A hills hideaway
Filed Under Curt Hennig | Posted on March 29, 2008
Christopher Richards takes the road less travelled to a
quiet country cottage retreat in the high country.
We stand with Christine and Poul on their Howqua hillside and
watch the late-afternoon sun touching the forested hills. To one
side are the higher peaks of the Victorian Alps, casting their
magnetism over this region to the north-east of Lake Eildon.
We have a little taste of the charm of the high country as we
drive up, after choosing to take the road less travelled from
Eildon to Jamieson.
There are 14 kilometres of unsealed track as we climb and dip,
and then across and alongside the Big River, skipping over gravel
beds on its way from mountains to lake.
Some travellers have thrown up tents beside the rippling river
at bush camps, but our sight is on Calm Waters - a rural retreat
central to highcountry pursuits or Eildon holidays.
On 20 hectares of gently sloping land facing north over the
Howqua River valley, the outlook is hills, pasture and, in the
distance, Mounts Buller and Howitt and The Bluff.
The 10 cottages and chalets on the property have a view of all
this beauty. We’re in the family-sized Lodge. Most of the others
have spa baths.
We’re between the retreat’s hill and its paddocks rolling down
towards the valley floor and the Howqua River. Trees give a buffer
to most neighbouring cottages.
Calm Waters’ owners have left Scandinavian pasts behind them,
but there is a northern European look to the distinctively painted
buildings in their Australian setting as magpies call among the
trees.
The calm waters here are on the surface of the property’s dams;
Lake Eildon has pretty much retreated from Howqua Inlet in the
drought.
Christine has photos to show the waters lapping the shores near
here 10 years ago.
All accommodation has been renovated recently. You could call
the cottages rustic, but that does not do justice to smart paint
jobs, totally new kitchen equipment and utensils, new carpets,
beds, linen and curtains. There are fully equipped laundry huts.
Water comes from the roof and there seems to be plenty in two
tanks.
There is also a pool, unheated: for the brave, or, on a sizzling
day, the boiling. It won a competition last year for its
cleanliness.
Our wood-burning stove stands central and ready for cosying
chilly nights, with a box of logs beside it. It will heat the long
open-plan living room, dining area and kitchen. A pink tinge on the
exposed beams is picked up in the colours of the floor-length
curtains. Generous breakfast provisions, including a few items for
heating, are in a basket on the table. Milk, butter and juice are
in the fridge. This is good value.
Previous owners targeted the couples market - hence the spas -
but slowly the focus will move more to touring families. Three of
us slept in a cottage ideal for five. The two bedrooms are cottagey
and cheerfully decorated.
On the cottage’s front deck, as the sun lowers itself behind the
Eildon ranges, a beverage seems to be in order. Just the one, mind,
because we’re heading off back down the road to the Jamieson
Brewery, where a busy kitchen serves a range of stylish tucker
suited to the rugged bushie as she or he tackles boutique beers
such as ‘Beast’.
Three kangaroos - dad, mum and toddler - gaze up at the revelry
in the dusk.
Jamieson’s Court House Hotel also does a sound pub meal; or if
we had shopped in the town - or at busy Mansfield if approaching
from the north - we could have cooked on the gas barbecue beside
each cottage at Calm Waters.
For city families, the area offers a really different holiday.
The mobile phone doesn’t work and the television set in each cabin
is only good for the extensive DVD library.
High-country driving around Howqua and Jamieson can be done in
the family sedan but more adventurous treks need four-wheel
drive.
The road up Mount Terrible, just out of Jamieson, seems
perpendicular. A trip to Mount Skene is a lesser feat on dirt. The
views make it worthwhile.
Back at base, as the birds busy themselves around Poul’s feeding
tables, or the sun hits those hills first and last thing, there
seem to be few better places to unwind.
VISITORS’ BOOK
Calm Waters
Address: 2595 Woods Point Road, Howqua 3723
(Mail: RMB 5440 Mansfield 3722).
Bookings: 5777 3354, enquiries@calmwaters.com.au;
http://www.calmwaters.com.au.
Getting there: 150 kilometres north-east of
Melbourne, about 3 1/2 hours by road.
How much: Weekend package, two nights with
breakfast both days and 5pm checkout: spa cottage $350, chalet
$390, lodge $340 plus $30 each extra person.
Summary: A fine base in a region full of
outdoor pursuits. Comfortable, spotless, real country feel with
trimmings.
The verdict: 15
The score: 19-20 excellent; 17-18 great; 15-16
good; 13-14 comfortable, well run.
All weekends away are conducted anonymously and paid
for.
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