CLOCKWISE
FROM BELOW:
A large feature window
opens up the interior;
Kindled’s tiny house is
splendidly isolated; The
shower room looks
plucked from a boutique
hotel. OPPOSITE
(from top): The cosy
daybed; There are plenty
of books and board games;
The requisite wood burner.Looking like a Monopoly house piece has been picked up and
placed among the gnarled gums, Kindled’s property proudly exhibits a
huge window that takes up almost an entire end for expansive views of
the valley, its lake reflecting brilliantly come sundown. Inside, a wood
burner sits next to a generously proportioned daybed, which can
double as a baby sleeping area (parents will be comfortable on Koala
mattresses up on the mezzanine accessed via a stepladder). A wall
of shelves holding board games, magazines and books hems you in at
one end of the space making it all feel cosy as opposed to confined
thanks to the big feature window.
Inside, this is where we spend most of our time, reading books to
the children and spotting things out of the window; outside, they
watch the many species of ants that patrol the orange earth as eastern
rosellas shoot overhead now and then in flashes of rainbow colour.
When entering a tiny house you can appreciate its entirety standing
on the spot, see almost every corner (perhaps why I’ve stopped
watching showcases of similar homes on YouTube channels like
Living Big In A Tiny House – the first camera sweep of an interior
and it’s all over), but past the compact kitchen and nook of a dining
space, this one hides a contemporary bathroom at the far end with a
rainfall shower and Sukin toiletries. It’s an unexpected level of luxury,
but you’d have to preface luxury with ‘bush’, owing to the composting
toilet, a necessity for a truly off-grid tiny house that is intended to
have minimal impact on its landscape. The whole place runs off solar
with battery storage, enough to power the air-con into the evening,
plus the water used comes filtered from a rain tank.
Real off-grid living isn’t as straightforward as it seems. “A lot of
people like to toy with the idea of moving to a tiny house, but it’s not
for everyone,” explains Hayman. “Operating the tiny house, there are
challenges we face that we protect from our guests. Being 100 per
cent off-grid and remote, it’s extremely difficult to service when things
go wrong, so the processes we have in place ensure any issues are low“It’s all about creating
memorable experiences,
whether it’s alone writing a
book, reconnecting with your
partner or with your family.”
160 AUSTRALIANTRAVELLER.COM