The Age November 28 2009

**See full review on The Age Website**

Where to stay Cimarron bed-and-breakfast, owned by Wade Chambers (see 'Local's view', below), is a colonial-style house built from large, hand-hewn local timbers. The property has great views to Point Roadknight and to the open ocean.

Each of the three guest rooms has a queen-size bed, private bathroom, television and video, with access to 1000 films and 3000 books.

Guests can relax around the wood stove in the large vaulted-ceiling living area adorned with indigenous art, or on the verandas surrounded by native bush gardens. Rooms from $150 a night. Phone 5289 7044, see cimarron.com.au.

LOCAL'S VIEW "IT'S just on 40 years since I first laid my American eyes on Split Point Lighthouse at Aireys Inlet - a wonderful moment for a boy born in the Oklahoma dust bowl," says Wade Chambers.

"Why would anyone leave this very special place? Parrots and cockies abound on our block and in the surrounding Great Otway National Park. From the veranda, I sometimes see 10 sorts of improbably coloured birds before breakfast and kangaroos boxing on the lawn after dinner.

"My partner and I enjoy beachcombing along miles of empty shoreline and rock-pooling on the seven little pocket beaches beneath the cliffs on which the town is situated.

"There are waterfalls in the Otways, orchids on Ted's Ridge Track, benches and lookouts on the Cliff TopWalk, horses to ride along the Old Coach Road and sophisticated wineries to visit nearby. These days, we even have a few highly rated eateries in the area. "Of course, Aireys Inlet is also the town that came back from the utter destruction of AshWednesday in 1983.

And if we have to, we'll do it again. After all, we're the original gateway to the Great Ocean Road and if we're still a little artsy-craftsy, we're also the inheritors of the community spirit that built that international touring landmark."

Lonely Planet: Australia 2005

Cocoon and rejuvenate your spirits in this superb, rustic, yet sophisticated homestead. Loft-style doubles have vaulted ceilings and tree-top, sea views. Out back, its all National Park and wildlife.

Follow gravelly Gilbert Rd into the National Park behind Aireys Inlet to this superb accommodation. The house was built in the late-70s from hand-hewn local timbers, milled at the last operational timber mill in the Otways. Everything's banged together with wooden pegs and ship-lap joins (look Ma, no nails!). Upstairs are two private guest rooms - Blue and Eagle - linked by an internal bridge above the lounge area. Both rooms have a queen-sized bed, TV, video, en suite and ocean views; Blue has a spa. The self-contained garden flat sleeps four. Outside, several well-trodden coastal and bush-walking trails traipse past the property. Cockatoos, wallabies, kangaroos and five species of parrot do what comes naturally in the five-acre native gardens. Manager Paul trained as a French cuisine chef - his breakfast omelettes are worth waking up for. Kid-free, but gay-friendly.

Arthur Frommer’s Budget Travel Magazine February 2005

Cimarron, a B&B high above the town of Airey’s Inlet, was designed and built in 1979 from native eucalyptus wood by Wade Chambers, an American-born professor. Scanning the thousands of books that line the walls, I tell Wade that I could get into the idea of moving, like he did, to this peaceful Aussie Malibu. Wade is an eager talker, and before we know it, it’s past midnight. In the morning, wild parrots and white cockatoos peer into the windows. As I pull out of Cimarron, three bemused kangaroos blink at me before hopping tnto the trees.

Brother/Sister 2003

This tranquil property, nestled in the arms of the Angahook/Lorne Forest Park, looks out over Urquhart Bluff to the Great Southern Ocean with sweeping views to the beaches of Point Roadknight and the open seas. In the evening sky, the distant beacons of three historic lighthouses can be seen amidst the bright starry skies of the southern hemisphere. Guests enjoy panoramic ocean views from every room, each of which features queen size bed, writing desk, TV/ video, vaulting ceiling, and ensuite bathroom. Gourmet breakfasts are included, and meals are available on request.

The unusual main house, constructed of hand-hewn native timbers using nineteenth century techniques, is distinguished by a wrap-around verandah and large window-walled dormers. The grounds of Cimarron include five acres of garden and bush. No other buildings can be seen from any part of this peaceful landscape. The interiors are decorated throughout with original works of indigenous art from around the world. The large central living room with pitched ceilings, wood burning fireplace, and floor-to-ceiling book cases is friendly and relaxing. A movie-lover’s video collection of over one thousand films (including many gay titles) is freely available to guests.

Cimarron is a paradise for flora and fauna. More than 150 species of birds have been recorded in the area. Four species of parrot feed regu¬larly under the verandah. Kan¬ga¬roos, wallabies, and even occasional koalas, range in the grounds and the adjoining park. In season, whales have been spotted from the house with binoculars. The Anglesea heathlands adjoining Urquhart Bluff constitute one of southern Australia’s richest or¬chid habitats. August to November are the peak wildflower season.

Sunnymeade Beach, three minutes by car from Cimarron, is the first of many small crescent coves sheltered by eighty foot cliffs and memorable for their beautiful sandy stretches, a mermaid pool warmed by the afternoon sun, a grotto with natural sandstone arch, reefs for fishing, and wonderful eroded tidal channels for kiddie play (or the young at heart). Bring your wind surfing, hang-gliding and scuba diving gear or just your speedos for the five mile beaches at either end of the town of Aireys Inlet. Within easy driving distance are two gay frequented nude beaches, or just meander along the Cliff Top Walk to the Split Point Lighthouse (featured in films and novels (like Mad Max 1 and one of Arthur Upfield’s best known murder mysteries). More energetic walkers can choose from hundreds of miles of marked trails in the Otway ranges with its tall Eucalypt forests and serene waterfalls.

Ninety minutes from Melbourne’s West Gate Bridge, Cimarron is a haven for international travelers who use it as a base from which to discover the wonders of the Great Ocean Road. From the famous Surf Coast (Bells Beach) at one end to Australia’s Big Sur at the other, the Road extends over 200 kilometers past famous shipwreck sites, through remnants of temperate rain forest, overlooking spectacular coastal formations (eg the Twelve Apostles), and ending at the picturesque village of Port Fairy.

Arthur Frommer’s Budget Travel Magazine October 2001

You can do the drive in a day or two if you rush, but to really have fun, take four or five days and explore the quaint seaside holiday towns that line the Great Ocean Road between Torquay and Port Fairy. It’s a leisurely drive, much of it hugging the dramatic cliffs above the churning waves. … We chose a bed and breakfast atop a hill in Aireys Inlet that had a commanding view of the sea and was populated by dozens of garishly colored parrots. Hand-built from indigenous wood with vaulted ceilings, vcrs in each roon, and a dairy-fresh breakfast, Cimarron turned out to be run by an American professor who settled in Victoria in the 1970;s to raise a family. We got the royal treatment, with panoramic views over the sea, the indulgence of a spa bath, and good conversation.

Beyond Aireys on the Great Ocean Road, are the Twelve Apostles, where towering stone pillars cutinto the surf like ships heading out to sea, more dazzling sea vistas, more salt-water-gargling grottos and caves, and more eccentric holiday towns. It’s a terrific awe-inspiring place.

Brother/Sister 2001

Recently my partner and I had three whole days to get away from the city. He wanted simply to collapse beside glorious sea views; whereas I wanted vigorous bush walks, well at least semi-vigorous. So looking for both tall trees and tall seas we decided on the Great Ocean Road, one of the world’s great coastal drives. Known for its iconic rocks The Twelve Apostles, the road winds around ragged cliffs and wide sandy beaches for over 100k, leaving the ocean briefly to pass through the lush rainforest of the Otway ranges.

We based ourselves in Aireys Inlet (about ninety minutes from the West Gate Bridge) at a remarkable B&B called Cimarron, so named by its American Indian host who was born on the banks of the Cimarron River in Oklahoma. His amazing hand-hewn timber house, which resembles nothing less than a Canadian mountain lodge, though on a more intimate scale, offers four rooms to choose from, each with views of sea and bush and each distinctively decorated with indigenous art from around the world. We settled on a room called Blue: its comfortable Queen-sized bed seems almost perched in the trees with window walls that look out over a wilderness landscape to the blue sea’s horizon. Even the ensuite spa has sea views.

Melbourne Star Observer 1999

One of the surprises of Cimarron B&B is a connoisseur’s film library with over a thousand films. So, each night after a pleasant drink in front of the log-burning fireplace, we retired to watch art house films, and on the last night a thriller. Breakfast was a simple buffet of fresh fruit salad, ‘designer muesli board’, and a superb selection of pastries, served on Fiesta ware, the art deco china that I first heard about in Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City.. After checking our email on the little orange iMac, we spent mornings mostly under the long verandah, dozing and nature-watching (5 sorts of parrot and a black swamp wallabee!).

Most people don’t realise that Airey’s Inlet, home to the Split Point Light, also has the best and most varied beaches along the coast. Furthermore it is only a fifteen minute drive to the magnificent Point Addis, with its terrific nudie beach at the far end. What a holiday! We walked to hidden waterfalls, hunted for rare orchids, cuddled in deserted rocky alcoves along the beach, shopped at the surf outlet stores at Torquay and along the trendy promenade at Lorne, and partook of gourmet meals (except for the one night when we pigged out at a wonderful upmarket pizza joint).

Cimarron is not the least expensive place along the coast but it may well be the best and is still very affordable. In a word, the sea views and garden setting make for a serene and relaxing experience. You won’t be disappointed.