Cheeky Fox Retreat

Cheeky Fox Retreat offers a relaxing getaway for groups of up to 10 adults. Situated on 50 private acres with spectacular views over the Ranges, the property is perfect for a relaxing weekend away with family & friends, a business meeting, planning session, or as a space for artists to work including craft groups and musicians. Located only an hour from Melbourne and just 20 minutes to the Yarra Valley wineries, Kinglake is a rural township that feels a world away from the city. At some 600 metres above sea level, Kinglake is about 4 degrees cooler than Melbourne and can have some alpine-like weather, including snow in the winter. The house has a wood burner and ducted heating & cooling so is well prepared for all weather events! The Kinglake Ranges offers a wide variety of nature-based attractions. Explore the majestic Kinglake National Park which includes a variety of walks and waterfalls at Masons Falls and Wombelano Falls. Local tourist destinations are within easy reach, including the historic Kinglake Pub, Kinglake Forest Adventures and Bollygum Park, a magical children's playground. Guests have exclusive access to the house and immediate grounds, including swimming pool and gardens and you are welcome to explore the wider property and walking tracks through the bush. Note that the owners also live in a separate dwelling on the property and as it is a working hobby farm, they may be seen in the paddocks tending to the animals (or walking the dog!) during your stay. Within the house there's a large living space, boardroom/dining room, award winning kitchen, library, private cinema and music studio (musicians are required to supply their own equipment). Families with young children will enjoy the extensive outdoor space, the swimming pool, well-stocked toy box and cinema room complete with pre-recorded children's movies! We also provide a high chair and a port-a-cot free of charge. Add to the experience! You are welcome to join us on our morning bushwalk through the property with Fitz, our sheepdog who will happily lead you along the track to check-out 'Wombat's House'! Let us know when you check-in if this is of interest. For those guests planning to visit the Yarra Valley wineries, we offer private wine tours directly from the property and can either design a tour for you or take you wherever you'd like to go. Ask about our ‘Cheeky Wine Tours’ when enquiring for more information. We also offer in-house wine & whisky tastings, so you don't even have to leave the property. Tastings take place either in the library or outside by the bonfire or the swimming pool depending on the weather and time of year. Planning a special occasion? Then you may be interested in our private chef in-house dining option. Enjoy a 3 course menu served to you in the formal dining room with all cleaning up taken care of! If you would like to plan any activities for your stay we have partners for several in-house workshop/activity options. These include yoga, meditation, massage, cooking classes, fermentation and kombucha making workshops, art classes, creative writing, personal styling, as well as guided bushwalks in the Kinglake National Park. Something for everyone! Ask us for further details. For our corporate guests we can provide conference & event co-ordination, in-house catering, team building/entertainment and transport options for an additional fee so please let us know your requirements when booking. Interaction with Guests As your hosts, we'll be available to work with you and make sure your stay is perfect in every way. We aim to greet all our guests to show you around the house and facilities before we leave you to enjoy the retreat. We like to get to know our guests prior to arrival so that we can provide as much of a tailored experience as possible. Please tell us a bit about your group and plans for your stay when making your booking or enquiry so that we can offer you the best advice for your stay. House rules Whilst we're secluded and we encourage you to enjoy your time on the property, we still have neighbours to consider so no excessive loud music in the outside areas of the house/property after 11pm. Your booking is for the maximum number of guests that we have agreed, no visiting guests are allowed unless by prior arrangement. However, please just be upfront with us about your plans so that we can work with you to accommodate - we're pretty easy going! No smoking inside the house please, an outside ashtray is provided. We are open to accepting dogs, provided they meet certain criteria, particularly as there are farm animals on the property. Please contact us to discuss. Other things to note * Note that in addition to the availability shown on the calendar, we may also have tentative bookings held for other guests. Please enquire with us to ensure your preferred dates are available, even if they appear to be on the calendar * Our standard cancellation policy does not apply in the event that Covid-19 restrictions prevent your stay from going ahead as planned - we will happily refund in full or reschedule in this instance. Also, please note that the quoted nightly rate is inclusive of 10% GST. Cheeky Fox Retreat is home to around 25 sheep and we have nightly visits from wombats and of course the occasional Cheeky Fox! With the animals on the property please remember to close all gates after you use them. Kinglake is known for its mountain winters so don't forget to pack your gumboots, uggboots and warm clothing from April to October. Note the swimming pool is not available over the winter period (it's solar heated so we can't get it to a comfortable temperature at that time year but we find red wine by the fire a pretty good alternative!).