Beekeepers - Cape Liptrap | Meet The Makers
4 BEDROOMS | 3.5 BATHROOMS
Rates start from $1100 (AUD) per night
Beekeepers – Cape Liptrap is a 4 bedroom, 330sqm, off-the-grid home that’s nestled along a rugged and spectacular section of Victoria’s Wilsons Promontory coastline.
“I built the home in a remote location based on a dream I had when I was 18 years old. I imagined I had this big glass house on the coast, which sat embedded in the bush”
Fast forward to today and Richard has created a truly magical retreat. Beekeepers – Cape Liptrap sits on, as Richard describes, the largest piece of freehold coastal bush in Victoria – at 640 acres (259 hectares). He plans to keep the natural landscape intact, preserving the diverse species and ecosystems of the Wilsons Promontory coastline.
We had a chat with Richard to hear about his passion and inspiration, and what makes this home so special.
What’s the inspiration behind Beekeepers – Cape Liptrap?
The home was inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hemicycle House. It was built of strong and robust materials and took advantage of the views through the expansive use of glass. Beekeepers has been created as a modernist version of the same semicircular shape, with large floor to ceiling windows maximising light and warmth, and orientated to provide expansive views of the rugged coastline.
The house has been designed to be off-the-grid and self sustaining. There is a lot of thermal mass which stabilises the temperature of the home. We have 3KW solar panels and a 75KW battery bank. We even have 100,000L of rainwater storage and a giant worm farm for recycling organics.
I believe the house demonstrates that you can have a luxury off-the-grid home that has no further carbon footprint beyond the construction.
From the onset I wanted to be part of the build. I wanted to give it a go and be quite hands on.
I’m surprised how eagerly you embraced the challenge – would you do it again?
For sure. We designed everything using computer aided design (CAD), so we had very detailed plans. Due to the extreme weather – we can have winds of over 100km an hour, we pre-fabricated most of the home offsite and brought it here and bolted it together.
What do guests most love?
Certainly, it’s the escapism. You really can’t understand how wonderful it is until you’re here. I had a review recently that said, “this is the real deal.” It’s great that guests can immerse themselves in nature.
There are 640 acres of undisturbed natural coastal bush and forest at your doorstep, and 1 kilometre of uninterrupted beach front along Morgan’s beach.
What’s your favourite aspect of the property?
I echo the guest’s sentiment. It’s the amazing coastal views and native bush frontage. The biodiversity is incredible – from plant life to wedge tail eagles – nature is always on show.
Being able to live here, in such a pristine, natural and immersive setting is a privilege. The solitude is what helps you understand we are part of a much larger ecosystem. There are so many other organisms and species of the planet that you become more aware of. They’re busy doing their own thing and you get familiar with their natural cycles.
As Richard tells me this he casually mentions that week they had whales passing by, jumping out of the water as they watched on from Beekeepers.
Hopefully some things never get old.
Beekeepers – Cape Liptrap
Beekeepers Cape Liptrap is a 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom off-the-grid escape located along a magnificent stretch of Victoria’s South Gippsland coastline. If you’re after pure escapism and immersive luxury then look no further.
Home: Beekeepers – Cape Liptrap | Click here for more information and to book
Looking for more holiday home inspiration? Check out our latest Meet The Maker features here
