Top 10 holiday retreats you can buy right now
It’s that time of year when many of us returning to the hum drum of office life contemplate a world without a commute and dream of becoming our own boss.
But even though a sea or tree change is tempting, what about finding work in regional or rural Australia?
No one ever said running a holiday business would be easy, but the thought of checking out of the rat race for a slower scene is tempting.
Commercial Insights: Subscribe to receive the latest news and updates
It’s all about deciding whether you’re willing to trade in the traffic jams for making tea and jam for your bed and breakfast guests.
Across the country, there are plenty of accommodation businesses with built in homes and healthy incomes on the market right now.
Where: Thrytomene Court, Halls Gap – Victoria
What: Designed for glamping in the Grampians, this nature-friendly accommodation business known as Down Under Log Cabins features five luxury cabins tucked away on 2ha of native bushland each with their own deck, spa bathroom and barbecue area.
How much: $2.2 million (freehold opportunity)
Your own piece of tranquillity.
And enjoy the serenity.
Halls Gap accommodation.
Where: Verrierdale – Queensland
What: High on the hilltops behind Noosa, this lifestyle retreat includes a retro ruby red bus as accommodation, a Hamptons style home, a log house and two timber cabins as well as a yoga and meditation centre. The almost 18ha property also has plenty of room to grow your own organic produce.
How much: More than $2.2 million.
Here’s your chance to own your own holiday spot.
The lifestyle retreat sits in the stunning Noosa hills.
Where: 7869 Main South Rd, Second Valley – South Australia
What: Leonards Mill dates back to the mid 1800s when it began as a local flour mill. Since its 1984 renovations, the period property on 1ha has been as a restaurant and short term accommodation business.
There are two self-contained studios and the original stables out the back are used as a Zen yoga studio all netting the owners about $68,000 a year.
How much: $795,000 (freehold opportunity)
Built in the 1800s, Leonards Mill was originally a flour mill.
Much of the original mill machinery remains.
Where: 23 Welman St, Launceston – Tasmania
What: A grand white manor with views over the Tamar Valley, Highfield House is a heritage home built in 1860 for local lawyer William Henty.
Today it’s a B&B business earning up to $180 a night close to the centre of Launceston and 20 minutes from picturesque wine country.
How much: More than $1.7 million
Highfield House oozes classic old style charm.
Where: 75 Thorburn St, Nimbin – New South Wales
What: Rainbow Retreat is far out a wild and wacky place to stay on the outskirts of Nimbin, one hour west of Byron Bay. The 7.43ha estate features a main residence and manager’s office, multiple bungalows, a bathroom block, guesthouse and a flat camping ground for tents and caravans.
In better times the complex was grossing up to $1200 a day.
How much: Expressions of interest
One of the multiple quirky holiday homes at Rainbow Retreat.
Where: 1 Lumeah Rd, Adventure Bay – Tasmania
What: 43 Degrees is an environmentally-friendly accommodation business on popular Bruny Island only 50m from the beach.
Over 1323sq m there are five uniquely-designed and sustainable spa apartments and the business banks about $300,000 over 11 months trade giving the owners a sizeable salary and a whole month off.
How much: $2 million
43 Degrees sits on stunning Bruny Island.
Inside one of the accommodation units at 43 Degrees.
Where: 59 Barge Access Rd, French Island – Victoria
What: Eleanor Estate is a private island hideaway off the beaten track an out of Melbourne.
The 40ha property is shared with koalas, kookaburras and kangaroos and features a six-year-old stone and timber farmhouse, as well as a freehold glamping business with five yurt-like retreats that cost visitors up to $295 a night.
How much: $2.5 million to $2.75 million
Eleanor Estate on French Island.
There’s plenty of charm in this country-style kitchen at Eleanor Estate.
Where: 61 Bicentennial Dr, Agnes Water – Queensland
What: All up at The Lovely Cottages there are four multi-coloured cabins set on a 2ha site, a classic 1930s Queenslander homestead with a pool plus a further 120-bed camping facility for more accommodation including 12 established glamping tents and a communal dining area.
The property is 3.5km from Agnes Water’s main beach and tourist township.
How much: Expressions of interest
The Lovely Cottages has four multicoloured cabins.
The Lovely Cottages site spans 2ha.
Where: 274 Mount Burrell Rd, Mount Burrell – New South Wales
What: Spirit of Gaia is a unique health retreat that sitting peacefully on a 40ha estate west of Murwillumbah and includes a two-bedroom guesthouse and a manager’s cottage.
There is also vast space across the property which includes a Thai-themed villa, Bali-themed villa and three glamping tents.
How much: Auction
The Spirit of Gaia has two villas and three glamping tents.
The retreat is the perfect place to relax.
Where: 206 Harrington St, Hobart – Tasmania
What: Built in 1840 for Father John Joseph Therry, this holy Hobart home is a piece of Tasmania’s history and is now newly renovated. The four self-contained apartments could be a bed and breakfast business, or short term rentals with an income stream earning up to $1200 a week.
There is also a commercial office with storerooms, lock up and undercover parking as well as workshops and a garden shed.
How much: Expressions of interest
This article from The Daily Telegraph originally appeared as “The top 10 holiday destinations around Australia you could own”.
