Low-impact accommodation beckons hikers off the beaten track
The invisible lodge
Nestled quietly among the casuarina trees on the Freycinet Peninsula lies a Tasmanian architectural gem. The Friendly Beaches Lodge, built in 1992, has some serious green credentials, operating off-grid and championing a low impact lifestyle in the heart of Freycinet National Park.
The Friendly Beaches Lodge was built according to a series of covenants attached to the land on which it sits (ever so lightly!) within the Freycinet National Park. These covenants work to both protect the environment, and ensure that it is shared with others, in as sustainable and considered a manner as possible.
Firstly, an essential component of these covenants was that any structure built on this unique piece of land must primarily be used only to provide accommodation for a guided walking holiday… and so the Friendly Beaches Lodge became the exclusive home to guests of the Freycinet Experience Walk! Further to this, it was covenanted that any accommodation should only be built on previously disturbed soil (to minimise its impact). Accordingly, the Friendly Beaches Lodge was built upon the sites of several old fishing shacks! It was also essential that the building would blend in with its surrounds, so it was not visible from the beach, a mere 100m away, earning it the nickname locally of ‘The Invisible Lodge’.
Immersing its inhabitants in their natural environment is at the heart of the Friendly Beaches Lodge design. While it provides an eco-friendly retreat each night of the four-day Freycinet Experience Walk, the thoughtful design encourages a deep connection with nature (with picture frame windows in every room, ensuring a constant view to the outdoors through to corrugated iron roofing to maximise the acoustic experience of an evening rainfall!).The burnished timber exterior and warm atmosphere welcome hikers off the beaten track to a comfortable low-impact accommodation that doesn’t cost the earth.
Unique features
The Friendly Beaches Lodge continues to be an outstanding example of sustainable architecture and is widely acknowledged as a beacon in Tasmania’s ever growing eco-tourism industry.
The kitchen creates beautiful meals with minimal waste and a comprehensive recycling program, while rainwater tanks and solar panels capture water and energy for cooking, cleaning, heating and power for the lodge. Fallen timber from around the property fuels the fireplace and pot-bellied stoves, and the toilets are self- composting.
In 2018 it was recognised for its Enduring Architecture at the Tasmanian Architecture Awards, showcasing the longevity of its minimalist and rugged form, which is both sympathetic and congruous with its beautiful surrounds.
The accommodation’s quietly unassuming exterior gives way to roaring fires, a dining room fit for long-table dinners, private bedrooms with Egyptian cotton sheets, and sumptuous claw-foot baths to soak away the day. It is honest, comfortable and thoughtful accommodation that espouses the values of a small carbon footprint and treads lightly on the unique ecology of its surroundings. It demonstrates that living off-grid can be both environmentally friendly and comfortable with a rustic charm that beguiles the weariest of travellers.