Our Stay at Sailors Whisk, Flinders
I arrived at Sailor’s Whisk on a Monday evening, when Flinders is delightfully peaceful - arguably the best time to experience this small, but very popular town. Along a quiet road, just one street back from Flinders’ picturesque foreshore sits a little blue cottage that’s so perfectly ‘seaside’, you’d never imagine it was once a c. 1910 worker’s cottage in Essendon, Melbourne. Owners & hosts Laura and Daniel could see its potential, with original leadlight and sash windows, wooden fretwork and ornate ceilings, and had the cottage transported in one piece to its new home. An all-consuming labour of love ensued, involving months of travelling between Melbourne and Flinders to complete the restoration. But the end result was worth the effort: Sailor’s Whisk is everything a luxurious getaway by the sea should be.
You know this is a special place before you’ve even stepped through the front door. The handcrafted latch on the solid, wooden driveway gate, beautifully landscaped indigenous garden, sympathetic to the surrounding coastal bushland, and natural rock stepping stones leading you to the front door. Inside, simply, is how I wish my own home looked: it’s graced the pages of Country Style magazine twice now with its picture-perfect interior, furnished with vintage & antiques that complement the period of the home, all with a genuine, comfortable home-away-from-home feel. Laura runs Mermaid Bay Interiors - an interior design business that sustainably creates comfortable, healthy and happy homes. It’s Sailors Whisk in a nutshell.
The attention to detail is obvious throughout: both bedrooms feature luxurious pure flax linens and natural textiles, including linen curtains & cushions, and sisal carpeting underfoot. I loved the little vintage touches and hand-picked antique & local artworks in each room, with the cottage’s original red pine architraves repurposed as picture frames. There’s a thoughtful selection of inspirational books by Australian designers Sibella Court and Lynda Gardener to curl up with on the linen sofa, or one of the vintage French club chairs in the living room.
The kitchen is a absolute delight! Handmade leather handles on cupboards concealing the fridge & dishwasher, a fabulous ink blue Esse cast iron range cooker, quality stoneware, rustic cheese boards, and decorative pieces like vintage wooden crates & French wire egg basket. There’s plenty of T2 teas (Melbourne Breakfast for AM, Sleep Tight tea for PM), condiments and flours for pizza-making and baking. On the quaint farmhouse dining table, nestled in a lovely vintage tray are breakfast supplies of Red Hill muesli, local compostable coffee pods, and also some gourmet dehydrated oranges - pick some rosemary from the herb garden to make rosemary and orange G&Ts.
Off the kitchen are sliding doors leading onto a covered wraparound back deck - built by Daniel, who owns a carpentry business - with dining table, outdoor lounge, and plenty of stacked firewood. The garden is framed by mature she-oak, eucalyptus trees and native plants, and there’s a stunning fire pit area with rock seating, next to the rustic pizza oven. It’s a quiet, private sanctuary, with lots of space to relax.
In the afternoon, I wandered up to Flinders’ General Store, which has been on the same site since 1866, passed down through many generations. There’s an impressive selection of locally made produce, wines, and ready-made gourmet meals to choose from. Wanting to savour my time at Sailors Whisk, I picked up an easy to prepare gnocchi and Peninsula pinot - thoroughly enjoying a glass or two in the late afternoon sun out on the back deck! However, if you’d like to prepare your own feast in the cottage’s well-stocked kitchen, the general store has all the ingredients you’ll need. Alternatively, within walking distance are many dining options - head to Flinders Hotel for a good pub meal, fine dining at Moke or Donna Maria, and speciality cheese & wine tastings at David and Karina Reyne’s recent venture, Plonk and Stink.
Walking back to Sailors Whisk, I took a little detour along The Esplanade, one of Victoria’s most expensive addresses, and for good reason - the views across the azure seas of Western Port Bay when the sky turns pink are breathtakingly beautiful. Come evening, for me it was catching up on reading next to the roaring Cheminees Philippe wood burner in the living room, enjoying a long hot soak with Australian Ayurvedic bathroom amenities, then retiring to what was one of the most comfortable pillow-top beds I’ve slept in, cocooned in soft linen sheets, with plump feather duvet & pillows. Bliss.
Sailors Whisk is the perfect weekend escape from Melbourne, and on Saturdays, Flinders Oyster Company sells its freshly-farmed Angasi oysters at the pier - making champagne & oysters at sunset almost a requirement. However, if you’re after a quiet getaway, and the decadent feeling of having Flinders all to yourself, I’d suggest booking in for a mid-week stay. Mention Historic Stays to receive a complimentary bottle of local wine when staying two nights or more.
Flinders, VIC - An Interesting History
The Boon Wurrung / Bunurong People lived sustainably upon this land for over 40,000 years, with the foreshores and creeks providing optimal places to fish & hunt for seafood, as well as drinking water. The area was discovered in 1798 by explorer George Bass, who named it Flinders after his close friend, sailor & explorer Captain Matthew Flinders (1774 -1814). They shared a passion for exploring new countries, along with a deep admiration and respect for each another. Some wonder if it was more than friendship, with Flinders penning to Bass in 1800, ‘There was a time, when I was so completely wrapped up in you, that no conversation but yours could give me any degree of pleasure; your footsteps upon the quarter deck over my head, took me from my book, and brought me upon deck to walk with you…’.
Perhaps his affections were unreturned, as soon after this letter, Bass married Elizabeth Waterhouse in October, 1800 in London; and less than six months later, Flinders married his longstanding friend, Ann Chappelle, in 1801. However, after three months of marriage, due to his adventurous voyages, Matthew Flinders and Ann did not see each other again for over nine years.
For over a century, historic Flinders has been a well-loved seaside destination. In 1903: ‘Flinders is rapidly becoming a favourite watering-place owing to its splendid climate and picturesque scenery.’ Flinders’ iconic 250m pier, originally built in the 1860s, was almost completely replaced in the 1970s due to damage, but remains in situ. St John’s Anglican Church in Barker Street, dating to 1892, is heritage listed.
