Our story / Mornington Peninsula, since 2021
It started with
Tom and Guss.
Before there was a collection of homes, there were two people answering the phone, getting properties ready and figuring it out as they went. Lively grew from that work, and from a belief that a beautiful place to stay deserves people who care just as much about the experience.
Tom
Guss
Kane
Callum
Kristen
/ 01 - The beginning
The firewood didn’t
deliver itself.
Lively began on the Mornington Peninsula in 2021. Tom Antonie and Guss Groves saw an opportunity to look after holiday homes with the same attention that went into designing and owning them. Guests would feel welcome. Owners would know who was looking after their home. The details would have someone responsible for them.
At first, that someone was usually Tom or Guss. Between bookings and owner calls, there were lawns to mow, supplies to buy, homes to clean and bins to take to the tip. Sometimes there was firewood to drop off late at night. The website, the branding and the next proposal were built around whatever needed doing that day.
It was an education in what a good stay actually takes. A guest sees the house ready for the weekend. Behind that moment is a chain of small things that all need to happen. When you’ve done those jobs yourself, you understand why each one matters, and what you’re asking of the people who later join you.
That experience still shapes Lively. The home in the photographs is the starting point. What happens before arrival, during a stay and after the keys are handed back is how people remember it.
/ 02 - The founders
Different backgrounds.
A shared standard.
Co-founder & Director
Tom Antonie
Brand, strategy & the bigger picture
Tom came to Lively from consulting and agency work, with a background in strategy, research and understanding what makes people choose one business over another. At Lively, that became a practical question: how do you build a holiday brand that people remember, trust and come back to?
His work connects the homes, the marketing and the way the business runs. A well-photographed property gets someone’s attention. A team that follows through gives them a reason to return. Building both has shaped his approach to Lively and its sister brand, Peachy.
Co-founder & Director
Guss Groves
Relationships, property & better ways of working
Guss brought experience in real estate sales and running his own coaching business. Both taught him how much depends on the relationship: listening properly, being clear about what you can deliver and doing what you said you would.
That thinking runs through Lively’s relationships with homeowners, guests and the team. He also brings a curiosity about technology and how it can make the work better, giving people more time to look after a home, answer a question or solve the problem in front of them.
/ 03 - How we grew
One home led to another.
More homes meant more responsibility, and a need for people with skills that complemented the founders’. The business grew into two brands, a wider team and a collection that reaches well beyond the place it began.
- 2021
The Peninsula beginning
Tom and Guss founded Lively on the Mornington Peninsula. The idea was to bring thoughtful marketing and proper, personal care together around exceptional holiday homes. In the early days, the two of them carried out the work themselves.
- 2022
The first year, and a second idea
In his first-year update, Tom reported more than 30 luxury properties listed, $2 million in bookings secured for owners and over 3,800 guests accommodated. Alongside Lively, the founders began building a separate offering for smaller boutique stays. Peachy Properties became the sister brand.
- 2025
A moment to look back
Lively received the World Luxury Travel Awards title for Best Vacation Rental Agency in Australia. In the founders’ update ahead of 2026, Lively had reached 7,097 bookings and $21.7 million in gross revenue collected for owners since it began. For Tom and Guss, the credit belonged to the people doing the daily work.
- Today
Further along the coast
The collection now reaches beyond the Mornington Peninsula into other parts of Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales. The Gold Coast is part of that next chapter. As Lively reaches new places, the job is to build the local knowledge, relationships and support around each home as carefully as the collection itself.
Historical figures as reported in the founders’ 2022 and late-2025 updates. Revenue refers to gross revenue collected for owners, before fees and expenses.
/ 04 - Our people
The team is the story now.
Today, Lively’s team is Tom, Guss, Kane, Callum and Kristen. Each brings their own judgement, experience and ideas to the work. The portfolio managers are familiar faces for owners and the people connecting the many moving parts around a home.
Together, they coordinate the work with local cleaning teams, trades and partners. That work is felt in a clear answer before arrival, a home that’s properly prepared and a problem that gets followed through. It is also felt by the owner, who needs someone to pay attention to the property between bookings.
Callum
Senior Portfolio Manager
Calm judgement when plans change. Callum brings deep knowledge of the booking platforms, maintenance coordination and the practical work of keeping homes ready and owners informed.
Kristen
Portfolio Manager
Peninsula knowledge with a wider view. Born and raised locally, Kristen brings experience leading organisations and property operations, with a focus on clear communication and getting the details right.
Kane
Portfolio Manager
A close eye on the whole year. Kane connects guest experience, presentation and property performance, helping owners think through the quieter seasons as well as the summer rush.
/ 05 - What comes next
More places.
The same care.
Lively’s next chapter is about taking what began on the Peninsula to more Australian destinations, while giving every new home the attention it needs. Beautiful architecture and a good location will always matter. So will the people who make the stay work.
Most homes in the collection are managed directly by Lively. A separate selection of Partnered Stays is independently operated by its own hosts, with that distinction explained on each listing. The people looking after your stay should always be clear.
For guests, we want Lively to be a name you come back to when it’s time to get everyone together again. For owners, a team you know and can talk to about the home you’ve trusted us with. That is the business Tom and Guss set out to build. It is still the work in front of us.