My wife and I stayed in Wildwood Cottage with another couple for three nights. It was a trip back in time for me as the old homestead was like going back to both my maternal and paternal grandparents' homes when I was a kid. All required facilities were available and it was great to have the small gas BBQ out the back. Afternoons were well spent sitting on the verandah with a wine or beer and some nibbles.

The location was simply outstanding, overlooking the Gippsland lakes and after a quick 2-3 minute walk down to the jetty in went the lines. Fishing was good although the schnapper were too small we managed a good feed of flatties. The weather lent itself to a very enjoyable stay with temperatures in the mid - high twenties and only light breezes. The water was reasonably warm and I had a couple of dips off the jetty. The mornings down the jetty were amazing with the water as flat as a tack and the swans and pelicans swimming past.

The location also was very handy to several towns including Metung, Lakes Entrance, Bairnsdale and Paynesville where we managed to take a couple of half day trips.

The owners were a delightful couple who were very helpful and very informative in the history of the property.

We wanted a place a million miles from the hassles of life in the city and we found it in this wonderful original rustic homestead on a farm in Gippsland Lakes in rural Victoria. It was self-contained which was no problem as there are couple of major supermarkets in nearby Lakes Entrance (we brought our food anyway) and some lovely little restaurants in the Village of Metung about 20 minutes away. The views across the lake from the farm were breathtaking, especially in the early am when the water was glassy and teaming with wildlife (especially Swans and Pelicans). There is also a jetty available for fishing or I assume to tie up a boat? I have never slept so well (must have been the sea air!). We brought our bikes with us to utilise the tracks which have been created throughout the bush in the area after they lifted the old railway tracks. We started our ride near Bairnsdale about a 25-30 minute drive from the farm, although there are probably places closer where you can join the track. A thoroughly enjoyable and relaxing couple of days on a farm!

What a disappointment. The advertising and web site made Appletree Cottage at Wildwood sound like a lovely little homely place on a huge farm near the beach with a private jetty. What you actually get is a run down manky 3 roomed place with no hotwater for a shower, other peoples leftovers for breakfast and a heap of old furniture that looked like it had been found on the street during hard rubbish collection week. We arrived in the dark after having problems finding the place and had to carry a small child, a cot, a pram and all our luggage from the top of a small hill over wet grass to the cottage as there was nowhere to park near the door. The place looked as though it hadnt been cleaned properly for some time with spider webs and dust everywhere. Breakfast provisions were a couple of vita brits and some sort of puffed wheat stored in old dirty coffee jars. The vegemite was a half used jar and the jam was put into an old jar with a rusty lid that was dated 1996. Stale bread and milk in a dirty jug with floaties topped of this breakfast offering. The bed was extremely hard and the wooden toilet seat had a huge crack at the front...so a guy would have to be extremely careful when sitting down. A heap of magazines from the early 90s and some dirty old toys were provided to entertain you and the kids during your stay. As for the beach and the jetty, well, I can't tell you about that as we left early the next morning forfeiting the monies we had paid for the second night.