Ecotourism company Tiny Away has an unusual business model. Its 100-or-so off-grid cabins are all located on rural properties, such as working farms or wineries, and the landowners take around 45 per cent of the rental revenue of every booking. The experiences at each are unique to their surroundings. You could be waking up to the sounds of lapping water at a South Australian lake, or spotting kangaroos on the rolling pastures of the Southern Tablelands in New South Wales, or shaded by dense forest in the upper Goulburn Valley, Victoria.
Each cabin has guaranteed home comforts, such as hot running water, air conditioning, cosy queen beds and fully equipped kitchenettes. Most of them also have outdoor firepits, blissfully limited phone reception and access to hidden watering holes and walking paths that you’ll have almost entirely to yourself.
Now, just in time for summer, Tiny Away has added six new properties to the mix.
In Victoria, there’s a new corrugated iron-clad cabin called Stargazer located on a 53-hectare remote property in Axedale, Bendigo, where you’ll be surrounded by bushland and plenty of farm animals. You can also make the warm, wooden interior feel extra cosy by lighting up the indoor fireplace.
In New South Wales, Tiny Towarang is set on 16 hectares of farmland where kangaroos, wombats and kookaburras like to drop by; you’ll also have access to three dams on the property.
In the hinterland community of Myocum, near Byron Bay and Brunswick Heads, Hinterland Hideout is set on a working farm with a horse paddock.
In the Adelaide Hills, Gums n Roses has horses that you can ride for an extra $100 per person, as well as picnic excursions via a donkey-drawn cart for an extra $250 per couple.
Also in South Australia, Yarli is located on the edge of Lake Albert, with access to beaches, bakeries and water sports. Here, you can go for a morning paddle or take breakfast at a restored lakefront cheese factory, or glide down the nearby sandhills.
Finally, Little Glenny, in the upper Goulburn Valley, Victoria, is surrounded by 12 hectares of dense forest. The compact home offers a swimming pool about 50 metres away, while there are quaint cafes in nearby Yarck. It is also located near the Great Victorian Rail Trail for bike rides and long countryside walks.
