DESIGN CONCEPT

With it's rustic tea tree balustrades and vertical rough sawn yellow stringy bark cladding, The Last Beach House is a quintessential Australian Beach House.

The tactile cladding references the Australian rural vernacular, and also serves to draw The Last Beach House into the typically Australian landscape that surrounds it. It is this landscape of rolling surf beaches and nature reserves that become a visible extension to the beach house, a tangible and vivid part of the dwelling.

In contrast to the exterior, the interior is smooth and refined, red and green feature walls animate the spaces. "The red is evocative fo the sunsets down here, and the green reflects coastal grasses," says Last, who has filled the house with 1970's classic furniture. Once inside the beach house, one becomes more aware of the landscape; the architecture mediates and informs the visitor's relationship with Philip Island, in a way that would not otherwise be possible, thus becoming a vessel for experiencing Australian coastal life.



ENVIRONMENTAL

A careful and considered approach to sustainability has been taken throughout the design and construction stages of The Last Beach House. A wide range of strategies have been used to allow the house to leave as small a footprint as possible, whilst making the most of its coastal position.

Choice of many indigenous materials and finishes has been instrumental in reducing the embodied energy in materials. Great care was taken to respond to the site and many strategies were used to allow the beach house to perform well in the coastal environment, active as well as passive low tech strategies such as positioning and size of windows to achieve the most efficient heating, cooling and coastal views.



AWARDS

Named 'Best Beach House' in 2005 in Domain magazine by Melbourne's The Age newspaper, and featured in numerous Australian and European design publications - including Case da Arbitare and the 'bible' of beach house guide books, Beach Houses Down Under 2006.



FACILITIES

The Last Beach House provides luxurious self-catering accommodation for up to six persons. Decorated with quality retro furnishings, three bedrooms and two bathrooms, the master bedroom is spacious, with a queen bed and modern spa bath.



LOCATION

Located at Surf Beach on Philip Island, The Last Beach House overlooks a nature reserve with vistas from the observation deck towards the Surf Beach and a wild untamed ocean beyond.



RATES

From $500 for 2 nights midweek (low season)
From $595 for 2 nights weekends (low season)
From $1500 weekly rate (low season)