Ten of Australia’s most unusual places to spend the night
We all like to be different but these right-out-there places – which include a treehouse, a former hard-nosed jail and a remote luxury houseboat - take different to a whole new level. Check in to check them out.
The Church House, Fish Creek, Victoria
Fish Creek’s Church House is very close to Wilson’s Prom.
What was once a Melbourne Anglican church destined for the wrecker’s ball found divine intervention in the shape of Peter and Mary Riedel. The couple fell in love with the church’s structural remains and whisked them away to their 8ha property at Fish Creek, the gateway to Wilsons Promontory. The rebuild blends the 19th-century rafters, trusses, floor and doors with the Riedels’ impeccable style. They also happen to be gourmet cooks, so dining in-house is de rigueur. From $570 a night, two-night minimum. thechurchhouse.com.au
Mount Ophir Estate, Rutherglen, Victoria
There’s a French provincial tower in rural Rutherglen, Victoria.Credit: Nicholas Brown
Of the six accommodation options at Mount Ophir Estate in northern Victoria’s wine country, the one that sits apart is The Tower. The French provincial tower was part of a wine-making facility built by the Burgoyne family – London wine merchants who shipped wine back to England to be enjoyed by the aristocracy. The light-filled, three-storey tower includes a spiral staircase, sitting room and top-floor bedroom and bathroom. From $550 a night, two-night minimum. mountophirestate.com.au
Adina Apartment Hotel Pentridge Melbourne and The Interlude, Victoria
Melbourne’s prison stay feels more like an opulent medieval castle.
One of Australia’s most infamous prisons, which held inmates including Ned Kelly and gangland figure Mark ‘Chopper’ Read, is now welcoming better behaved guests. The former B Division of the austere bluestone complex in suburban Coburg is now a stylish hotel. Check in to a one- or two-bedroom apartment or studio at the Adina, or splash out on one of the 19 just-opened suites located within a heritage section called The Interlude (Read Traveller’s full review here). From $259 a night; The Interlude suites from $769 a night. adinahotels.com theinterlude.com.au
Jetwave Pearl, Horizontal Falls, WA
On board the Jetwave Pearl.
If you were thinking of relaxing aboard Jetwave Pearl, a luxury houseboat moored near the Kimberley region’s Horizontal Falls, think again. A 24-hour stay here includes a dizzying array of activities, including multiple boat rides through the falls, fishing, snorkelling with sharks (with a grate between you) and scenic helicopter ride. On-board, dine on delicious multi-course meals, BYO drinks to toast the sunset and then, finally, head to one of the cabins named in honour of the region’s pearling history. From $1700 an adult (aged 12 and older). horizontalfallsadventures.com.au
Lilypad, Palm Beach, NSW
Explore Pittwater and its beaches in a small runabout that comes with cute Lilypad.
Floating off the calm Pittwater side of Sydney’s ritzy Palm Beach is Lilypad (version 2.0). The first incarnation of the luxury floating villa went up in smoke in 2020. The owners regathered and redesigned their dream getaway, swapping the original Hamptons-meets-Scandinavian boathouse vibe for a Mediterranean-style look that includes arched windows, terracotta pots and cactus. Guests can also explore Pittwater and its beaches in a small runabout included in the rate. From $1950 a night. lilypadpalmbeach.com.au
wukalina Walk, Bay of Fires, Tasmania
The accommodation for wukalina Walk is within earshot of waves lapping Tassie’s coastline.Credit: Rob Burnett
Nestled among silver banksias, within earshot of waves lapping at eastern Tasmania’s coastline, is a cluster of award-winning shelters. For guests undertaking the multi-day, Indigenous-owned and led wukalina Walk, architects Taylor and Hinds reimagined traditional half-dome forms that once sheltered Tasmanian Aboriginal people. The gleaming, curved timber interiors sit within origami-like, fold-down boxes clad in charred silver-top ash (cavities were added to house nesting birds). Guests snuggle under doonas and wallaby-fur throws. Tour from $2895 a person. wukalinawalk.com.au
The Secret Treehouse, Bilpin, NSW
The Secret Treehouse is improbably perched in and around living trees in the Blue Mountains.Credit: Jochen Spencer
If you were obsessed with Enid Blyton’s The Magic Faraway Tree as a child, you can now turn those fantasies into a reality. Head to a pristine pocket of the Blue Mountains that’s home to the Secret Treehouse –a hideaway improbably perched in and around living trees. The glass-walled eyrie opens to the elements so you can soak up uninterrupted views of Bowens Creek Gorge and rainforest. From $1140 a night, two-night minimum. airbnb.com
Hideaway Domes, Mudgee, NSW
Sit out on the deck of your dome and absorb the sunset and brilliant night sky.
Reconnect with nature – and each other - by staying at Hideaway Domes, a 15-minute drive from Mudgee. Although the off-grid domes look simple from the outside, the clever design incorporates a kitchenette and wood-burning stove. Sit out on the deck and absorb the sunset and brilliant night sky. Also keep an eye out for wedge-tailed eagles, kangaroos and echidnas. From $350 a night, two-night minimum. hideawaydomes.com.au
The Undara Experience, Mt Surprise, Qld
Restored railway carriages are set along an original teamsters’ coach road under shady trees.
The Undara Experience is the access point for exploring ancient volcanic lava tubes in North Queensland’s savannah country. There’s a variety of accommodation but the most thrilling is easily the restored railway carriages set along an original teamsters’ coach road under shady trees. More carriages await in the dining and entertainment hub called Undara Central; these are covered by a curved roof that evokes the world’s grand railway stations while helping capture precious rainwater. From $190 a night. undara.com.au
Thorngrove Manor Hotel, Adelaide Hills, South Australia
Thorngrove Manor is a romantic fantasia 25 minutes outside of Adelaide.
Stirling, a 25-minute drive south-east of Adelaide, is home to the romantic fantasia known as Thorngrove Manor Hotel. Fusing Disney-like turrets with Juliet balconies and stained-glass windows, interiors that include stone spiral staircases are just as mesmerising.
The owners have travelled the world to fill guest rooms with objets d’art and furnishings such as gilded chairs, Dutch candelabra and 19th-century French and English clocks that each have a story. From $1499 a night. thorngrove.com.au
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