Glamping – or glamorised camping – is a growing eco-tourism category that has elevated the humble tent experience to one sought-after for a holiday with a difference.
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Key to the success of luxury-under-canvas getaways is the attraction of the location and the award-winning The Escape glamping retreat at Mogood on the South Coast ticks all the boxes for a new owner.
It sits on a 16-hectare site on the banks of the pristine Clyde River and is offered with the option of an adjoining same-sized lot that would deliver a super-sized property with 2.4 kilometres of river frontage.
Colin and Lucille Bailie bought the property about 17 years ago and used it initially as a getaway from their Canberra home.
“We found it by chance during a surf trip and thought it was a really special place and that its waterfront location made it one of those rare opportunities,” Colin Bailie says.
His background in hospitality led to a later decision to develop the property into what has become The Escape luxury camping retreat.
“We started the development application process around 2007 and then the project got under way in earnest,” Bailie says.
“Luckily, the site was largely cleared where we wanted to site the units and just needed to cut back some regrowth.”
Bailie worked with a local builder on the design of the glamping structures and says he was “hands-on” helping with the construction of the unique dwellings. The Escape opened five years ago and comprises a central building with a fully-equipped commercial kitchen, internal and external guest dining areas, a manager’s quarters with three bedrooms, four luxury tents and one bespoke studio.
The glamping units have unique bathrooms that are styled inside the shell of what looks like a rainwater tank. Modern infrastructure and amenities include 140 kilolitres of water storage, a bore, a wastewater treatment system, a solar energy system, 9KVA silent back-up generator, dam, boat ramp, kayak storage and three sheds. There’s also satellite internet, mobile reception and a landline.
The Escape is booked throughout the year, particularly during the non-winter months, and is popular as a weekend getaway and as a unique workshop retreat.
“The demographic of our guests is really broad – we get young couples, 50th wedding anniversaries and other significant occasions,” Bailie says.
“Our oldest guest was 91 years old.”
Mogood is just over an hour north of Bateman’s Bay and about 90 minutes from Ulladulla.
- 2408 The River Road, Mogood
- Price: $1,695,000
- Agents: Jo Humphries, Bella Coastal Property, 0417 276 793, (02) 4455 2002
- Inspect: Contact agent
See more: goo.gl/SsLeFN
