Five Acres is set among the rugged rolling farmland of Phillip Island in Victoria. Three luxury, design-led cabins with sweeping views over Western Port Bay are the showstopper of this five-acre micro-farm. At Five Acres, guests will experience the ultimate in comfort and relaxation.
Together with their three children, owners Katie and Rom Lamaro moved to Phillip Island back in 2012. What was meant to be a temporary move (while Rom completed his building apprenticeship) turned into a long term stay. The family fell in love with island life. Three years ago, Katie and Rom bought a five-acre micro-farm in Ventnor in the island’s northwest with a view to one day turn it into a luxury accommodation experience they could share with guests.
Each cabin has cabinetry in a different Laminex AbsoluteMatt finish – the Barley Cabin features a Laminex Earth kitchenette.
Together with Mitch Bagley of Onsite Design, they started work on the design. Each of the three cabins was designed with the same floor plan in mind but different interior colours and finishes. They engaged Daylesford based interior designer Belle Bright to help with the interiors. Rom got to work building the cabins himself, with some help from his brother’s building company, Lamaro Homes.
The surrounding landscape inspired the interior colours of the cabins, and each of them, while different, offer an incredibly calming atmosphere. As you will see when you step inside, it’s all about the detail. Beautiful pieces of art by local artists sit on display on the custom timber shelving, together with vases and flowers and other ceramic pieces. The floor to ceiling windows mean the view from the bed (handcrafted by Rom in Tasmanian oak) over the farmland is extraordinary; Rory and Ivy, the family’s two Scottish Highland cows, wander on by. A natural wood fireplace is the centrepiece of the room, and timber is a big feature throughout. The bathroom is open and spacious, and flooded with natural light thanks to a monumental skylight above the shower. And the best bit, an outdoor bath by Concrete Nation that sits proudly on the deck – the best place from which to catch the sunset.
The Laminex Earth kitchenette showcases a range of handcrafted ceramics.
As well as the work put into the cabins, Katie and Rom have done an inordinate amount of work on the farm itself. With hundreds of native trees and shrubs planted, they have also put in a fruit tree orchard and veggie garden. Katie also runs a catering business – The Pantry Phillip Island – specialising in outrageously beautiful grazing platters (they’re huge!), and guests have the option to pre-order one of these ahead of their stay. Guests are also treated to a complimentary breakfast, made partly by Katie herself.
It’s not just the outstanding design, and the little touches throughout that make Five Acres so special. Katie and Rom are the most down-to-earth, kind and generous hosts. With their warmth of welcome, you feel very much at home. They have created something very special with Five Acres, and we can’t wait to return.
