The Mornington Peninsula became Melbourne’s traditional “Seaside Escape” in the late 1930’s and 40’s and even more so after the Second World War, with people owning more cars there was an explosion of families holidaying on the beach. Blue Moon Cottages (now RACV 3.5 star rated) originally built sometime in the 1940’s, has reminders of this past era.  These three cottages sit just behind the popular Capel Sound Foreshore in Rye where campers still come today.

We are a rare glimpse of the style of holiday accommodation that sprung up at the time.

Five years ago Sian and Peter took over these run down beach cottages and began, through a love of interior design and a little creativity, to restore them to accommodate the same groups of people they were once designed for - Modern day families, holidaying by the beach.

Our goal is to achieve affordable comfortable uniquely designed accommodation for families, couples or small groups (including pets) who would like a place to stay where they feel at home and have everything that they could need to make their stay enjoyable.

We want to give you as much information about the area as we can and make suggestions as to what to do.

We want to provide you with tastes of the area for you to enjoy.

Watch this space...

Our Gardens..

You may see Jon and Dan around the cottages at various times during your stay, they may even ask you if they can attend to something in the cottage that you are staying in, they are our dedicated gardening staff who are slowly taking the gardens back to their indigenous roots. We want you to experience all of the Mornington Peninsula and that includes all the flora and hopefully some of the fauna. Our indigenous plantings will encourage insect and bird life back to the garden as well as some reptiles such as the blue tongued lizard, there is one living in the woodshed at Blakiston Grove and one around the pool at Ocean Blue Retreat.

Jon and Dan run Internatural Rescue, here is a little about the business…

 

Internatural Rescue is a business dedicated to the preservation, rehabilitation and enhancement of indigenous plant species of the Mornington Peninsula.
Their work includes plant rescue*, propagation, planting and promotion of indigenous plants. They also protect sensitive areas by building fences. They use only mulch from local native plants. Plants are grown from seed, cuttings and division from plants of local provenance. Plants bought from other growers are also grown locally from local sources. It is important to grow plants from local plant communities to ensure the integrity of the local species is maintained and hybridisation is minimised. I. R. has worked for the Department of Sustainability and Environment, Parks Victoria, the Mornington Peninsula Shire, National Trust and local ‘Friends’ groups in helping to survey and restore plant communities and encourage local fauna to return to their natural habitat. Workers for I. R. are trained and certified in the use of chainsaws and weedicides. The principles of Internatural Rescue are Jon Greening and Dan Pettigrove. Jon Greening has over 30 years experience in the field, including 16 years as ranger of the Blairgowrie Foreshore Reserve. Jon was part of a team that surveyed and produced management plans for Blairgowrie, Dromana, Merricks, Seaford and Pt Leo Foreshore Reserves. Dan has had over 25 years experience in horticulture and was also ranger of the Whitecliffs to Cameron’s Bight Foreshore Reserve.

Contact:

Jon Greening 0414 445 679

Dan Pettigrove 0410 747 593

*Plant Rescue is carried out on private property where plants are endangered through land clearing and development. Plants are lifted from an area, potted up and transferred to a safer place on private or public land.

 

PLANTS THAT YOU CAN FIND IN OUR GARDENS

Acacia retinodes var. uncifolia - Wirilda (Wattle)

Allocasuarina verticillata - Drooping Sheoke

Austrodanthonia sp. – Wallaby-grass

Banksia integrifolia - Coast Banksia

Clematis microphylla – Small-leaf Clematis

Correa alba - White Correa

Correa reflexa - Green Correa

Dianella brevicaulis – Black-anther Flax-lily

Dianella tasmanica – Tasman Flax-lily

Dichondra repens - Kidney Weed

Dicksonia Antarctica - Soft Tree Fern

Dodonaea viscosa - Hop Bush (Akeake)

Eucalyptus sp.

Ficinia nodosa - Knobby Club Rush

Hibbertia sericea - Guinea Flower

Kennedia prostrata - Running Postman

Leucophyta brownii – Cushion Bush

Leucopogon parviflorus - Coast Beard Heath

Lomandra longifolia – Matrush

Leptospermum laevigatum – Coast Ti-tree

Melaleuca lanceolata - Moonah

Myoporum insulare – Common Boobialla

Pelagonium australe - Austral Stork’s-bill

Pimelea serphyllifolia – Thyme Rice-flower

Pomaderris oraria - Coast Pomaderris

Rhagodia candolleana – Sea-berry Saltbush

Scaevola albida – Coast Fan-flower

Stipa stipoides – Spear-grass

Tetragonia implexicoma - Bower Spinach

Tetragonia tetragonioides – Warrigal Spinach

Viola hederacea - Ivy-leaf Violet