International travel is off, meaning there’s never been a better time to explore some of the more remote corners of our own continent. For your next holiday, disconnect from the nine-to-five at one of these Instagrammable off-grid houses, cabins and shacks.
Shack in the Dunes – Weymouth, Tasmania
An exquisite seaside bolthole, Shack in the Dunes will remind you of the beach holidays of your youth but with everything dialled up to stun. There’s a fully equipped kitchen, a spacious bathroom, and an immaculate fit-out of timber floors, crisp white VJ-board walls and natty rope pendant lights. Outside, there’s an enormous wraparound verandah and two firepits – one of which sits atop a sand dune at the back of the house with an outlook across the mouth of Pipers River. There’s also a second bedroom with a bunk bed, in case you want to bring along the squirts. Located in the tiny town of Weymouth on Tasmania’s north coast, a stay here will feel like a holiday at the end of the world.
Nora by In2thewild – Toowoomba, Queensland
Named after the central character in Mary Grant Bruce’s children’s book A Little Bush Maid, this cleverly designed tiny house from the In2thewild team features a queen bed, a double bed in a loft (for pals if they want to come stay), a full bathroom with a toilet, shower and basin, and a kitchen. Really, though, you’re here for what’s on your doorstep. Sitting on open farmland in the ranges just north of Toowoomba (you find out the exact location when you book), this is all about unplugging from the outside world, sitting around the campfire or barbeque, and enjoying the cool country nights.
Clyde Eco Pod – Tilba Lake Camp, New South Wales
One of a pair of eco-cabins located on the south coast of New South Wales (the other is named Bonnie, naturally), this neatly designed hideaway allows you to get off the grid without sacrificing the bells and whistles. There’s a fireplace, queen bed, bathroom, fully equipped kitchen and outdoor firepit. There’s also swimming pool access, and the hosts will even deliver breakfast each morning, if you so desire. The killer feature, though, is the skylight above the loft bed, which on a clear night means you can fall asleep under a blanket of stars.
Breakneck Gorge Oikos – Hepburn Springs, Victoria
You could stay in the middle of Daylesford or Hepburn Springs, or you could head for this startling property sitting on 20 hectares of rolling hills just outside Victoria’s popular twin spa towns. Designed by Melbourne architects Robert Nichol & Sons, from the outside Oikos (pronounced eekos) looks like something lifted straight out of sculpture park, with its sharp angles and weathering steel. Inside, it’s an open-plan masterpiece of stacked-stone walls, dark timber, and floor-to-ceiling windows with views of the surrounding countryside during the day and starlit skies at night. Best of all is the moody bathroom and its enormous freestanding bathtub – it’s the perfect place to forget about city life.
Naiko Retreat – Deep Creek, South Australia
Perched among the rolling coastal hills of a 2000-acre sheep farm on South Australia’s Fleurieu Peninsula, this immaculate three-bedroom house is all polished concrete floors, stone walls, curved timber ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows. Outside, a wide deck provides views south across the sea towards Kangaroo Island. There’s a fireplace, full-size kitchen and three king-size bedrooms, each with its own ensuite and freestanding bath (invite some mates), making Naiko (mother in the local Ramindjeri language) the perfect place to hunker down for a few days away from the big smoke. But it’s also about the great outdoors – the farm is surrounded by conservation parks and has its own private beach to explore. There’s even a Matti Suuronen-designed Futuro pod on the property, where you can book a massage treatment.
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