Acre of Roses

In the town of Trentham, a 90-minute drive north-west of Melbourne, you’ll find a handsome little guesthouse called The Potting Shed and a six-person miner’s cottage called, well – The Miner’s Cottage.

The two neighbouring houses are run by Sandy McKinley and her husband Rob Roy, and both are located on their flower farm Acre of Roses.

The Potting Shed is a self-contained studio with a corrugated tin roof and French doors that open onto McKinley’s vegetable garden outside. It's dog-friendly, and unsurprisingly for a property with 1700 heritage rose bushes, flowers and floral motifs are a common thread throughout the space – you’ll find them decorating the bed linen, encircling the mirror, in artworks on the walls, and in mismatched vases throughout the rustic space.

There’s a kitchenette with a microwave, a bar fridge and a coffee machine, and a continental breakfast is included, but the elegant Miner’s Cottage – which dates back to the 1860s – has a more 21st-century kitchen, if you feel like cooking and baking.

The Miner’s Cottage sleeps six, with all three bedrooms (including one with an ensuite and a tiny kitchenette) opening onto the verandah. (There’s also a queen sofa bed that can accommodate one or two more guests for an extra fee.)

Outside there’s a cedar hot tub, which is fed with rainwater, and an undercover open-air theatre with Netflix and a fireplace. It’s a great spot to practise yoga, too – mats are supplied.

If your notion of a relaxing weekend involves a bit more activity and exploring, the Wombat State Forest is about a 20-minute drive away. Trentham township, where you’ll find sourdough bakery Redbeard, and French farm-style eatery Du Fermier (which warrants a weekend trip on its own) is a 10-minute walk away.