The Cottage at Stoneridge: Tranquil, Secluded, Self-Contained.

Do you like your country air served with country comforts? Our timber and iron cottage has all you need. If you like what we like, you’ll appreciate the country experience all the more when the accommodation is comfortable. At Stoneridge, you can be confident of excellent quality, cleanliness and amenities.

“Quiet, comfortable, spacious, beautifully kept & appointed. A view to remember forever.” – R & C

You can enjoy lovely views of the Balingup Brook valley and surrounding hills from all the living areas. Nestled on the valley side, secluded and self-contained, the cottage offers you a world of your own.

The two bedrooms, equipped with Queen-size double and twin beds, have natural timber furnishings and spotless linen, doonahs, electric blankets and full-length clothes hanging. There’s a fold-out futon bed in the living room for a fifth guest. The main living area has polished timber flooring, a cosy wood fire, comfortable furnishings, a stereo CD player and iPod dock. Reverse-cycle air conditioning helps smooth out the crisp winter mornings and warm summer afternoons. The living area gives onto a verandah, angled to catch the winter sun and summer shade, with barbecue and outdoor setting. The verandah and main rooms all look across the valley of the Balingup Brook. An indoor dining area comfortably seats four, while the kitchen is fully equipped with under-bench oven, cook top, microwave, generous fridge/freezer, and a full range of utensils, cutlery and crockery. The water supply is our own pure rainwater.

Balingup, the Blackwood and The South West.

The South West of Western Australia is one of the world’s premier biodiversity regions. It takes in roughly 24,000 square km (9,300 square miles) of forest, farmland, vineyards, orchards and small towns. Its coasts front two oceans, and its hinterland is varied and beautiful. You can drive across it in a day, or you can spend as long as it takes. The climate is Mediterranean, with warm dry summers and cool wet winters. The diversity of the seasons is one of the joys of the area.

The Blackwood Valley is in the heart of the South West – rolling, fertile, timbered country with rich pastures, winding streams and historic towns. The Blackwood River itself rises in the open farming country to the east, and comes to the sea at Augusta, but the Blackwood Valley heartland includes four beautiful towns and their surrounding country: Balingup, Boyup Brook, Bridgetown, and Nannup.

Balingup is a compact, pretty village on the Balingup Brook, a tributary of the Blackwood River. It’s a comfortable 3 hours from Perth, roughly half-way between Donnybrook and Bridgetown, on the South-Western Highway.

Balingup breathes creativity: artists, craftspeople, jewellers, landscapers, herbalists, cooks, architects, organic farmers, intentional communities, therapists and musicians have all found their home here. It annually hosts the famous Small Farm Field Day (with scarecrow competition); the Telling Tales in Balingup children’s storytelling festival; and the Mediaeval Carnivale (or Fayre).

“Such a warm and inviting cottage. Loved the vista, saw kangaroo!! Also enjoyed the Mediaeval Festival. Many thanks!!!” — R, P & V.

The Golden Valley Tree Park, on the edge of Balingup, is a vast arboretum of Australian native and world tree species. A peaceful and inspiring place. While you’re here, call in at the Balingup Lavender Farm. The renowned Bibbulmun Track walk trail, almost 1000km from Perth to Albany, passes through Balingup – one of the very few towns on the route. There are beautiful day walks in both directions. There are also excellent scenic drives, and it’s good mountain bike country.

The scenic drive between Balingup and Nannup has been called the best road in Western Australia. Nine kilometres out of Balingup, a little beyond the historic Ferndale homestead, is the 6ha (15 acres) we named Stoneridge. Private, secluded and tranquil, Stoneridge lies 200m (220 yards) from the winding Blackwood Valley Drive, and looks along and across the valley of the Balingup Brook. Over 50 species of birds nest or visit here.

Our slopes, facing north and west, climb quickly from the valley bottom and the road, to form a ridge that runs back into the hill. It has beautiful rock outcrops — so, Stoneridge.