I
t’sa littleafter7amwhena gentle,mistylight
breaksthroughthetreesandcausesmyeyesto
flitteropen.I’mbundledinlinensheetslike
a tightlywrappedburrito,myheadona feather-
softpillowandmyfeettoastyfromthememoryof
lastnight’shot-waterbottle.Thebedis framedby
twovastwindows;aninvisiblewallsosubtleyoufeel
youcouldreachoutandtouchthesurroundingtrees.
I turntomyphonetoperformmyusualmorning
scrollonlytodiscoverI havenonotificationsor
messages.Infact,thereis noreception.I amofficially
“off-grid”and,forthefirsttimeina longtime,
completelydisconnectedfromtheworld.
I’mstayingat Lucia,oneofUnyoked’s 17 tiny
cabinsacrossAustralia.Eachis onprivateland,
purposefullypositionedawayfromthesightsand
soundsofanyhumaninteraction.Allsolar-powered,
self-sufficientandwithintwohoursofeitherSydney,
BrisbaneorMelbourne.
Lucia,intheCentralCoasthinterland,
is oneofUnyoked’s“spicy”cabins,
meaningit’sa steep,10-minutewalk
fromourparkingspot.It sitsinthe
middleofa grassy,flower-studded
clearing,encircledbyleafygum-
trees,andfeelsworldsawayfrom
theclatterofSydney.
Inside,it’scompactbuthas
everythingyoucouldneed;the
kitchenstopsat thefootofthebed,
andthebedsubstitutesfora loungeroom.The
bathroomfeaturesanothersetofperfectlyplaced
windows,theircaptivatingviewsartfullybalanced
bythesleekandspaciousshower.
Luciahasplentyofcharmingtouches;there’s
a well-curatedcollectionofbooks,includingonetitled
CabinPornandanotherHideaways; a retrocassetteplayer
witha bunchoftapesstackedagainstit,including
albumsbyBobDylanandTheBeachBoys;a drawer
fullofboardgamesandplayingcards;anda comforting
line-upofcookingessentialssuchasoliveoil,saltand
pepper,teaand“energiserbeans”(coffee).
Unyokedis oneofseveralcompaniesoffering
remote,off-gridhideawaysaroundthecountry,allowing
gueststoimmersethemselvesinnatureandswitchoff
withoutdistractionfromtheoutsideworld.
BrothersCameronandChrisGrantlaunchedthe
venturein 2016 asa wayofhelpingpeopleescapefrom
theirdemandingcitylives.
“Theideacamefromusbeingstuckincorporate
jobsandseeingtheexpectationsanddemandsof
modernlifeinthecitytakingawayourabilitytobe
freeanddisappearintonaturewhenwereallyneeded
it,”saysCameron.
“We’dalwaysbeenmassivecabinfansandloved
thatrawfeelingyougetwhenseeinga hermit’sshack
on a mountain, or tucked in a pine forest somewhere.Sowewonderedwhatit’dbelikeif wecouldhavethat,
butwithina shortdrivefromourofficedeskinstead.”
Cameronbelievestheconceptofoff-gridescapes
is growing,alongwithpeople’sdesiretofindmore
responsible,uniqueandmeaningfulexperiences.
“We’veseenmoreandmorepeopleinterested
sincewelaunched,”saysCameron.“Withallthe
unfortunateeventshappeningrecently,it’sonlygoing
tomakepeoplesearchforthesekindsofexperiences
more.It’ssomethingwethinkeveryoneknowsthey
wantandneedbuttheyhaven’treallyknownwhat
tolookfor,seeingcampingastheonlyrealoption.”
Cabnis anothercompanyofferinga similar
off-gridexperience,withminimalist,eco-friendly
tinyhousesacrossSouthAustralia,Victoriaand
Queensland.Otherretreats,suchasSalSalis’sluxe
wildernesstentsat NingalooReef,featuremorelavish
amenities,includingmealsmadebyon-sitechefs.
“Thesetypesofexperiencesarepoppingup
everywhere,” saysCameron.“Peoplecanleave
havinghadordonesomething
meaningful,somethingwith
benefitstheycanfeelrather
thanjusta photoonthewall.”
A yokeis a woodenbeam
usedtoharnesshorsesoroxen
tocartsandotherfarmmachinery,
enablingthemtopullheavyloads.
Tobeunyoked,accordingto
Cameron,is tostopandbeset
free– a conceptI wasonlytoohappytotakeon
fora weekendescapeat Lucia.
It’sraining,sowespendourfirstmorningat the
cabinreadinginbed,occasionallystoppingtomake
teaorstareat thetrees.Assoonastheraineases,
weventureoutside,walkingthroughbackpaddocks
andgulliesuntilourfeetstarttosquelch.
Aswereturntoourcabin,goldensunbeams
streamthroughthecanopy,creatinga twinkling
utopiaastheyreflectoffthelingeringraindrops.
There’sa designatedfirepita fewmetresfromour
backdoor,withtwowoodenarmchairsinviting
ustositandstaya while.Welighta firewiththe
essentialsprovided,pourourselvesa largeglass
ofwineandsettleinfortheafternoon.
Fordinner,we’reinspiredbya menuof
suggestionsfromUnyoked’swelcomepack,
includingcampfiretacoswithcharredcauliflower.
Wrappingtortillasandcorninfoilandthrowing
themstraightontotheglowingfire,aswebreathe
inthecrispwinterair,is deeplyrefreshing.We
devourourmealsbeforecurlinguptowatchthe
moon.Bedthenbeckons.Wetuckourselvesin,
preparingfora nightofdeep,satisfyingsleep,safe
intheknowledgethatouronlydisruptionwillbe
theenthusiastic humofsurroundingcrickets.
unyoked.co●“Peoplecanleave
havinghad ordone
somethingmeaningful,
somethingwithbenefits
theycanfeelrather
than just a photo.”GOURMET TRAVELLER 119PHOTOGRAPHY DECLAN BLACKALL, MONTANA COOPER, JULIA TEMBER & MADDY TONKS.