Wheelhouse Apartments

Take the tiller and steer the good ship luxury into harbour. Built on a hill overlooking the harbour, Strahan’s Wheelhouse Apartments are architectural wonders, with a vibe more luxe fishing trawler than house. The worst thing about staying here is you won’t want to leave and do anything else in town.

Ground level features a modern, open-plan living space with a kitchen, cosy dining area set in a sheltered cove and a large bathroom. The front living area cantilevers over a cliff edge, with outward-sloping floor-to-ceiling windows that offer a commanding view over the sea. This is the “wheelhouse” that gives the apartments their name and you almost feel like you’re riding the crest of a wave.

A spiral staircase leads to the crow’s nest – otherwise known as the master bedroom – where you can walk directly from your king-sized bed to the spa pool, complete with port hole. Designed with a ship-builder’s sense of economy of space, the en-suite is nestled covertly behind the bed, giving privacy while maintaining an open-air feel.

The apartments were designed and built by Strahan local Rick Dyson in 2002. The flooring upstairs is myrtle, with a Huon pine vanity. Local timbers feature throughout the house, with Tasmanian Oak and celery top used downstairs. The stone foundations are from Fingal on the east coast, and contain fragments of scallop shell fossils.