Seven Design-Led Stays Across Victoria
We've all had that feeling when travelling to far flung, new and exotic places. A nervous anticipation and light-hearted buzz. A heightened sense of awareness and excitement where colours seem brighter and sounds more acute.
At Dufflebird, we believe you don't need to travel to the ends of the earth to get this joyful feeling. Just enough distance to remember what's possible.
Over the years we have adopted an eclectic group of holiday homes in Victoria. Places that we think activate the energising emotions of travel, and have enough warmth, charm, and quirkiness to inspire a wry smile.
Twenty years on, every detail is still orchestrated with the same care.
Be as spontaneous, curious, adventurous, or lazy as you want to be.
In a Nutshell
Seven ways to get away, no two alike.
Walkerville on the Prom coast, Berrys Creek in the South Gippsland hinterland, Collingwood in inner Melbourne, Anglesea on the Great Ocean Road, and Forrest in the Otways ranges.
- All self-contained with thoughtful kitchens
- Wood fires, wood supplied, in every country property
- Five with a bath
- Four that welcome dogs
- The same care and consistency, in every property
Walkerville, along the Prom coast, and Berrys Creek in South Gippsland, Collingwood, Anglesea on the Great Ocean Road, and Forrest in the Otways hinterland.
Dufflebird Getaways happened more than it was planned. One curious property led to another, and somehow we were managing a handful of holiday rentals across Victoria, each one distinctive, design-led, and genuinely unique. Many are owner designed and built, each with its own story to tell.
Read the full story of how we went from one, to twelve, to seven →
So, what is a Dufflebird?
A duffle bag, packed at the last minute for adventure. A short-flight bird, that doesn't take kindly to travelling too far. Somehow scrambled together into a name that's tricky to explain over the phone. [More on where the name came from →]
Meet the seven
Liptrap Loft — near Walkerville, South Gippsland
Ideal for 2, sleeps up to 6
Hand built by architect Jim Commadeur, on 5 private acres with no neighbours, complete with a Japanese style bathhouse.
- dog friendly
- wood fire
- outdoor bathhouse
Shearwater Beach House — Walkerville North, South Gippsland
Sleeps 8, 4 bedrooms, 6 beds
A large beach house built for groups, well suited to two families travelling together.
- dogs by arrangement
- wood fire
- bath
Dufflebird Farm — Berrys Creek, South Gippsland
Sleeps 5 comfortably, up to 6 on request, 3 bedrooms
120 acres of rolling meadows and deep country quiet, with a separate outdoor bathhouse opening onto farmland views.
- wood fire
- outdoor bathhouse
Otways Loft — Forrest, Otways
Sleeps 8, 3 bedrooms and a loft
Built from mountain ash logs and salvaged train carriage and church materials, part tree house, part train house.
- dog friendly
- wood fire
- indoor clawfoot bath in the main bedroom
Steam Carriage — Forrest, Otways
Ideal for 2, sleeps up to 6
An elegant 1926 train carriage, restored. Airbnb's Most Unique Stay, 2023.
- dog friendly
- wood fire
- outdoor iron bath off the main bedroom
Otways Loft and Steam Carriage sit side by side, both very separate and private, but can be booked together, gate unlocked on request, sleeping up to 14, though a little fewer is more comfortable. Usually rented separately, so book well ahead if you'd like both.
McQueen — Anglesea, Great Ocean Road
Sleeps 2
A sleek mid-century studio, perched above the bushland, close to the coast.
Revel & Hide — Collingwood
Sleeps 2
Right in the heart of Melbourne's coolest, most creative pocket. The only one of ours in the city, start your trip here, end it here, or stay a few nights on its own.
Where we are
Right across Victoria.
South Gippsland, Surf Coast, Otways, and Melbourne. Six stays within 2.25 hours of the city. And one right in it.
For overseas and interstate guests, we've designed a tour →
Walkerville (Liptrap Loft, Shearwater Beach House)
Wilsons Promontory · Cape Liptrap Lighthouse · historic lime kilns · rock pools
→ [Things to do near Walkerville]
Berrys Creek (Dufflebird Farm)
Tarra-Bulga National Park · Strzelecki Ranges · South Gippsland farmland · rural villages
→ [Things to do near Berrys Creek]
Collingwood (Revel & Hide)
street art · craft breweries · specialty cafes · Smith Street shopping
→ [Things to do near Collingwood]
Anglesea (McQueen)
Bells Beach · Split Point Lighthouse · Aireys Inlet · surf coast
→ [Things to do near Anglesea]
Forrest (Otways Loft, Steam Carriage)
Otway Fly · Hopetoun Falls · Lake Elizabeth · redwoods · mountain biking
→ [Things to do near Forrest]
Can I bring my dog?
Four of our seven welcome well behaved dogs, held to the same standard as everything else here. Our non pet owning guests matter just as much to us, so we work hard to get this right.
Before you book, take a moment to review our pet guidelines → to make sure we're the right fit for your crew.
Featured in
As seen in
The Design Files — Get Back to Nature at This Hemingway Style Rainforest Cabin — Built from salvaged train carriage and church materials, Otways Loft is part tree house, part train house.
Country Living UK — Liptrap Loft on the cover of "Create the New Country Look," a Country Living bookazine special, with a long feature inside.
Country Style Magazine — Back on Track — Steam trains may belong to the past, but this couple gave an old carriage new life in regional Victoria.
Time Out Melbourne — Steam Carriage won Most Unique Stay at Airbnb's 2023 host awards.
Domain Magazine — A Not So Average Cabin in Regional Victoria — Liptrap Loft's triple peaked roof and bathhouse, hand built by Jim Commadeur, set it apart from typical wilderness cabins.
Elegance Magazine (Netherlands) — Otways Loft featured in this Dutch design and lifestyle title, further proof the appeal travels well beyond Victoria.
See all press →
How Dufflebird came to be
It all began closer to dawn than dusk, sitting on the ledge of a third storey Greenwich Village apartment, legs dangling, speech slurred, voices louder than they needed to be…. We declared that we could live a rich and splendid life together if we stayed “devoted to our inquisitive-ness”. A year later we bought an odd little cabin in Walkerville on a whim. Twenty years on, that whim is seven places across Victoria. [Read the full story →
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