Old Drik Drik Schoolhouse Retreat

We had a wonderful time at the Old Drik Drik Schoolhouse. It was very well appointed with everything we needed for a very enjoyable stay. The pantry had the basics that everyone requires like coffee, tea , sugar, jams and other condiments. The bathrooms had shampoos, conditioners and soaps and a hairdryer (yay) There was nothing we really needed to bring apart from ourselves and our own food supplies as the nearest shop is the Dartmoor General Store. We drove into Portland and Mount Gambier which were both pleasant easy drives of 30 minutes and 45 minutes respectively. The grounds of the Schoolhouse were lovely with fruit trees, vegetable patch and 2 very cute Llamas. The 4 kids - all teenagers, my husband and I all enjoyed playing the board games and doing a jigsaw puzzle - it was good family time with no electronics although a Wii console was available if someone wanted to play. There were a number of trails off the main highway leading to the Glenelg River for a spot of fishing - which we enjoyed. The inside of the Drik Drik Schoolhouse is beautiful - it is modern but still has many of the old historical features that make it a very special place to stay. We loved the old school class photos and old world maps on the walls and also the bag hooks in the master bedroom that are reminiscent of an olden days School. We also made good use of the outside wood fire pizza oven which came with instructions and recipes. My family and I would highly recommend a stay at the Old Drik Drik Schoolhouse. Barbara is happy to answer any questions and usually replies within a few hours or sooner. Thankyou so much for a wonderful and relaxing stay we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

Yours Sincerely

Leanne Adoe and Family

Family of 5 plus dog loved our special few days at Drik Drik.

Delightful secluded and private getaway for those who want peace, quiet and space, and great starry night skies. Great views and two sweet alpacas. Well appointed bright and light accommodation adjacent to huge majestic Moreton Bay fig tree avenue of honour and a couple of sweet historic churches and an interesting country cemetary a few minutes walk away. All mod cons (internet can be patchy inside but fine outside). Fabulous old school touches that show off this lovely old schoolhouse's history, including school paraphenalia, old photos and beautiful old maps. Lots of pretty garden to walk around in and enjoy and a huge deck with lovely lush green grapevine canopy which is beautifully cool. Very homely feel. Smart, fresh and big bathroom and good size modern bedrooms. Would benefit from a flywire at front door but maybe a heritage status prevents this? Our hosts Barb and Bruce were very friendly and helpful. We would definitely recommend this place and would stay here again. A real getaway with heaps of charm. Fine for a couple but has 3 bedrooms so would accommodate 3 couples very well at great value. Nearest supermarket is IGA Heywood but Dartmoor general store has some provisions too. Loved this place.

It was so peaceful, relaxing, lovely sunsets, lots of wood provided for the log fire when needed, the BBQ was great, clean, so very comfortable, seriously we didn't want any-thing it was all there. Wonderful birdlife, Yellowtail Black Cockatoos, Fairy Wrens, Gang Gangs, Wedgetail Eagle, Black Shouldered Kite, and our favourite that put on a terrific aerial show while screeching a male Peregrine Falcon at the lookout on the right on the way to Nelson just up the road, walk a few yards and what a view, wow what a view! And the wildlife, especially watching a male Koala in broad daylight walk across the open fields towards the property, through the fence's, sniff the trees on the property and out the front on a mission to find a female! We found 3 in the lane opposite. Kangaroos, emu's, wallaby's, echidna's you name it they are all in the area. The dogs also had a good time, we visited Nelson, Portland (wetlands walk & botanical gardens, Cape Bridgewater (dog friendly great beach), Dartmoor with its terrific wood carvings and not forgetting the great burgers from the Dartmoor pub. And we can honestly say that Victoria the vet in Heywood is wonderful, one of our dogs had a grass seed issue prior to our holiday that was being seen to by our vet, it flared up and a visit to Victoria had it sorted at a reasonable cost! We met so many nice people in the area and great to chat to. Especially Maxine in the Nelson Visitor Information Centre, well worth a visit to find walks with dogs as the Glenelg National Park does not allow dogs, there is a 4 kms walk along the river from Nelson. Great fish shop in Portland (45 mins drive)near the boats, fresh fish, prawns and it is now Lobster season which sadly we just missed, but the kilo of prawns went down very well. The staff in the Ardmellas fruit & veg shop in Portland are extremely friendly, we bought a jar of locally made Chef Lillz pasta sauce and made a Bolognese that evening, shame we didn't buy more jars it was awesome! Seriously nothing to want for...….we will be back! Thank you Barbara & Bruce, we thoroughly enjoyed our 7 day stay at the Old Drik Drik Schoolhouse Retreat and also for providing the information about the first settlers to the area, the history of the schoolhouse, the 2 churches and so much more.

A great relaxing place to stay. This was perfect for us for what we were looking for a holiday. We including the kids had a great time.