MORNINGTON GLORY
A game-changing hotel heralds a new era of staying power on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.
A game-changing hotel heralds a new era of staying power on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, writes Larissa Dubecki. A new breed
of boutique hotel opens on the Mornington Peninsula on 1 April. Otherwise known as April Fools’ Day, it’s a fitting opening date for Jackalope, an ambitious hotel, winery, restaurant and bistro that brings a touch of the surreal and a dose of humour to its high-end brief.
Named after the giant horned jackrabbit of North American legend, the 46-room hotel is littered with Jackalopian in-jokes. There’s the names of the flagship restaurant, Doot Doot Doot (“flaggerdoot” being the collective noun for jackalopes), and the casual bistro, Rare Hare. A seven-metre-tall jackalope sculpture by Melbourne artist Emily Floyd greets guests at the entrance, and the other commissioned artworks include an installation of 8,000 subtly changing coloured lights on the Doot Doot Doot ceiling. Why? To mimic the process of wine fermentation, of course.
The hotel promises to be a game-changer for the Mornington Peninsula, which has a limited range of upscale places to stay. On an 11-hectare site spanning the Willow Creek vineyard in Merricks North (between Red Hill and Balnarring), Jackalope has been brought to life by a host of Melbourne creatives. Carr Design Group came up with the sleek, black modern building that stretches dramatically above the vineyard, and the interiors. Zuster created the furniture, with most of the pieces one-off designs, and Taylor Cullity Lethlean is responsible for landscaping the grounds, which include a yoga lawn and a 30-metre black infinity pool designed to create the illusion the water is lapping over the vines.
The man behind the hotel is 28-year-old Louis Li. Originally from the city of Kunming in southern China, Li is now based in Melbourne, where he moved eight years ago to study filmmaking and business. Jackalope is an attempt to meld his passions for art, design, food and storytelling.
“I want Jackalope to be a different voice in the hotel industry,” says Li. “By reimagining the role that art, design and storytelling can play in the guest experience, I hope Jackalope will develop into a hospitality landmark offering guests a transformative experience.”
Executive chef Guy Stanaway will be responsible for part of that transformation. He’s overseeing the 80-seat Doot Doot Doot, which will offer four- and eight-course dégustation menus, and the 100-seat
Rare Hare for all-day dining. At his disposal is a full-time gardener, a 200-square-metre kitchen garden and an orchard. “It’s an amazing set-up for a chef,” says the New Zealander, who migrated from Noosa’s Bistro C to take up the new position.
With many years’ experience cooking in Asia, Stanaway’s food is bedded in the push-pull of acidity, heat and texture.“For me, texture is everything,” he says. “I have that underlying Asian thing, even if it’s just by osmosis. We’re really about à la minute – cooking things straight to order. We love finishing over coals, and using our beautiful wood-fired oven.”
Working closely with local producers, the chef is sourcing ingredients such as Benton Rise Farm mushrooms, Main Ridge Dairy cheeses, Leontyna olive oil and seafood from nearby Port Phillip Bay. Stanaway’s menu will feature a blend of influences from the East and West, with dishes such as roasted bone marrow with chilli sambal and fried shallots, and duck breast and hearts cooked on a konro grill and teamed with cherries from Red Hill Cherry Farm.
Li envisages his Mornington Peninsula property will be the first of a flaggerdoot of Jackalopes. He bought the Willow Creek vineyard in 2013 for a reported $9.5 million, and two years later added the Maria George Building in Melbourne’s Flinders Lane to his portfolio; concept plans are currently being drawn up to turn the site into the second Jackalope.
His family’s JKLP Group also bought the Prince of Wales Hotel in St Kilda for $45 million in 2015, although the future of the venue – and whether it will be brought into the Jackalope fold – remains unclear. “Beyond the two Melbourne hotels, I would like to take Jackalope to my other favourite cities, Shanghai and Los Angeles, in the next five years,” Li says.
The credentials of general manager Tracy Atherton indicate something of Jackalope’s ambitions. Headhunted from Canberra’s hip Hotel Hotel, she has 10 years’ experience at Aman resorts and is aiming for a similar level of service here. “Jackalope is not just a hotel, it’s a memory,” says Atherton, who promises bespoke experiences such as back-vintage tastings with winemaker Geraldine McFaul. “We’ve only got one chance to open the brand and we’re going to do it right,” says Atherton. Rooms from $650. Jackalope, 166 Balnarring Rd, Merricks North, Vic, (03) 9519 8900, jackalopehotels.com