The Mornington Peninsula, about an hour’s drive south of Melbourne, boasts cinematic ocean vistas, exciting small vineyards and some of Australia’s best-regarded farms, but, surprisingly for all its attractions, enticing accommodation has, until now, been in short supply.
Set dramatically atop a ridgeline amongst Willow Creek’s 11-hectare vineyard, the 46-room Jackalope is the debut project of 29-year-old entrepreneur, Louis Li. Owing to his background in filmmaking, the hotel – a low-slung angular building by local firm Carr Design Group – reveals Li’s theatrical bent with an inky colour scheme that is topped by artist Emily Floyd’s 7m tall sculpture of a jackalope, the mythical jackrabbit with antelope horns, after which the hotel takes its name.
Melbourne-based Carr Design Group, has taken the brief to the extreme, with moody ebony hues that are revealed through black-painted walls, deep-soak Japanese bath tubs, muted furnishings by local outfit Zuster and outside, an inky 30m infinity pool that overlooks the vineyard and the adjoining yoga lawn.
There is Rare Hare, an immersive casual restaurant, but Doot Doot Doot could well be the hotel’s highlight: the four- or eight-course degustation menus lean heavily on Mornington Peninsula produce and are artfully prepared by chef Guy Stanaway, a former star at the luxe Aman resorts. The 1200-bottle cellar only includes wines from vineyards 11 hectares or smaller, while the adjacent cocktail bar, Flaggerdoot, is decked out with furniture by fashion iconoclast Rick Owens among others.
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
166 Balnarring Road
Merricks North
-
Mark Ronson and Raye team up on jazzy summer anthem, 'Suzanne'The collaboration came about to mark 150 years of Audemars Piguet
-
Eurostar announces new direct trains to Switzerland and GermanyFollowing a new culinary offering and the unveiling of refurbished premier lounges, Eurostar reveals its plans for direct travel from London to Geneva and Frankfurt by the early 2030s
-
Donna Trope celebrates the power of the Polaroid in Paris‘Polaroids used to be my rejects, and now they are my holy grail,’ says the beauty photographer, as she shows rarely seen images in a Paris exhibition
-
Wallpaper* checks in at The Grand National Hotel by Saint Peter: ‘a lush restaurant with rooms’In Sydney’s Paddington, chef Josh Niland opens the 14-bedroom luxury hotel alongside his pioneering restaurant
-
Book a brutalist one-room wonder Down Under, the Vipp Tunnel in TasmaniaThe Danish design brand's bookable showcases arrive in the southern hemisphere, thanks to the vision of Tasmanian architectural firm Room 11
-
Wallpaper* checks in at The Eve Hotel Sydney: a lush urban escapeA new Sydney hotel makes a bold and biophilic addition to a buzzing neighbourhood that’s on the up
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Lo Scoglio: an Australian vacation rental with regenerative principlesTucked away in Byron Bay’s hinterland, an Italian-style farmhouse presents a sustainable approach to luxury
-
Five influential women hoteliers reflect on the changing face of hospitalityAs women continue to gain ground in the hotel sector, despite still being underrepresented in senior positions, five female moguls share their experiences of the past and projections for the future
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Melbourne Place: ‘an alchemy of colour, texture and personality’Designed by Kennedy Nolan, Melbourne Place is the Australian city’s newest independent hotel, oozing creativity and urban energy
-
All aboard the world’s most luxurious train journeysStay on track with our pick of the most luxurious train journeys around the world, whether in 1920s-style opulence or contemporary chic
-
Six hotels where you’ll find the winter sun this FebruaryFrom intimate seaside inns to lush tropical resorts, here are six Wallpaper*-approved winter sun escapes
