Meeting the wildlife at Sebel Pinnacle Valley Resort
There was movement at the station, for the word had passed around That the colt from old Regret had got away, And had joined the wild bush horses - he was worth a thousand pound, So all the cracks had gathered to the fray. All the tried and noted riders from the stations near and far Had mustered at the homestead overnight, For the bushmen love hard riding where the wild bush horses are, And the stockhorse snuffs the battle with delight.
The high country of Australia’s Great Dividing Range provided the back-drop for our most recent weekend getaway. A golden drive to the mountains this time of year dappled as the Victorian countryside is with autumn leaves. I am doing a bit of event planning at the moment sourcing great family friendly locales for professional education events. For this reason we headed to Merrijig in the Victorian High Country to experience the Sebel Pinnacle Valley Resort.
Sebel Pinnacle Valley Resort
Pulling into the resort as the sun set the scene made a spectacular first impression, surrounded as we were by kangaroos grazing on the resorts hillside. A mountain chill was descending so the toasty interior of our newly refurbished mountain chalet with gas fire place blazing made a subsequent good impression. With hungry kids in tow we rugged up appropriately and headed to the manager hosted barbecue dinner which was capped off by a massive bonfire. Not exhibiting their best sharing behaviours my two boys proceeded to toast an entire packet of marshmallows between the two of them.
A twenty seventh marshmallow? Don’t mind if I do
I had promised my boys a night-time spa before bed as a treat (as if a giant bonfire and marshmallows galore wasn’t enough) so we headed up to the pool area. Alas no spa there but there was a children’s pool that included a small waterslide. Enough of a temptation for my insane in the membrane children to strip off their beanies and parkas and jump into the chilly waters for some water play at sub-arctic temperatures. Fortunately we did manage to locate the indoor heated spas in time to thaw out my now blue but happy children.
Feeding the parrots on our deck in the morning.
As this was a scouting trip we were only staying at the Sebel Pinnacle Valley for one night. The next morning was spent hand feeding beautiful parrots on our chalet’s deck, meeting some more kangaroos, and playing mini-golf on the resort’s 18 hole mini-golf course. Rain set in before we had a chance to take a canoe out on the resort lake, have a hit of tennis or throw a line in to catch some fish.
The lake at Sebel Pinnacle Valley Resort
Some practical information for those of you that like the practical details:
We stayed in a two bedroom chalet. The interior was gorgeous, just newly refurbished. The children’s bedroom was an upstairs loft and at my request the manager quickly provided a stair gate to avoid infant injury. In the living room was a double sleeper sofa so the two bedroom chalet could easily accommodate a family of six. A range of other accommodation is on site including standard hotel rooms and one bedroom chalets. Large functional kitchen and sumptuous spa bath complemented our stay.
The lake at Sebel Pinnacle Valley Resort
Main bedroom in the two bedroom chalet
The resort offers a more affordable accommodation option than that on mountain for those wanting to ski at Mount Buller during snow season – only a 30 minute drive from the ski fields. Ski hire is available at the resort. Horse rides including extended rides for adults and 30 minute rides for children depart from the resort and can be arranged at an extra charge.
The Sebel Pinnacle Valley Resort is located at LOT 1 Mimosa Drive, Merrijig Victoria and is an Accor property.
Mini golf The lake at Sebel Pinnacle Valley Resort
As for my event planning – I left completely delighted with the property and have booked my first weekend educational workshop there in October.
Hop on over to Friday Postcards at Walking on Travels for some other traveller’s photo posts.
Bubs on the Move provides tips and advice for parents traveling with small children including attraction and accommodation reviews. I’d love for ya’ll to join us on our adventures by either signing up for the newsletter, joining us on Facebook, Twitter,Pinterest and Instagram to receive updates.
Wow, looks like a fun, laid back place to spend a weekend. The room looks comfy too, and stylish!