Aire River Escape

Cabin in Hordern Vale, Great Ocean Road, VIC, AU

100% Recommended•

2 people

No pets

Tucked away, just off the Great Ocean Road is Aire River Escape. A cool little cabin, designed and built for couples seeking something indulgent and secluded. Nestled on a wide bend of the pristine Aire River the cabin overlooks rich farmland and the Otway National Park. The views, accompanied by the sounds of wildlife and farm animals will lull you into a state of calm.

In Latin, aire means "restorer", "repairer" or "renewer". How appropriate are they for you?

Paddle to the Aire River mouth (kayaks and safety gear provided) and take a walk on the secluded Glenaire Beach or head upstream and take in the peaceful surrounds of the lush Otway forest. Terrific for bird watching, koala spotting and platypus stalking. At the end of the day relax in front of the wood fire or enjoy the sauna and spa overlooking the valley views.

Return guests to Aire River Escape enjoy the peaceful solitude and the low impact, solar passive cabin. The perfect place to switch off and forget about hectic lives.

If you can bear to tear yourself away from this peaceful property, the closest beach is a 5 min drive away and is excellent for surfing and beach fishing. Very handy to the best part of the Great Ocean Walking Track.

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Features and Amenities

1 bedroom

1 bed

1 bathroom

Bath

BBQ

Heating

Details

Check in after 3:00pm
Check out before 10:00am
Weekday minimum booking: 3 nights
Weekend minimum booking: 3 nights

Cancellation Policy:

Receive a full refund (minus service fee) up until 1 week prior to check-in.

Additional Information

AIRE RIVER ESCAPE DETAILS

- Full kitchen with everything you would expect
- Large cedar sauna
- Outdoor spa bath
- Large screen TV and extensive DVD library
-2 Kayaks (2 x life jackets)
- Weber gas BBQ

PLEASE NOTE

- Aire River Escape is not safe or suitable for young children and is also not wheelchair-access friendly.

-No dogs during winter sorry!

- Please note all heating is provided by a wood fire. It does a good job heating the small space. I provide fire wood but you must provide your own kindling or fire lighters. Cooling is provided by ceiling fan, portable fans and an evaporative cooler.

-All linen provided including robes

- The toilet is located in an out building adjacent to the cabin. It is an environmentally friendly, no water, no smell composting toilet. It may sound gross, but I promise you it's not.

- Aire River Escape has an emergency bush fire plan and emergency grab bag. The host will communicate closely with guests during periods of high fire danger. Guests are ultimately responsible for their own safety and should remain vigilant and follow instructions from Vic Emergency App.
Bookings during Code Red will be cancelled and refunded.

- Hordern Vale and surrounding areas can experience loss of power during extreme weather events. Generally the power is returned within a few hours unless there is extreme fire risk

- There is no TV reception at the cabin, an extensive DVD library is provided.

- There is a weak Telstra Mobile signal at the cabin. But it improves if you walk up the hill.

- Rain water is captured and stored in tanks, it is clean and safe. If you do not wish to drink this water straight of the Southern Ocean, you will need to bring your own or arrange for the host to provide a container of Apollo Bay Town water, prior to your stay. Please don’t buy lots of small single use plastic bottles.

- Fire wood is not provided during warmer months. (Jan, Feb, March) You are welcome to have a fire in the fire place, if you bring your own wood.

- Respectful guests only and please don't be wasteful of resources. Guests that meet this criteria will be welcomed back with return guest discounts.

Prices

Base Price $398 / night
Weekend Price $428 / night
Security Deposit $500
Discounts
10% discount for bookings of 5 nights or longer
15% discount for bookings of 10 nights or longer

Finding fulfillment

Based on traveller reviews, these are the top fulfilling moments experienced while staying here. Learn more

Peacefulness

Rejuvenation

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Reviews (219)

100% Recommended

Ellen

21 Sep 2026

Ample opportunity for rest and recreation. Even before arriving at Aire river we felt like we were in safe hands for our getaway off the beaten track. Directions were on point and location easy to fin...d, and arrived at the house to find kayaks set aside for us and cozy & clean living spaces where we could immediately take a load off and relax. Indy had the details covered, with robes for the outdoor spa and empty drawers and spaces for us to make ourselves at home on our stay. We cooked, slept and made use of the generous stash of dvds on offer, then took the kayaks out day two before a sauna & outdoor spa and a fire with a movie. Lovely to see so much wildlife around. I made friends with some cows on the bank who seemed very interested in the synthesizer I brought with me for some music composition on the trip. Incredible to fit so much in the space of three days and very grateful for the space to do it. Til next time.

Challenge

Excitement

Spontaneity

Freedom

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Self-discovery

Rejuvenation

Groundedness

Peacefulness

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Human connection

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Emily

31 Aug 2026

We had the best time 😊 The perfect getaway. I became a little obsessed with seeing a platypus and my patience was rewarded with several sightings! I’m now a platypus expert and also an avid birder. W...e had a few koala mates too.
Thanks so much for sharing this special place. We packed everything into three days…kayaks, spas, saunas, walks, games, feasting, dancing and naps. ❤️

Joy

Peacefulness

Human connection

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Jo

23 Aug 2026

This place is truly special. Everything was just perfect. Our host communicated well and with good instructions. Some things we had to bring like fire lighters for the indoor fire, which was totally... fine. Though not far off the Great Ocean Road the House is totally private and apart from a tiny house being just in sight you could be anywhere hidden from the world. The river is just lovely with early sightings of platypus. Peace and relaxation was what we were looking for and this place served it in spades. The house space perfect for two, the deck/verandah lovely to sit on each day either sipping coffee, having a wine and simply enjoying the quiet, the fantastic spa, sauna, the views… it was all just idyllic. Lovely walking riverside, spotting koalas, easy drive to Apollo Bay for the papers although we had plenty of supplies so there really was no need to leave! We would come back next weekend if we could and have already recommended it to a few friends.

Rejuvenation

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Joy

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Slowness

Human connection

Host

Indy

Email Verified

Phone Verified

Hordern Vale, Victoria, Australia

1Listings

Hi. I'm a sailor, mediator, bushman, collaborative practitioner, peacemaker, coach, lawyer, meditator...and now host as well. It is my privilege to exceed your expectations for this amazing retreat! And for now, I'm away sailing round the world and my son Indy is your host :-)

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Outdoor Equipment Provided

Enjoy the outdoors with the following equipment included in your stay.

Yoga mat (1)

Kayak (2)

Two kayaks and life jackets are provided for guests to explore the Aire River.

Location

The map shows the listing location and awesome adventures nearby.

Listing location

Adventures nearby

Adventures Nearby

Here are some details about the adventures nearby. Refer to the map for their location.

Kayaking Aire River

Two kayaks are provided for guests to explore the Aire River. Paddle upstream and take in the lush bush or head downstream to the spectacular Aire River mouth. The river gently flows through the Great Otway National Park, joined by three tributaries, significant wetlands ending at surf beach

Surfing At Johanna

Experience some of the best surf in Victoria for along the Great Ocean Road. From Bird Rock, the world-renowned Bells Beach, Winki Pop, Centreside or Cathedral Rock. Along the coast there are good surf spots at Johanna, Cumberland River, Wye River, Baldy Rock, Skene's Creek, Sawmills and Kennett River. Surf lessons are available in Apollo Bay.

Fishing At Johanna Beach

Johanna beach is also a very popular fishing spot and during winter, a major lure for anglers are the sea-run brown trout which are returning to the river to spawn and are often caught on lures around the old bridge pilings.