Whenbuyingourfirsthome, with two new infants to house, my wife
and I didn’t look for the smallest one we could find (which, perversely,
is perhaps the best approach when it comes to purchasing property
in Sydney). So why on Earth did we think it was a good idea to look
for a ‘tiny house’ to stay in with our babies on a precious weekend
away from the city?
Perhaps we’d been lulled by the idyllic imagery of the tiny house
movement, its lumberjack-, beanie-wearing individuals gazing up at
snow-capped peaks outside diminutive weatherboard-clad homes
that can fit on a trailer. Being able to tow away your home at a
moment’s notice means avoiding planning laws so you can pretty
much stick one where you want for an incredible outlook. That
in turn necessitates a move to off-grid living and means you’re not
contributing to the melting of those perfectly placed snow-capped
mountains. What’s not to love?
And so it was that we decided to book one through Kindled, one
of a new upswell of operators offering the opportunity to see what tiny
house living is all about, its property three hours’ drive from Sydney.
We make our way into the endless rolling hills of parched grass
surrounding Oberon. As we head up a winding dirt track into private
property, Kindled’s pagan-esque symbol nailed to the occasional
fence post is the only sign that we’re in the right place. We drive
past the landowner’s house and over several hills to find our secluded
home for the next few days. “We were lucky to find a lovely couple
in the Oberon region,” says Kindled co-founder Jamie Hayman on
how they arrived at a decision about where to park their first
property. “They not only had 300 acres of gum tree conservation,
but a beautiful sunset to match.”
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FROM LEFT: Get
a taste for off-grid,
tiny house living with
Kindled’s property three
hours from Sydney;
Watch the sunset from
the comfort of a daybed;
Spot kangaroos around
the house come evening.
1
DOWNSIZING
