Wattleview pool house is Portland's best-kept secret. A beautiful, spacious house built from iron and wood, our kids loved the mezzanine loft (and the pool), and we loved the soaring roof, abundant natural light, and open living spaces. While the interior and applicances are very modern, there are some really neat features from local farming history, such as a big woolshed door, a rope and pully and a chest of lockers in the pool's changing room. We used Wattleview as a base to explore Portland and the surrounding national parks- highlights include Mount Richmond, Discovery Bay sand dunes, and an amazing walk around Cape Bridgewater that Suzie suggested, and is hands down the best coastline walk I have ever done- after two summers of trying I now feel like I have really had the Great Ocean Road experience.
But back to the house, and host. Suzie is really lovely, welcoming and friendly and up for a chat without imposing on your space. She met us at the door with a delicious yet practical hamper, and coffee beans with a good Breville espresso machine ready to go. She let us raid her herb garden, and we were even lucky enough to get some fresh-baked sour dough (but we may have been lucky to be there on baking day). Also, if your city kids need a bit of country life, our kids loved watching the cows and chickens, and the amazing stars at night, and we even saw a Koala in our drive way. Other practical things- we had a few chill out days by the pool in between sight seeing- its big with natural salt water so you dont need googles. There is a bbq that we used twice and loved, but the oven in the kitchen is a big, new, and easy to use. Washing cloths and dishes are easy due to the respective washing machines. To sum up, this is a great base for a country holiday- we will definitely stay here next time we are in the area.