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[title]It's no secret that Victorians love tiny homes, going off-grid and stargazing, and now Visit Victoria has announced it's combining all three of those wondrous things into one gorgeous activation: Stella the Stargazer.
Stella is a tiny, portable shack, and its purpose is centred around creating the perfect environment for stargazing. If you've been looking for a reason to get off the grid, disconnect from your screens and connect intimately with Victoria's raw, rugged landscapes, then this is it.
Designed in partnership with Ample – a Port Fairy-based design and manufacturing business – her structure and interior is intended to be comfortable and luxurious, while also having minimal impact on our environment. The design and furniture choices inside champion upcycled, handmade and Victorian materials; for example, Ample discovered the sink basin while hunting for treasures at local antique shops.
"I'm a strong advocate for leaning into what I see as the only true Australian piece of architecture: the tin shed," says Luke Hickman, a designer at Ample. "We wanted to elaborate on the simplicity, and show that it could also be comfortable and relaxing and engaging."
The star of the show is the roll-out sleeping platform, which features a queen-sized bed where you can stargaze and fall asleep, blanketed by the night sky. The shower has operable glass louvres, providing a semi-outdoor feel and gives an outlook on your surroundings, and the kitchenette has a wood fire that also functions as a hotplate.
The home is flanked by a large modular deck, where you can sit by the fire pit and soak up the vistas. And to top things off, those staying will also enjoy breakfast, a welcome hamper and a bottle of wine curated by chef Alejandro Saravia (Farmer's Daughters, Victoria).
If you haven't gathered already, this may be a 'tiny' house in size, but it's large in spirit.
"Someone commented to us that it was a simple structure, and I took that as a compliment. because it's not," said Aaron Shields, a builder at Ample. "It's humble until you get inside, and then it's obnoxious."
Stella will shack up in three Victorian regions for eight weeks at a time, starting at Blue Gables vineyard in Maffra on October 14. From the gentle rolling hills of Central Gippsland, Stella will then move on to the rugged coastline of the Great Ocean Road in February and March, followed by the jagged sandstone mountains of the Grampians in April and May.
To learn more and to book a stay, visit the Stella the Stargazer website.