By Jenny Hewett
Oct 7, 2020
A VAST, SPARSELY POPULATED NATION whose apocryphal origin story lies in taming the wild. A continent whose original inhabitants lived at one with nature for eons. Zero surprise that Australia is leading the trend in self-sufficiency stays.
Organic Farming
Jon and Suzy Muir with their chickens. Courtesy of Jon Muir.
Get some sustainability pointers from award-winning adventurer Jon Muir (the first person to hike Everest without a Sherpa) on a hands-on wild farm stay. Jon and Suzy Muir live on 60 hectares near the Grampians in Victoria and are almost entirely self-sufficient. “We’re offering this experience because we want to share the incredible richness of our lifestyle with others,” Jon says. “Anyone who grows their own food deepens their relationship with life. It also facilitates more resilient communities by increasing everyone’s potential food security and the growth of more localized economies.” australianwalkingholidays.com.au; from US$1,000.
Wild Stays
Big views from Sadie, a new tiny home by Unyoked. Photo by SammyHawker.
Aussie tiny-home start-up Unyoked recently unveiled its newest cabins Das and Sadie in a towering forest two hours south of Sydney. They now have 17 tiny escapes in their collection, some of which require a “spicy” hike on foot (do it in the dark, if you want to up the fear factor), complete with a wheelbarrow in place of a bellboy. Once there, look out for shooting stars and learn how to cook over fire. Meanwhile, our galaxy takes center stage at the orb-like tents at Bubbletent Australia, but there’s more to do than stargaze. Hike the area with a compass and if you’re staying at Virgo, don’t forget to start early on the wood-fired bathtub, which could take up to three hours to heat up. unyoked.co; doubles from US$195. bubbletentaustralia.com; doubles from US$436.
