Inside a 124-Year-Old Church Reborn as a Secluded Boutique Stay

When Riges Younan first saw the white weatherboard church on a hill overlooking the Bass Coast hinterlands in Victoria, a sense of calm came over him. “I had an immediate emotional connection that was hard to ignore,” he recalls.

He and his partner Chloe Moore looked at the Ryanston property for about 15 minutes before they decided to buy it based on an instinctive feeling. Now, the couple have launched the property as The Little Woods, a place for weekend escapes, quiet elopements, or simply a space to escape and reconnect.

Over its long history, the weatherboard church has experienced many lives: as a place of worship for the Bass Coast’s Methodist congregation, then as an outpost of the Uniting Church before years of neglect left it in a state of disrepair. In 2020, the property was purchased by Karl and Rachel Russo, who set about restoring the original weatherboard building and adding a modern, architecturally designed extension.

The Russos spent five years overhauling the space. They retained the church’s Gothic windows, original shiplap walls and heritage arches, and installed a marble kitchen island, a woodfire stove and a luxurious clawfoot bath. The Pavilion, as the extension came to be known, was envisioned as a counterpoint to the heritage charm of the church, with a pitched roof, dark walnut cladding and floor-to-ceiling windows that frame the rolling countryside, ancient trees and open sky.

“There’s a historical soul to the church that you feel as you enter the original structure – the restoration has been done to maintain its original character,” says Younan. Inside you’ll find antique oak cabinets, bentwood dining chairs and a curved daybed in faded blush alongside glassware from the 1970s chosen to evoke a simpler past. The Pavilion’s interior has a more contemporary feel, with a warm, dark palette overlaid by textural linens and sheepskin throws.

Once outdoors you can take in the views stretching towards Phillip Island. Some of the region’s oldest cypress trees tower over the property, while the pastures in front of the building are home to a herd of local cattle. “Waking up in the morning and having the cows roll up to the doorstep is such a magical feeling,” says Younan.

High on the hill, surrounded by farmland, the property feels secluded – yet it’s in easy reach of Kilcunda, Phillip Island and everything the Bass Coast has to offer. Younan recommends the nearby Macca’s Farm, a produce store offering free-range pork and beef, hydroponically grown vegetables and produce from across South Gippsland, to stock up on supplies before retreating to the serenity of The Little Woods.

That serenity, so particular to the church and its ancient trees, is what Younan wants people to be able to experience for themselves. “There’s a sense of peace and quietness that comes as you roll up the driveway and into the property itself – everything seems to slow down,” he says. “We want The Little Woods to feel like a little oasis perched on top of the hills.”

Younan sees a connection between his love for the property and his background as someone who experienced displacement as a child. Born in Baghdad, Iraq, he moved to Australia as a refugee when he was two years old and found a sense of community and safety in south-west Sydney. With The Little Woods, he hopes to create a space where people feel similarly at home, honouring the building’s long history as a place of community and connection.

Rather than an owner, Younan views himself as the most recent in a long line of people who’ve cared for this particular piece of the Bass Coast. “We see ourselves as custodians of this place and we want to share it with the community,” he says. “That’s the thing that’s really driving us.”