A growing sector of beautifully designed short term stays combining luxury and sustainable features are emerging across small Australian towns. From properties built from recycled materials to those run on solar and rainwater, these accommodations make every effort to respect the environment and their guests in equal measures.

To help you plan your holiday itinerary in 2023, here’s three one-of-a-kind boutique stays worthy of a visit. Each property offers its guests a unique experience with impressive interiors built largely from recycled and locally sourced materials.

Sabi
Binalong Bay, Tasmania

Sabi is a boutique holiday home built on wabi-sabi principles—a Japanese world view centred on the acceptance of transience and imperfection.

Located approximately four hours away from Hobart on the famous Bay of Fires in north-east Tasmania, the property was designed by the owners, Fred and Jessica Eggleston, who renovated the wood cabin on site. Recycled materials feature throughout, from hardwood timbers saved during demolition, to a disused cider barrel repurposed into a Japanese-inspired bath with a salvaged copper lining.

Sabi’s interiors are understated, raw, and refined with a quality of austere sublimity expressed as a mood of spiritual solitude and stillness.

“To experience Sabi is to experience a quiet and tranquil condition – a subtle profundity,” says Jessica Eggleston.

Guests are encouraged to unwind and indulge in the property’s complimentary whisky bar while curling up by the fire.

“It is a handmade, curated experience powerful in its authenticity that cannot be replicated,” says Jessica. “It is so much more than a cabin or a holiday home – Sabi is a feeling and this can only be understood by experiencing it.”

Within five minutes of Sabi are some of the world’s most beautiful beaches, oyster farms, hidden rock pools, and deserted coves.

Ross Farm
Meeniyan, Victoria

Creating Ross Farm has been a labour of love of Studio Moore interior designer Andrea Moore and her father Lindsay. Together, they’ve transformed multiple corrugated iron buildings on the former dairy farm into three boutique accommodation offerings drawing guests to the South Gippsland region and town of Meeniyan (a three hour drive from the Melbourne CBD).

“The project was as much about creating something special where people could stay to explore our beautiful area,” says Andrea. “The challenge was to create beautiful unique spaces that reflect the landscape and history of our region with a resourceful and handmade approach.”

The three buildings on site (The Dairy, The Barn, and The Cottage) each have their own design identity facilitated by custom details created on site, from steel-framed windows to kitchen cabinetry, light fittings, and door hardware.

“The most luxurious features definitely come from experiencing the spaces; the smell of raw timber when you open the door, soaking in the handmade cypress bath, and the little details that you notice during your stay,” says Andrea.

“The pared back interiors really make you focus on your senses, and in a way, help declutter the mind. We are often told that people leave with a sense of calmness and rejuvenation.”

Meeniyan is a picturesque base for exploring South Gippsland, including beaches in Inverloch and Wilsons Promontory National Park.

Blackbird
Mullumbimby Creek, New South Wales

Industrial designer and restaurateur James Hudson founded Blackbird as a place to disconnect from the city and reconnect with loved ones.

Located about 30 minutes north-west of Byron Bay, the property comprises three individual pavilions offering sunrise views over Mount Chincogan and the ocean beyond.

A communal reception area provides guests a place to mingle over breakfast (made using organic produce grown on site), before a dip in the magnesium mineral pool, or relaxing in the infrared sauna. Guests can also pre-book additional experiences to enhance their stay, such as massages and dinners catered by a private chef.

James was inspired by the site’s history as a banana farm when creating Blackbird. Buildings were constructed from as many “zero mile” materials as possible, including hardwood timbers salvaged from existing structures.

Further reducing Blackbird’s carbon impact is a solar array covering 70 per cent of the property’s needs, and the accommodation runs on 100 per cent rainwater.

A stay at Blackbird is to experience barefoot luxury. “Once on the mountain, you instantly absorb the energy,” says James. “The 180-degree ocean and mountain vista halts people. Their focus shifts to what is in front of them – peace.”

By Amelia Barnes