I have never stayed anywhere as tranquil as Millars by the Lake. Set deep in the karri forest of Quinninup, this sweet heritage cottage has something wonderfully calming about it.
Owned by my friend Jade and her husband Andrew for the past four years, I’ve watched from afar, through texted photos and social media, as they breathed new life into this 75-year-old house. When they finished, I was overjoyed to get to visit in real life. This house is even more beautiful in person than in photos.
It was 2020 – that year we now all associate with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic – and Jade and Andrew had been looking for a holiday house for a while. With two small children and two hectic corporate jobs in the city, they wanted somewhere peaceful they could escape and just relax as a family together, away from the bustle of city life. Ideally, they wanted a country cottage they could use for Christmases and family holidays, and let out as AirBnB accommodation other times to help cover the upkeep. Jade said they wanted a place they could pause, rest and reset. “We searched until we came across a little cottage with sturdy bones that felt like home,” she said.
It was this house – a cosy weatherboard cottage in Quinninup. I will admit, I’d never heard of Quinninup until Jade told me about it. Tucked away in the middle of the most beautiful forests and farmland, this tiny south-west town is a bit of a secret gem. The town sprang up in 1944, when a company called Millars Timber and Trading Co purchased the forest region of Quinninup to build a timber settlement. A street of workers cottages was built for the thriving timber mill and even a tiny school for the workers’ children.
One of the original heritage cottages built for the timber works, this house – which Jade and Andrew named Millars by the Lake – was home to an assortment of folks, including the school’s headmaster, an artist and the owner of the local pub. Quinninup is beautiful at every turn, but Millars by the Lake, in my opinion, might have the primo spot in the prettiest part of the town, tucked away and idyllic, with stunning views across the bushland and tall Karri tree forests.
It’s so quiet and just… still. You arrive here and feel like you can let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding.
