Coast and country

161-163 Ocean Drive, St Andrews Beach
About $4.5 million
4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 3 car spaces

Between Flinders and Portsea, and with the popular hot springs nearby, St Andrews Beach is an easily overlooked part of the Mornington Peninsula. It offers a lower-key feel compared to its flashier neighbours but comes with an abundance of rugged natural beauty. This striking contemporary house is on a large block of 2600 square metres and occupies a slightly elevated spot on the sand dunes, with entry from Constantine Avenue.

The house presents an austere, almost industrial/commercial look to the road but has a wall of glass on the seaward (Ocean Drive) side offering uninterrupted views of sea and ships. The huge open-plan living room has dark tiled floors, a gas fire (one of two in the house) and a huge all-white kitchen in the middle. Two large bedrooms, each with en suites and built-in wardrobes, open from either end of the living room.

A long pool and large deck is on the sheltered side of the living room – away from the sea breezes. All of this main part of the house is elevated – with the pool sitting above the double garage – and a lower level includes two more bedrooms, a rumpus room and bathroom. The near-new house has clean lines with plenty of room for entertaining.

Kay & Burton 5984 4744, Liz Jensen 0418 446 228

10 Alpine Road, Ferny Creek
$670,000-plus
4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 4 car spaces

On one of the Dandenong Ranges’ highest points, One Tree Hill, this modern house has great views of the bush and the valley beyond. Set on a sloping block of 2072 square metres, the house has upstairs living areas opening to a balcony, and three bedrooms downstairs. There’s also a fourth bedroom or studio, with an en suite and a decked verandah, in the garden. Interiors are crisp and modern: the living room has polished floorboards, recessed shelving, a wood heater, downlights and a smart kitchen with stainless steel appliances and a huge walk-in pantry. The upstairs area also has a study nook set beneath a large window.

Bell Real Estate 9751 2375, Corinne Sukroo 0419 805 915

695 Skenes Creek Road, Skenes Creek
$847,000
3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, 1 car space

Nestled into the huge hills that sit above Skenes Creek, Whispering Willows is a 46-hectare farmlet with an alps-inspired house. Six kilometres from Skenes Creek’s popular beach, the property adjoins state forest, has frontage to the spring-fed Skenes Creek and has a waterfall as well as towering willow trees that give the property its name. The house has three bedrooms, a period-style bathroom, a large lounge with a wood heater and a separate eat-in kitchen. An upstairs loft has distant views of the ocean and offers flexible uses as a children’s playroom, studio or fourth bedroom – it’s possible more could be done with this space. The living room has polished floorboards, windows on two sides and a wraparound deck with great views. The property is set up for small-scale farming with paddocks, shearing shed, machinery shed and water for stock.

Great Ocean Properties 5237 7366, Cate Thomas 0458 586 540

75b Duke Street, Castlemaine
$549,000
3 bedroom, 1 bathroom

This striking and distinctive house was designed by RAL Homes and would make a low-maintenance holiday house that blends with its rugged setting. From the outside, the curved corrugated cladding has a very rural Australian look that is reminiscent of both farm tanks and old army huts. Inside, those curves translate into interesting, flexible and light-filled spaces – the end of each large curve is a window overlooking bush and farmland. The large open-plan living and dining room has a timber kitchen to one side and the sitting area opens to a north-facing deck. The three bedrooms sit either side of the living room and all have built-in wardrobes.

Cantwell Property 5472 1133, Genevieve Cantwell 0418 362 270