26 MAY 2025
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Tucked into the tall pines of Kuitpo Forest, these off-grid cabins feel miles from anywhere — though you’re less than an hour from Adelaide. Built for deep rest and reconnection (with yourself, your partner, your dog or just the land), each cabin is sustainably designed and pared back to the essentials — a warm bed, a steaming shower, a big window framing the forest. Out here, the air smells better, time moves slower and the signal drops out — which might even be the best part.
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Built gently into the land, Rare Earth Retreats takes its name — and its cues — from the ground it rests on: Stone, Clay and Slate. Off-grid and quietly luxurious, these three eco-stays are designed for slowing down and tuning in — to the light, the weather, the texture of the day.
Inside, you’ll find thoughtful comforts: an open fire, warm timber tones and local artwork on the walls. Outside, vines run to the edge of the sky and the Vale rolls out wide in every direction. It’s a place that feels purposeful but never overdone — where everything has its place and you’re free to find yours.
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The cold only makes the heat sweeter — especially when there’s a sauna waiting for you at the end of the day. Set just beyond the dunes in Robe, this Scandinavian-inspired stay leans into the winter season with timber interiors, Australian wool bedding and a fire ready to go.
Spend the day tracing coastal trails or watching waves crash near the Obelisk, then return to your own warm corner of the Limestone Coast — where the sauna waits, and the ice bath’s not as daunting once you’ve done it once.
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There’s something undeniably good about sleeping close to the elements — especially when you’re warm, well-fed and the stars are out. At Bukirk, just outside Clare, luxury tents and cosy cabins are spread across open hills with big skies and slow mornings. Some have stargazing roofs. Others have kitchenettes and king beds with views. All of them have that sense of space you only get out here.
There’s a firepit for marshmallows, a deck for morning tea and enough fresh air to fill your lungs and clear your head. It's the kind of stay that’s simple in the best way — just the right mix of comfort and country.
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There aren’t many stays where the neighbours have hooves and the hills roll out in every direction. Merilli1885 is a heritage cottage in Currency Creek that’s been restored with care and a clear eye — stone walls, old beams and details that nod to the past without getting stuck in it. You’ll sleep in linen, sip wine by a French fireplace and watch the paddocks change colour with the light.
It’s not just for horse lovers, but they’ll be especially happy here — with space to bring your own, and an arena that looks like it’s always been part of the land. This is the Fleurieu slowed right down. The kind of place where doing less feels like exactly enough.
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There’s something about ending a winter’s day in a claw-foot tub, steam rising into the crisp Hills air, the valley below soft with mist. Set on 16 acres of orchard, vineyard and bushland in Lenswood, this 1890s cottage is made for two — and for doing very little, very well. You might start your morning under a thick quilt, sipping coffee as the frost lifts from the paddocks. Then, wander the property, pick apples and come back to a fireplace ready to crackle. The hosts leave you the makings of an apple crumble and the old family recipe to go with it — all you need to bring is the ice cream, and maybe someone to share it with.
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A winter’s day stretches differently at Saltbush Farm. The hills hold the morning light, the ocean sits quiet in the distance and everything feels just far enough away.
You might take your time over coffee, watching kangaroos move through the paddocks. Later, pull on a jacket and follow the fenceline through open country, before soaking in the heated plunge pool as the weather rolls in. And when evening comes, light the fire, put a slow dinner in the oven and watch the last light slip into the sea.
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You open the door and the warmth hits first — then the scent of woodsmoke and fresh linen. There’s something about arriving here that makes your shoulders drop a little.
With just six thoughtfully designed pavilions, each stay feels personal. The fireplace is ready to go and the hot tub steams quietly on the deck with orchard views. The minibar’s stocked with local treats, the breakfast is sorted and the vines of the Adelaide Hills are just down the road — though you might not make it that far. There’s a comfort here that makes it hard to leave.
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Some places let you exhale before you’ve even unpacked. At The Louise, it starts with the view — rows of Barossa vines stretching out in every direction — and only gets better from there. Each of the fifteen suites opens onto a private terrace, where the morning light spills in slowly, the curious magpies caw and time begins to loosen its grip.
Inside, everything’s been thought through — from the deep bathtub to the soft linens to the bottle of something local waiting when you arrive. You’re on Seppeltsfield Road, surrounded by stories told in barrels and soil, but there’s no rush to head out. Appellation, the onsite restaurant, brings the region’s flavours to your table with intent and a focus on what’s grown just down the road.
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Trestrail Cottage gets the little things right. A cosy settler-style stay surrounded by 100 acres of stringybark and silence, five minutes from Sevenhill but far enough that the only company might be a kangaroo in the clearing.
In the morning, you might follow a wombat trail through the bush, or pedal to a cellar door along the Riesling Trail. Come late afternoon, it’s all about the slow shift: a bottle from nearby Pikes, a soft chair pulled close to the fire and dinner warming in the oven while the trees creak gently outside. You’ll sleep well here — the kind of sleep that only comes when the night is truly quiet and you’ve earned it.
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Set above the calm curve of Emu Bay, Hamilton & Dune offer an island stay that works in any season. Hamilton House, a classic 1960s beach shack just 100 metres from the shore, was given a thoughtful update in 2018 — bringing in modern comforts without sanding back its character. Close by, Dune House adds a more contemporary feel, all clean lines, sunlight and sea views from every room.
Between them, they put you in easy reach of Kangaroo Island’s best beaches — with all the creature comforts in place. Pour a glass, sink into a chair and keep an eye out for the local crowd: koalas, kangaroos and the odd curious kookaburra.
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You wake to the Murray River gently knocking at the hull and a low winter sun inching across the river. The Cube is your floating base camp — just outside Murray Bridge, just an hour from Adelaide, and just big enough for two.
Inside, there’s everything you need: a queen bed, a warm shower, a place to make breakfast while the windows fog up. Out on the deck, there’s a sun lounge wrapped in morning frost, a kayak tied and waiting and a fire pit that crackles — probably the loudest thing you’ll hear all day.
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Jacka Brothers Brewery has brewed something new in Melrose — three unique stays poured straight from local history. There’s the Brewer’s Cottage, once home to the cooper, now a cosy two-bedroom hideaway with a country kitchen made for long breakfasts and slow dinners. Just down the way, the Brewery Guesthouse brings a rustic touch to boutique comfort — four bedrooms wrapped in original stone, timber and stories from its days bottling beer and shearing sheep. And if you’re after wide skies and trailhead proximity, the Remarkable Mountain Lodges sit at the base of Wangyarra (Mount Remarkable), ready to host your next walking weekend or fireside escape. Each stay tells part of the story — and invites you to write your own.
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