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
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, here ➜
Discover the collection
Otways Loft — Forrest, Otways
Sleeps 8, with four bedrooms
Built from mountain ash logs and salvaged train carriage and church materials, part tree house, part train house. Explore here.
Dog friendly • Wood fire • Clawfoot Bath
Steam Carriage — Forrest, Otways
Sleeps 6 (ideal for 2), with 3 bedrooms
An elegant 1926 train carriage, restored. Airbnb's Most Unique Stay, 2023. Explore here.
Dog friendly • Wood fire • Outdoor bath
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, Studio
A sleek mid-century studio, perched above the bushland, close to the coast. Explore here.
Hinterland views • Wood fire • Balcony
Liptrap Loft — near Walkerville, South Gippsland
Sleeps 6 (ideal for 2), 1 bedroom & studio loft
Hand built by architect Jim Commadeur, on 5 private acres with no neighbours, complete with a Japanese style bathhouse. Explore here.
Dog friendly • Wood fire • Outdoor bathhouse
Shearwater Beach House — Walkerville North, South Gippsland
Sleeps 8, with 4 bedrooms
A large beach house built for groups, well suited to two families travelling together. Explore here ➜
Wood fire • Bath • Dogs by arrangement
Dufflebird Farm — Berrys Creek, South Gippsland
Sleeps 6 (ideal for 5), with 3 bedrooms
120 acres of rolling meadows and deep country quiet, with an outdoor bathhouse and farmland views. Explore here ➜
Wood fire • Outdoor bathhouse • Farm views
Revel & Hide — Collingwood, Melbourne
Sleeps 2, with 1 bedroom
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. Explore here ➜
Balcony • Rooftop Pool • Inner-city sights
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. Visit the Dufflbebird Road Trip ➜
Walkerville
A quiet coastal stretch tucked inside Cape Liptrap Coastal Park on the Prom Coast, South Gippsland. Views of Wilsons Promontory. The Cape Liptrap lighthouse, historic lime kilns, and great rock pooling.
Things to do near Walkerville ➜
Berrys Creek
On the edge of the Strzelecki Ranges, deep in South Gippsland farmland, with rolling hills and valley lookouts. Tarra-Bulga National Park and the Grand Ridge Road nearby.
Things to do near Berrys Creek ➜
Forrest
A quiet Otways town with over 70km of mountain bike trails right on the doorstep, and 100,000 hectares of national park all around. Otway Fly, the Otway waterfalls, Lake Elizabeth and the Great Ocean Road close by.
Things to do near Forrest ➜
Anglesea
Near the start of the Great Ocean Road, between Bells Beach and Aireys Inlet. World-class reef breaks, the Split Point lighthouse, and resident kangaroos on the golf course. Things to do near Anglesea ➜
Collingwood
Melbourne's most creative pocket, with street art, craft breweries, specialty cafes and Smith Street on the doorstep.
Things to do near Collingwood ➜
If you'd like to string a few together, visit the Dufflebird Road Trip.
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.
