Six Senses Burnham Beeches to open near Melbourne in 2025

Six Senses has announced its first Australian property at Burnham Beeches, the heritage mansion and 54-acre estate located 40 kilometres from Melbourne.

Set in the fern glades and forested hills of the Dandenong Ranges and neighbouring Alfred Nicholas Memorial Gardens, the mansion is one of the finest examples of domestic art deco in Australia. The property, designed by architect Harry Norris in 1933, was created in the Art Deco Streamline Moderne style and is said to be reminiscent of an ocean liner.

Six Senses Spa in the mountains

The Six Senses Spa planned for the lower ground level of the mansion will follow a botanical theme, housing a welcome lounge and boutique, tea lounge, treatment rooms, gym, hydro area and sauna, and comfy relaxation spaces. The simple forms and natural palette will offer an ethereal softness inside, framed by views of the gardens outside.

A separate pool house complex will also accommodate an Earth Lab, boosting the estate’s capacity to serve the community and the ecosystems that underpin the place.

Six Senses Burnham Beeches

The new Six Senses Burnham Beeches will feature 43 guest accommodations and hospitality venues, including a welcome lounge and terrace, a restaurant with outdoor seating, a library bar and a rooftop retreat encased by garden planters, the interior design will be a contemporary interpretation of classic elegance.

Bespoke craftsmanship and panelling will contrast with unexpected decor and curiosities. Playful and patterned spaces will be reminiscent of the mansion’s original art deco style.

The variety of guest rooms, with individual layouts and spread over the mansion’s three main wings, will offer a retreat filled with unique furnishings, character, and quirky touches. Adding to the guest rooms and subject to planning applications, the masterplan will incorporate a premium and unique glamping offer to bring the total accommodations to 82.

The sprawling farm gardens will provide fruit and vegetables for the restaurants and the herb garden will produce healing and aromatic plants for use in Alchemy Bar workshops and Six Senses Spa treatments.

Behind the project

Trenerry Consortium announced its acquisition of Burnham Beeches in early 2021. It has assembled an industry-leading project team, including development manager Trenerry Property; principal architects Woods Bagot; noted Australian builders Hamilton Marino managing the restoration and build; and landscape architects Oculus.

Indigenous connections

Burnham Beeches, and neighbouring Sherbrooke and Nicholas Gardens are connected by a series of walking trails that weave throughout the site. Guests will be able to explore the historical, ecological, cultural and indigenous stories from Burnham Beeches and the Wurundjeri and Kulin nation lands, incorporated into the art, architecture, signage, and landscaping throughout the grounds.

Subject to receiving the support of all stakeholders, Six Senses Burnham Beeches is slated to open in mid-2025.

About Six Senses

Six Senses operates 20 hotels and resorts in 17 countries and has signed a further 34 properties into the development pipeline. Part of IHG Hotels & Resorts, Six Senses serves as a changemaker and maintains a leadership commitment to community, sustainability, emotional hospitality, wellness, and crafted experiences, infused with a touch of quirkiness.

Whether an exquisite island resort, mountain retreat, or urban hotel, the vision remains the same: to reawaken people’s senses, so they feel the purpose behind their travels and ultimately reconnect with themselves, others, and the world around them.