Skybarrels: Buninyong villas to thrill on extinct volcano’s edge

Author:ahsan

67 Yendon No. 2 Road, Buninyong - for herald sun real estate

‘Pinnacle’/CA 3 Yendon No 2 Road, Buninyong — also known as Vertigo.

Most luxury getaways aim to help you relax.

Regional Victorian tourism veteran David Perman is hoping his latest project, dubbed the Skybarrels, will “scare the pants off people”.

Determined to do things differently, he’s planning to balance the unique oval-shaped holiday villas up to 16m above ground on the edge of an extinct volcano, Mount Buninyong, just outside of Ballarat.

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Designed by TreeARC principal architect Robyn Larsen, the development’s five double-storey barrels will measure 8m tall, about 5m wide and 8.5m long.

All will capture sprawling vistas, but the main villa, called “Vertigo”, will be perched at the top of a 16m-tall open-tread staircase.

The four remaining skybarrels will be perched at a less fear-evoking level above the ground.

“You enter it from underneath, like a UFO,” Mr Perman said.

“It’s going to be an act of bravery just walking up. And the second you open the front door the view over the volcano drop comes in.”

Inside, the villas will have a minimalist, industrial vibe — decked out with luxury including 75-inch TV screens connected to American Netflix accounts, Nick Scalli furniture and Loui Jover original artworks.

Unique on the outside, luxury on the inside.

“They are a bit crazy,” Mr Perman said.

“But our philosophy is there’s no point building what someone else already built, or doing something that people have got at home.”

Plans for the 4a site include engaging with its Indigenous cultural heritage and potentially having a chef tend to guests.

Step inside and the view over the extinct volcano’s rim unfolds before you.

Hockingstuart Belle Property Daylesford’s Nathan Skewes is currently selling the properties at 67 67 Yendon Road No. 2, Buninyong, as a luxury investment. Each one-bedroom residence is expected to cost $1 million with a leaseback agreement guaranteeing an 8 per cent return.

“We are getting plenty of interest in them,” Mr Skewes said.

The accommodation’s major drawcards will include the stunning views on offer.

The Daylesford region was “inundated” with inquiry from Melbourne-based buyers at the moment, and he said it was likely all of the Skybarrels would be sold within a few months.

Mr Perman said he was confident that the properties would be popular. Another high-end operation he has set up at Clifftop at Hepburn has won multiple awards and maintained 85 per cent occupancy throughout the COVID-19 turmoil.