Winter. It’s the perfect time to pack a bag, and go to prison.
Or maybe live out your dream of wanting to live like those kids in Round The Twist and stay in a lighthouse. Maybe sliding down a fireman pole into your bed is something you fancy to heat up your winter nights.
Yes, a fire station, light house, prison… you can stay in them. It is time to think outside the box this winter as accommodation is the new destination.
Here are five surprising accommodations that you have to try this winter.
Tasmania – Sleeping in a Shipping Container
These Coastal Pods, perched on the lip of the Inglis River in Wynyard, Tasmania, are self-contained, architecturally designed dwellings fashioned from decommissioned shipping containers. In each of these luxurious suites you’ll find two bedrooms, a lounge area, kitchen, reading nook (floor to ceiling bookshelves are filled with good reads), a fire pit and laundry, and large glass doors and windows that look out onto the river. It’s chic coastal living, but in a glorified storage unit.
Victoria – Light House Delight
Located in an 1838 lighthouse, just off the Great Ocean Road, 38 minutes’ drive from Apollo Bay, Cape Otway Lightstation boasts stunning views of the Southern Ocean. Cape Otway Lightstation offers a variety of accommodation options, including the Lightkeepter’s B&B suites or the fully self-contained Lighthouse Lodge. The Lightstation Studio has stunning views of the light station from your room.
Western Australia – The Great Escape
It is exactly as its name suggests: a hostel in the women’s division of the heritage-listed Fremantle Prison. The prison functioned until 1991, and was built in the 1850s. Contrary to what you might assume, the prison is incredibly spacious. Some rooms have their own air-conditioning and attached en suites, and there’s an industrial kitchen and a games room. For those curious about the building’s past, the hostel offers tours of the main prison cellblock, gallows and solitary-confinement cells.
South Australia – Fire Station Fever
The historic Fire Station Inn is a cosy block of North Adelaide suites that fully embraces its past as a functioning fire station. Decked out with novelty props and red furnishings, all suites have king-size bedrooms and a spa bath. In the “romantic” Fire Engine Suite there’s an actual fire truck, a fireman’s pole and fireman dress-up uniforms. Hot. The inn is close to the Adelaide Botanic Gardens, cafes and restaurants.
New South Wales – Byron Bay Reimagined
Here is news for you – you can do Byron cheap & well. Staying in a cabin at a holiday park offers a complete unique experience. Discovery Parks – Byron Bay offers self-contained cabins, which are spread around its lush grounds by the creek. This holiday park includes two outdoor swimming pools, a water park with slides and a full tennis court. Each cabin comes with en suite facilities, air conditioning, TV, cooking facilities, linen and towels. Guests have access to communal bbq areas and a camp kitchen. The even greater news – it is located approximately 2 km from the town centre and the beautiful beaches of Byron Bay.