Gold Coast Bulletin: Glamping with Star Power

This heavenly hideaway includes Australia’s only bubble-tent experience for kids.

There’s a quote from novel The Goldfinch that goes: “When you feel homesick, just look up. Because the moon is the same wherever you go.”

For avid traveller Cathryn van der Walt, it was the stars.

“The one thing that our family ended up doing wherever we were was stargazing, but I just didn’t realise how much of this we did until I was in Tokyo with my eldest daughter on a holiday,” she said.

“We were looking up at the stars in an open-air hot springs bath right in the middle of Tokyo’s financial district and I thought, if you could star watch here, you could star watch back home. That started my journey to do something.”

That something was Mirumiru, a heavenly hideaway at Tenterfield combining glamping for star-crossed lovers with Australia’s only bubble-tent experience for kids, and luxury farm stays.

“I was really clear on what I wanted from a landscape – it had to be four seasons, at the base of a mountain and a safe mix of country and close to town,” Ms van der Walt said.

“My husband, son and I spent our weekends scouting around Tenterfield due to its dark skies at night, the picturesque Federation village, and its easy accessibility from Brisbane, the Gold Coast, the North Coast and Sydney.

“The moment I drove into the farm that was it. The view of Mount Mackenzie was so stunning, I knew this was what I wanted people to wake up to.”

Ms van der Walt said their private property hosts romantic getaways, family glamping and group gatherings “without having to drive an hour out of town on a road that requires a 4WD”.

“(I love) the contrast of these almost space-like bubble tents set against an iconic Australian high country landscape (especially at) sunset when the wallabies bound around and night falls to a spectacular dark sky,” she said.

“You feel like you can touch the Milky Way; it appears so close – it’s a front-row seat to the night sky.”

Astral adventurers choose from adult-only sites and a family-friendly option.

“Each of our main bubble tents accommodates two adults with a super-comfortable memory-foam queen bed and luxe, natural linens,” Ms van der Walt said.

“The roof of the bubble tent is clear, so you can stargaze from the comfort of your bed.

“It also offers an indoor, eco-friendly composting toilet in a separate bathroom bubble, complete with a privacy panel, plus an entryway with a camping fridge and bench seat.

“Our Captain Thunderbolt glamping site has a tiny bubble tent in a tree for the kids to sleep in with designer portable feather beds and pillows – GlamSwags – plus sleeping bags. There is an outdoor vintage bath and shower at each site, and the outdoor deck area hosts a kitchenette with cooking supplies, gas barbecue and hotplate and outdoor table and chairs, plus an outdoor firepit and seating area.”

Sunday at Mirumiru, a restored 1900s Queenslander farmhouse sleeping up to 10 people, is a fit for those who prefer four walls.

“When guests stay here they can experience the beauty of a high country stay – indoor fireplace, fully stocked kitchen for home-cooked meals with local farmers’ market produce, and an outdoor firepit for a sundowner for the best sunsets,” Ms van der Walt said.

Tenterfield’s distinct seasons ensure every visit is different.

“Spring is wildflower season and still cool, summer is swimming in creeks and enjoying cool humidity-free evenings, autumn is the changing leaves that Tenterfield is famous for, and winter is frosty, fireplace sessions with a great red in hand type of weather,” Ms van der Walt said.

“There is a lot to choose from – hiking in six National Parks, mountain bike trails, history in Tenterfield and surrounding towns, coffee, shopping, dining and over 40 wineries in the Granite Belt starting from a 30-minute drive away.

“I want guests to embrace holidaying in Australia and reinventing how they experience a beautiful part of New England.

“Whether that is glamping for the first time, taking an outdoor bath, or hiking up Bald Rock, or going to museums they may not necessarily think are big city experiences – these things matter. You get some time to yourself in nature, see spectacular places in our history and importantly get to appreciate the people that power regional Australia.”

The new $15m Angry Bulls Mountain Bike Trail is opening next year.

“Mirumiru is a three-minute bike ride away from the Curry’s Gap location, designed specifically for mountain biking beginners and families,” Ms van der Walt said.

While road-trippers from the regions make up most of Mirumiru’s guests, Ms van der Walt said they’d welcomed visitors from as far away as the Netherlands. “(Most guests say) they never expected this in a town they have never been to before,” she said.

“The kids are just so excited when they arrive you can feel it … and hear it, they literally can’t stop talking and laughing and deciding where they are going first.

“For everyone that stays the feedback is truly magical.

“They have no idea they are sleeping under the Milky Way with shooting stars going on around them until they are.”

GET THERE
Tenterfield is just over three-and-a-half hour’s drive from the Gold Coast. To book go to mirumiru.com.au