When travellers descend on Australia, most make for the country’s biggest hitters: the beaches of Sydney; the cafés and culture of Melbourne; and the surfside charm of Perth. But the vast Down Under has plenty of surprises for those willing to venture a little further. Hidden just outside the country town of Mansfield, some three hours by car from Melbourne, BullerRoo Luxury Farmstay brings designer chic to the wide open spaces of Australia’s countryside. After three pandemic-enforced years apart, two friends and I checked in for the ultimate girls’ weekend.

While this stay was complimentary, all thoughts and opinions are our own.

Review of BullerRoo Luxury Farmstay in Australia

Located in the King Valley, a sublime slice of nature in Victoria’s High Country, BullerRoo is the brainchild of Ed and Vickie van der Hoeven. The former expats—she’s British, he’s Dutch—met in Lombok, fell in love with Australia, and discovered their dream property here in 2003. After taking over the 24-acre farm, complete with truly unparalleled views of the Barwite Valley and its own river, the pair decided to transform it into their home—and luxe holiday accommodations so swish they landed on the radar of Visit Victoria, the local tourist office.

Country strong

15 minutes outside the town of Mansfield, BullerRoo is perfectly positioned to offer guests the best of this lush countryside. The property is often fully booked during winter by ski bunnies who want to hit the slopes of Mount Buller—Victoria’s premier alpine destination—which is some 30 minutes away.

BullerRoo Luxury Farmstay pygmy goat
If you didn’t know that you needed pygmy goats in your life, you do now

But you don’t even have to leave to enjoy a taste of farm life. As well as offering gorgeous accommodations, BullerRoo is a pygmy goat stud farm, a fact that will delight guests young and not-so-young alike. Vickie and Ed are eager to get guests involved with feeding the collection of rambunctious miniature pygmy goats and pet alpacas—though be warned, you’ll need a firm hand with the greedy little animals. Watching the animals frolic and get up to all sorts of amusing antics, it’s clear that they’re a bunch of happy little Vegemites—one assumes that BullerRoo’s sustainable land management and ethical animal husbandry have something to do with that.

The landscape, though, is what captivates. From here, guests have breathtaking views across the Barwite Valley, Broken River, and sprawling farmland, a vivid picture of foliage, wildlife, and tranquillity that’s sure to fire up the imagination. On a summer day, sunlight renders the landscape in rich shades of lush greens, earthy browns, and vivid ochre; by night, the stars sparkle across the pitch-black sky, putting on a dazzling display. Golden hour, though, is the real treat as the sky turns fiery shades of orange and red and sets the farmland below ablaze in colour.

A stay with style

BullerRoo now consists of two separate accommodation options, including the charmingly colonial-style Stone Creek Cottage that breathes Australian country life in every detail. But we check into the Luxury Chalet, a two-bedroom designer apartment inspired by the luxe ski chalets of Europe.

BullerRoo Luxury Farmstay bedroom
Get comfy in the bedrooms

A tradesman who’d worked on many buildings in the surrounding area, Ed helmed the creation of BullerRoo’s buildings, appointing Melbourne-based DCS Design, to execute his vision. The result is an architecturally-forward, contemporary building that offers a vivid juxtaposition against the rural landscape.

Arriving guests pull into the carport, then walk up a flight of stairs to access the apartment. So, from its second-floor vantage point, the Luxury Chalet offers jaw-dropping 180-degree panoramas across the countryside through floor-to-ceiling windows. Words simply don’t do the views justice—walking into the living room rendered this normally verbose writer entirely speechless.

Upon recovering, I notice the careful attention to detail that has created such a magnificent bolthole. There are the timber floors and ceilings and a rustic stone feature wall that evoke the rural location. A French cast-iron stove—which burns real wood!— offers heating through the winter months.

BullerRoo Luxury Farmstay bathroom
The stylish design continues into the bathrooms

Then, there’s the French-inspired wall décor, and the designer furnishings—a huge sectional sofa and handcrafted “cattle yard” dining table. My favourite part, though, is the fully functional kitchen that comes stocked with local coffee from the Mansfield Coffee Merchant and is an absolute delight to whip up dinner in.

There are also two well-appointed bedrooms—the master room even features barn doors—to fit up to five people, and a snug rooftop terrace on which guests can enjoy relaxed sundowners or barbecues. The one spacious bathroom offers a serene, spa-like ambience and locally-produced, all-natural bath amenities—the lack of a bath is the only thing guests could fault here.

Beyond the farm

You’d be forgiven for giving into the urge to hole up in BullerRoo’s Luxury Chalet for the entirety of your stay. But you’d be doing yourself a disservice if you didn’t take the chance to explore Victoria’s High Country. Mansfield itself has plenty to offer, with quaint architecture, cute boutiques, breezy cafes, country pubs, and more. But, you’d be well-advised to simply jump in the car and see where the wind takes you.

There are plenty of wineries in the region, and while each offers an indulgent cellar-door experience, it’s worth stopping in for a meal, too. Ahead of my arrival, I reached out to Ed for some local recommendations, and he booked us dinner at Delatite Winery—they have a new degustation menu—and lunch at Chrismont Wines, his personal favourite. Both are delightful and remind me exactly what makes Australian cuisine so good—high-quality ingredients deftly handled by a creative chef and sprinkled with a touch of local magic.

Within striking distance is the aforementioned Mount Buller, as well as the quieter, calmer Mount Stirling. And, if you’re up for a little adventure, you can follow in the footsteps of famous Aussie outlaw Ned Kelly at Powers Lookout, then bask in the majesty of nature at Paradise Falls.

Of course, BullerRoo offers plenty of ways to explore, too. In partnership with local outfit Global Ballooning, they offer hot-air balloon rides—one can confidently assume that the views are unbeatable—and you can even take a trail ride amongst the undulating hills by horseback.

We were only at BullerRoo for two nights, but that’s more than enough to fall entirely under the spell of this special place. Between the welcoming hosts, the stellar accommodations, and the easy majesty of this jaw-dropping natural landscape—not to mention all the food, wine, and adventures available nearby—it’s a weekend of unfettered delight.

Before we left, Vickie and Ed kindly organised a Champagne breakfast filled with humongous local pastries, fresh fruit, decadent tartlets—and a bottle of Veuve, naturally—and spent a full hour chatting with us before we drove off. On a high, I’m already plotting the moves I need to make to return to BullerRoo in winter.

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