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Soak up the night sky with Stella the Stargazer

Stella Night Image 1

Bookings are now open for a night with Stella the Stargazer: Visit Victoria’s newest limited-edition off-grid accommodation experience.

Hitting the road in late 2022 and early 2023, the activation will see Stella – a uniquely Victorian ‘tiny home’ – set up shack in three Victorian regions for 8-weeks apiece, enabling visitors to get a taste of what makes each of these locations so special.

The first activation will take place at Blue Gables vineyard in Maffra, with Stella popping up among the gently rolling hills of Central Gippsland from 14 October 2022. Stays two and three will see Stella set against the rugged coastline of the Great Ocean Road in February and March followed by the jagged sandstone mountains of the Grampians in April and May, with more details to be revealed in due course.

To bring the activation idea to life, Visit Victoria partnered with Port Fairy-based design and manufacture business, Ample, who specialise in high quality transportable buildings. Ample recruited a team of local artisans to build this unique structure, which lightly treads the line between modern comfort and embracing the elements.

Fitted with everything a hotel guest needs, and nothing they don’t, Stella is all about quality over quantity and highlights the superior results that can be achieved with upcycled and hand-made materials. The modest nature of the design seeks to redefine the concept of luxury. The use of engaging textures and materials along with a carefully curated pieces from a bygone era, take guests back to a simpler time which allowed for reflection and appreciation of life’s little rituals.

Designed to inspire visitors to turn off digital screens and enjoy their surroundings, the space abounds with unique features including a roll-out sleeping platform for stargazing and a shower with operable glass louvres, so guests are immersed at once in the landscape and a halo of steamy hot water.

Those who like to cook up a storm on holiday won’t be disappointed. Stella’s kitchen is centred around a woodfire that also functions as a hotplate, with glass sliding doors that open out onto a modular deck with a firepit for evening fiestas.

For anyone needing more of a reason to book, those who stay will enjoy breakfast, a welcome hamper and bottle of wine curated by renowned Victorian chef Alejandro Saravia from Farmers

Daughters. This will include native treats and other highlight producers of the region. A premium dinner pack may be selected at an additional cost.

Guests can breathe in the fresh air, relishing in the knowledge that their home-away-from-home has a minimal impact on its surrounding environment; the off-grid management system ensures this is a building that gives more than it takes.

Many measures were taken to reduce the carbon footprint of the construction process, including repurposing corrugated iron, Victorian hardwoods, and old pieces of steel from a demolished rural farm shed in Penshurst, Victoria.

As well as lessening the environmental impact, these materials provide an authentic aesthetic which is distinctively Victorian, paying homage to the ‘Aussie shed,’ which has a meaningful place in the built history of Victoria and Australia. Interior items from crockery to bedding will be sourced from Victorian designers and manufacturers.

To book a stay, please visit www.stellastargazer.com.au

Click here to access high-res renders of Stella.

For more travel inspiration, please visit www.visitvictoria.com

Tariffs:

Monday – Thursday: $330/night Friday – Sunday: $390/night

Dates:

  • Stella in Gippsland: Friday, 14 October 2022 to Thursday, 15 December 2022
  • Stella on the Great Ocean Road: Friday, 3 February 2023 to Thursday, 6 April 2023
  • Stella in the Grampians: Friday 17 April 2022 to Thursday, 18 June 2023

Stella the Stargazer features:

Stella the Stargazer offers guests a bespoke stay experience, including:

  • ‘Floating’ roll-out sleeping platform for stargazing
  • Glass sliding doors opening out onto a modular deck with firepit
  • Central woodfire that functions as a hotplate
  • Queen size bed with selected linen and soft furnishings from Weave Home Australia, Society of Wanderers and Grampians Goods Co.
  • Private luxury bathroom with Dindi Naturals and Grampians Goods Co toiletries
  • Welcome hamper of local produce including a bottle of wine
  • Curated breakfast provisions
  • Tea and coffee

Quote attributable to Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos

“Stella the Stargazer will allow visitors to stay in parts of the state that they otherwise couldn’t. Set to pop up across the Grampians, Gippsland and the Great Ocean Road – this really is a special and sustainable way to unwind in a setting that celebrates the very best of Victoria’s makers, creators, culture, and natural environment.”

Quotes attributable to Visit Victoria CEO, Brendan McClements:

“Stella the Stargazer is not your typical accommodation experience. This unique stay sets out to deepen the visitor’s connection to nature and country, bring attention to the benefits of upcycling and encourage them to uncover new favourite destinations.

“The activation will showcase three of Victoria’s most spectacular regions and supports Visit Victoria’s ongoing ‘Stay close, go further’ campaign.”

Quote attributed to Ample Director, Aaron Shields:

“Stella the Stargazer is an exercise in creating the most authentic experience possible. By tapping into the part of us that wants to live a more fulfilled and sustainable life, the building seeks to elevate the importance of connection to material, nature, and one another.”