Bygone elegance of a grand estate
December 13, 2022 - We have news of our first Australian property, set in a 22-hectare estate in the spectacular Dandenong Ranges outside Melbourne. Our restoration of Burnham Beeches, a heritage Art Deco mansion, establishes a sustainable model for the future.
Six Senses Burnham Beeches will offer 43 guest accommodations, a Six Senses Spa and Earth Lab, and a range of hospitality venues, including a welcome lounge and terrace, a restaurant with outdoor seating, a library bar, and a rooftop.
Romance Reborn
The variety of guest rooms, with individual layouts and spread over the mansion’s three main wings, will offer a decadent retreat filled with seductive furnishing, character, and quirk touches.
With a rustic-luxe vibe of understated elegance without forgoing indulgence, there will also be a separate two-bedroom cottage with interconnecting one-bedroom suite within the site’s Hilltop Retreat. Adding to the guest rooms and subject to planning applications, the masterplan will incorporate a premium and unique glamping offer to bring the total accommodations to 82.
The Art Deco Streamline Moderne mansion was designed by architect Harry Norris in 1933 to capture “fresh air, sunshine and an outlook of command, yet under control”. Located 40 kilometers from Melbourne in the fern glades and forested hills of the Dandenong Ranges, Burnham Beeches was named after the eponymous English forest. The estate was added to the Victorian Heritage Register in 1991 and the extensive Alfred Nicolas Memorial Gardens are now managed by Parks Victoria.
Sensory Feast
Leaving the hustle and bustle of the city behind, the road to Six Senses Burnham Beeches ascends into the mountain mists and shady canopies of towering trees. This landscape invites the forest air and birdsong through the windows while you enjoy good food, good company, and the crackle of a fire reflected in a glass half full. The sprawling farm gardens will provide fruit and vegetables for the restaurants (all that fresh air promotes hunger), and the herb garden will produce healing and aromatic plants for use in Alchemy Bar workshops and Six Senses Spa treatments.
A tactile nature playground is planned as part of the Grow With Six Senses approach to connecting children with nature through play and interactive learning experiences. The magical parkland, arboretum, thicket, rockery, bushland, gullies, glades, a truffle farm, wetland, and native forest beyond are all spaces of tranquility and wonder for all ages to rediscover where the wild things go.
Regenerative Escape
Six Senses Spa on the lower ground level of the mansion will provide a botanical environment to house a welcome lounge and boutique, tea lounge, treatment rooms, gym, hydro area and sauna, and comfy relaxation spaces.
Because the entire project has been envisioned through a regenerative lens, the separate pool house complex will also accommodate the Earth Lab, boosting the estate’s capacity to service the community and the ecosystems that underpin the place.
Village Square
Trenerry Consortium announced its acquisition of Burnham Beeches in early 2021 and has since assembled an industry-leading project team, including development manager Trenerry Property; principal architects Woods Bagot; noted Australian builders Hamilton Marino managing the restoration and build, and landscape architects Oculus. The Trenerry Consortium’s masterplan also includes plans for a Village Square, serving as the beating heart of the site, which gives hotel guests access to an additional collection of venues, each with a rustic charm and staying true to the self-sufficient approach of the Nicholas family. Here, guests and locals will gather and enjoy abundance and indulgence at The Hearth, The Barn, Steak House, The Baker, Brew House, and Providore.
Burnham Beeches, Sherbrooke, and Nicholas Gardens are connected by a series of walking trails that weave throughout the site. Guests will be able to explore the historical, ecological, cultural, and indigenous stories from Burnham Beeches and the Wurundjeri and Kulin nation lands, incorporated into the art, architecture, signage, and landscaping throughout the grounds.
Summing up this latest project, slated to open mid-2025, Six Senses CEO Neil Jacobs said, “For Six Senses Burnham Beeches to be regenerative, it will not be a static place. We’ll evolve and respond to bring the rich heritage of Burnham Beeches to life, inviting moments of exploration, discovery, connection to nature, and delight through interactive gastronomy, wellness, and sustainability experiences.”