Koendidda Country House, Victoria

Near Rutherglen and Beechworth in north east Victoria, a pretty country lane leads you to the entrance of an historic 1850s mansion - Koendidda Country House. At the end of a picture-book tree-lined driveway, this double-storey Victorian residence presents itself, set behind an oval lawn encircled by a carriage drive.

It was built in the late 1850s by Humphrey Pooley who migrated from England as a free settler in 1853, made his fortune from the gold rush and built Koendidda using a total of 330,000 bricks to build the triple-brick walls, as well as stables, wine cellars, a giant barn and other sundry buildings. The bricks were hand-made from clay gouged out of the Indigo Creek. All of the timbers - including ironbark, river red gum, Murray pine, red pine and red cedar - were milled locally. Only the doors and glass were shipped in from England. Koendidda remained in the Pooley family for three generations until the mid-1970s.

Koendidda Country House opened its doors to guests in the early 1990s, and has since become a much-loved B&B. Stately surrounds, luxurious accommodation, delectable food and wine -an irresistible combination for those wishing to spoil themselves.