Sustainable stays: unwind at Tasmania’s latest eco-friendly winter retreats
Discover three innovative eco-escapes by local creatives that will redefine your idea of the perfect Tasmanian winter getaway.
This winter, step into one of these new retreats, created by locals reimagining the state’s accommodation scene with sustainability and creativity top of mind.
Slowing down in Scamander
As the rooster’s wild call echoes down the hillside towards the Scamander River and the last ink of dawn fades behind the rising sun, I swing my legs out of my linen-topped bed, reminded that cooler weather feels much better when warm Tasmanian oak floors greet my feet. Caitlin Sherrey-Dadd and co-founder Sean Bradley had sustainability in mind when designing their eco-centric property, Slow River, on a scrubby bush block in Scamander. The pair were running Swims, the shipping-container cafe they founded on the Tasman Highway in central Scamander, when the build began.
“The location just kind of blew my mind, that you could be in this river sanctuary so close to the ocean,” says Caitlin. “We just knew it was the one, straight away.”
The playful north-facing two-bedroom retreat epitomises low-impact living, with heat retention and natural light key for Caitlin, who is originally from the sunny Northern Rivers region of New South Wales. Embracing the challenge of a COVID-era build, the pair designed and built the property after Sean learned how to use architectural design software, focusing on materials that were durable, sustainable and “warm”. (Those toasty floorboards? Thank the home’s ever-increasing thermal mass.)
“Warmth is really important to me – physical warmth but also that feeling of warmth when you’re in a space and it feels welcoming and there’s something in your body that relaxes in entering the space,” says Caitlin, citing how “the relationship with the outside world in the space: having such a vast view of the river, feeling held by the mountains, and being at the height of the trees” contributes to that.
Their retreat opened quietly last winter. Guests are encouraged to nest – much like the resident wedge-tailed eagles, wild chickens and boisterous kookaburra nicknamed Keith – and decompress, gathering by the fire, dealing out cards, making espressos on a state-of-the-art pink Rancilio machine or soaking up the morning rays through the double-glazed floor-to-ceiling windows. From insulated concrete slabs and Besser blocks stems a timber-centric construction strengthened with strategic sun-gathering alcoves. (The pair plan to go fully off-grid with solar.) A pantry with jars of loose-leaf tea, marshmallows and cocoa as well as technicolour birthday candles is hidden behind an open kitchen. Behind that, in the spacious, moody black bathroom, the shower boasts a slim, vertical window overlooking the river. All the cleaning and turnover products are environmentally friendly, too, and all water waste is treated on site.
Louvre windows help regulate the temperature within the house, minimising the need for artificial heating and cooling, and the considered use of sustainable timber (including Tasmanian oak “seconds” and water-damaged stock for the floorboards) throughout the home reflects the pair’s desire to use low-intensity materials. The spotted gum external cladding helps the home qualify for a BAL 40 rating, making it more bushfire resistant. Having lived in non-acclimatised properties across the state, Caitlin is delighted that sunlight will be optimised and Slow River’s thermal mass will strengthen annually, resulting in a climate-controlled cocoon year-round.
“It’s one of the easier levers you can pull in terms of sustainability,” she says. “Working in harmony with the environment, with the seasons, with nature, with the land that you’re on. It’s about really being present to what’s there and then thinking, in terms of design, how you can embrace that. It’s thinking smarter, not harder.”
Credit: Ruby Proctor
Credit: Ruby Proctor
Credit: Ruby Proctor
Crafting a sustainable getaway at Tyenna River
The philosophy of sustainable design is equally important at Fern Mount Field, where Tess Astbury and Ben Slore have blended creativity with practicality in their eco-renovation. When the pair bought a 100-year-old weatherboard cottage on the Tyenna River, the second-to-last house at the end of a quiet country lane 10 minutes from Mount Field National Park, their intention was to honour its bones – a rudimentary, salvaged home built by 1900s forestry workers – while crafting what would become a group-friendly retreat. Ben, a builder, was disillusioned with the output of his industry, and the pair reduced, reused, recycled and repurposed as much of the three-bedroom property as they possibly could.
“[It] was as much about the end goal of creating something special as about how we could create that in a way that wasn’t subscribing to that high-waste model common in construction,” says Tess, who, with Ben, also created Huntingdon Tier, a converted bus 10 minutes from Kempton, and Hobart’s 29 Ebden. “We wanted to be crafty and to reuse not just things that were available to us but also seek out materials that would otherwise be wasted.”
Broken pipework became a bathroom vanity; 100-year-old weatherboards were spruced back to life; salvaged windows, frames and doors came from old buildings across Tasmania; and “a mismatch of lovely old” art deco and mid-century modern furniture was positioned on restored timber floorboards. The raw-edge timber slab that became the kitchen counter was lovingly reserved by Ben for 20 years, awaiting the perfect location for its final installation.
“Certainly in all our projects to date, that’s been a way for us to reconcile our ethical values,” says Tess.
The home makes the most of the region’s very wet period with three rainwater tanks (and more on the way) that service the house. A move to solar will happen as soon as they can get the trades to the semi-remote property. There are no single-use plastics here, pantry supplies are sourced in bulk, and the supplied milk arrives weekly in glass bottles from Elgaar organic dairy in Moltema.
The property and its sumptuous outdoor bathtub are surrounded by eponymous ferns and prehistoric-like foliage, with the icy-cool waters of the Tyenna River flowing between rock pools at its perimeter. There’s a peace evoked by this co-existence, a conscious parallel with the inventiveness of those who originally built the home from collected materials.
“To be able to repurpose things that would otherwise be wasted is a wonderful thing.”
Credit: Tess Astbury
Preserving history in the heart of Carlton River
There are echoes of this reverence near Hobart, on the Carlton River, where the 184-year-old former Carlton Post Office stands. The property completed its last postal services in 1949 and then enjoyed life as a private residence, a chicken run and a primary school art project. Hannah Chapman and her husband Stuart Cooper embarked on a two-year restoration after purchasing the property in 2022.
Collaboration between two dozen experts saw the cottage – built in 1841 with split-slab construction – restored, thanks, in part, to a Heritage Tasmania grant. Now known as Post House, the tranquil getaway blends historic charm with modern comforts, offering a perfect retreat for those looking to relax and explore Tasmania’s natural beauty while remaining close to Hobart’s hustle and bustle.
In the dining space, drawings by the original postmaster – Churchill and Stalin having a chat, a girl mid-dance, a sailor peering towards the river – are preserved on plaster atop diagonal lath walling thanks to the efforts of a dedicated art preserver. Framed shadow boxes with dimmable lights capture elements of architectural history: that diagonal lath walling, for one; plasterwork in another.
“One of my favourites is the hand-cut shingles from the 1840s. We lifted the ceiling out of the kitchen to expose them,” says Hannah. “Originally we were just going to have a little window peeping up into them and we got a bit carried away.”
The team endeavoured to maintain as much of the original build as possible and then use those construction elements to inform sympathetic low-impact, high-durability renovations. Handmade paints and peach-toned limewash colour the home’s walls following the traditional processes of yesteryear. The house runs self-sufficiently on tank water and manages its own wastewater. Hannah has plans to add a greenhouse to the garden, to be stoked with vegetables and herbs for guests. For now, the indoor herb garden sunken into the windowsill behind the kitchen sink suffices for sprigs of parsley and basil leaves.
From the brass bath, I watch black swans float in ebony queues atop rippling currents, the steam from my soak mirroring the fog swirling over the river. A bowl of peaches on the timber dining table matches the peach-toned heritage patina paintwork of the kitchen, and, beyond, in the living room, the fire crackles.
“The building is a survivor,” says Hannah. “It’s very resilient and it’s adapted very well over time, which is a quite typically Tasmanian way of being in the world, I think.”
Credit: Hannah Chapman
Credit: Hannah Chapman
Credit: Hannah Chapman
Eco-friendly winter adventures: sustainable ways to explore Tasmania’s winter wonders
Winter in Tasmania isn’t just about cosy retreats; explore the outdoors in new ways, from snowshoeing to hiking, all while embracing the island’s rugged beauty.
Snowshoeing at Cradle Mountain - Explore Tasmania’s alpine landscape by gliding through freshly fallen powder on a guided snowshoeing trek through pencil-pine forests peppered with native wildflowers. If you’re lucky, you might even spot the aurora australis.
Winter hiking in the Southwest wilderness - Whether you’re keen on a brisk morning stroll or a multi-day adventure, the scenes along your wander through Southwest National Park will no doubt include snow-capped mountain peaks, frozen lakes and exceptional Huon pines to take your breath away.
Low-impact camping at Bay of Fires - Set up your toasty tent in the dunes of white-sand beaches that overlook the sparkling blue waters at Policemans Point, Swimcart Beach and Cosy Corner. Bring your own firepot for marshmallows beneath the glittering stars.