Dandenong Ranges icon Burnham Beeches – a three-storey art deco mansion set on a lush 22-hectare estate adjacent to Sherbrooke Forest – is in for a $100 million transformation.

It’s set to become a luxury hotel – with a raft of on-site dining and drinking options, a spa retreat and more – headed up by Trenerry Consortium (which is behind Sorrento’s reborn Conti Hotel) with Woods Bagot as the principal architect.

Completed in 1933, Burnham Beeches is the work of Australian architect Harry Norris, who also designed the Nicholas Building and Curtin House in the CBD. Initially a private residence, during World War II it became a children’s hospital. It’s also served as a posh country club and a medical-research facility, and in the ’80s it was a fancy hotel.

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But then, for years, the beautiful old building sat vacant before former Vue Group director Shannon Bennett and developer Adam Garrison got their hands on it in 2010, bringing in a trufferie, a bakery and cafe, and more.

In 2018, the pair gave celebrated street artist Rone free run of the place for a year to develop Empire, which transformed the mansion into an overwhelming immersive exhibition.

But now Bennett and Garrison have stepped out of the project, and luxury hotel operator Six Senses – which runs 20 hotels and resorts in 17 countries – has stepped in and will open a Six Senses there in mid-2025, subject to the support of all stakeholders.

The masterplan includes 43 guest rooms scattered across the mansion’s three main wings, designed in a rustic-luxe style that takes cues from the original 1930s interiors. There’ll also be a two-bedroom cottage within the site’s existing hilltop retreat and – depending on planning approvals – a distinctive eco-friendly glamping offering.

On the ground floor, the plan is for a luxurious spa that includes a tea lounge, hydro area and sauna, while there’ll also be a library bar and a rooftop retreat filled with greenery.

Hospitality-wise, the estate’s farm is set to supply fruit and vegetables to a number of new food and drinks venues at the in-house Village Square precinct, including a steakhouse, bakery and provedore.

Six Senses Burnham Beeches is slated to open in mid-2025.

sixsenses.com

Additional reporting by Will Cox.