Oak Dene Historic House Accommodation

Oak Dene is a unique and historic building. It was built in 1908 for Dr and Mrs John Wight as a family home and surgery by his eminent architect brother, Gerard Wight. The house is built entirely of ripple iron, inside and out. It is encircled by deep verandas, giving it a shaded, private quality that is enhanced by its setting in lawns and trees. Our home is a restful, retreat-like place that has welcomed guests for 110 years. We invite you to share in this tradition. The space The guest suite comprises the principal rooms of the house. A central entrance hall leads to two bedrooms, one with a king size bed and the other with two king single beds. A fold up bed for a fifth person can be placed wherever suits. The sitting room is gracious and generous with long windows and door to the garden, and a big smart television. The dining room comfortably seats eight and opens onto the fully equipped kitchen and then a small office. There is one large bathroom with a roll-top bath and walk-in shower and a second w/c and utility room. Reverse cycle heating and air-conditioning serves the main rooms. Guests have a spacious and private west facing veranda, BBQ and garden for outdoor dining and relaxing. There is a covered car space and easy street parking outside . Guest access Your Host lives in an adjoining wing of the house. Both parts are fully self-contained but share the entrance veranda, car parking and clothesline and thus you will see each other coming and going. Other things to note Heating and Cooling system: Special note regarding the heating and cooling system. The reverse cycle system is very effective in achieving your desired temperature. As you may imagine a unit this size is noisy. Oak Dene Historic House is in a residential street and we must consider the impact of noise on the neighbours. To this end we must insist you turn off the heating at the wall control no later than 10 pm at night. This is when you use the panel heaters in each room. They can be timer set to operate at your choice. The walls of the twin bedroom are papered. Achieving this finish over ripple iron must have been a feat, and our example is highly unusual in Australia. The paper is 110 years old and guests should be aware that it is far from in perfect condition. Conservation advice is being sought. The house sits in half an acre of garden, the remaining part of a three-acre Edwardian park. Today its chief legacy are two magnificent London plane trees; one is regarded as among the largest and finest in Victoria and is on the National Trust register of significant trees. Oak Dene is situated in a cul-de-sac where bird chatter is usually the only intrusion.