With no light pollution, the stars will literally take your breath away. It is a totally different sky to anything you will see in the city or with lights around. Unbelievable, beyond words. We have had many local and international guests who have been lucky enough to witness the milky way for the first time on a clear night.
On our side of the fence we have 2 freaking awesome Labradors. Monty has recently joined the fold as a 4 year old rescue and he now has a little brother, Spud. They are wonderful and love any opportunity to meet people. Monty loves (LOVES) guests and is always happy to hold your hand.
We have a chicken coop with 15 girls; we’re happy to share eggs if they’re in laying season - let us know if you’d like some eggs and if we have them you’re welcome to them. We also have a happy bee hive that helps pollenate our growing fruit tree orchard.
THERE IS NO GUEST WIFI AT LONG TIDE RETREAT... where we live is a difficult location for a reliable internet service. We have elected to not have guest wifi as it doesn’t work more often than it does and we don’t wish to disappoint. BUT! Have no fear! We’ve made up for the lack of WIFI with other fabulous things.... Heaps of books, magazines, board games, drawing supplies and puzzles. There is a TV with regular regional TV channels and a blueray DVD player for any movies you may want to watch (current count is 150+ of our favourites on DVD).
You can also bring a hard drive to plug into the DVD player to watch your own movies. There's also a portable Bluetooth speaker for you to play your favourite music or podcast.
We do get phone reception, Telstra is the most reliable carrier, and, while all carriers do work here and throughout the forest drive - it is to varying degrees. Please be aware phone reception and data can be slow/unreliable in peak season when there’s an abundance of humans in Apollo Bay.
Dale runs his Osteopathic clinic by appointment from the downstairs portion of the barn on Monday and Fridays and also occasionally on some Saturday mornings. Patients will come and go on those days from the separate space underneath the barn. The treatment room is totally separate and private from the accommodation. If you'd like to chat to Dale about Osteopathy, please get in touch.
Long Tide is a welcome retreat from busy schedules, social commitments and urban noises. A true sight for sore eyes and tired senses await you here.
Guest access
You have full run of the guest house, with the exception of the downstairs room where Dale very runs Otway Osteopathy.
To the front of the guest house (towards the ocean) is our house about 50 metres away from the guesthouse, and there is a fence that separates the 2 buildings.
Please respect our privacy and do not come past the fence or come over to our house without asking permission. Please contact us via text with any questions and we will reply ASAP.
There is a first aid kit available in the kitchen should you need it. If you choose to go alone walking back up the driveway, let someone know that you are going and take your mobile phone. Reception is generally ok, but doesn't always work.
Please be careful and at no times should you go into neighbouring properties, if you are unsure at any time as to where our boundaries lie just ask.
Snakes are also a part of the bush landscape and a real danger that you need to be aware of at all times. When the weather is hot you may very occasionally see a snake on the road or our driveway.
Phone reception is good from the front of the guest house (ocean side), but can be a little faded towards the rear (kitchen side), depending on your carrier. You can access the internet with your smart phone or tablet via standard mobile data.
Dale runs his Osteopathic clinic by appointment from the downstairs portion of the barn. The days he works are usually Monday and Friday with the occasional Saturday morning.
Patients will come and go from the completely private, and separate space underneath the barn. The treatment room is totally separate from the accommodation. If you'd like to chat to Dale about Osteopathic treatment whilst you are here please get in touch.
Other things to note
The closest beach is Skenes Creek main beach which is straight down Skenes Creek Road, 10 minutes in the car.
We are 15 minutes drive to Apollo Bay for anything you need. There are 2 supermarkets, 2 pubs, and plenty of restaurants. The supermarkets are open until 9pm in peak season and 7pm in off season. There is also a petrol station open late in peak season, bank, post office and all the general conveniences.
On the odd occasion you are here and we need to cut the grass, we will let you know. We will always do our best to avoid doing this when guests are around, as we don't want to disturb them with the noise. However, there are some occasions that this may be difficult to avoid.
