Cattle Camp Cabin Piralilla farm Nobby.

When I recently decided I needed to take a short retreat I looked around for something suitably relaxing and isolated, while still close to home. I was surprised to find an absolute gem just 30 minutes from town. Toowoomba is a large inland city and it is surrounded by the rich productive black soils of the Darling Downs. Largely cleared for grazing and cropping, the land south of town is characterised by open pasture and cultivation surrounded by gently rolling hills. The hills are the result of the same volcanic eruptions that have given the area its characteristic rich, black, basalt, clay soils. South of town are a number of smaller locations that dot the map between Toowoomba and Warwick the next town of any size. One such location is Nobby and it was at Nobby that I found a perfect short escape; Cattle Camp Cabin Piralilla farm. Perfect for several reasons! (Check out the link, there are much better photos, afraid I was more focused on relaxation than taking photos and our few photos do not do it justice).

You get to Piralilla farm by driving south from Toowoomba, not down the highway but via Wyreema and Camboya once rural villages with little but a school, a pub and a shop but now rapidly evolving into satellite suburbs of Toowoomba. Once you turn off the main road you follow the road to dirt, and then at the end of that road, you arrive at two beautiful tiny cabins, nestled beneath low rolling hills overlooking lush pasture. Behind the cabins and on top of the hills is natural bush, while in the front you look out onto rich pasture grasses gently waving in the breeze with contented grazing livestock. Between the cabins are large old stockyards creating space, and privacy and adding to the rural aesthetic. The location and view is idyllic. It was exactly what I needed for a short retreat from the demands of modern life. Not only that, but I was keen to experience the off-grid tiny house experience the cabin offered.

The cabins have been built using reclaimed and upcycled materials, a build philosophy dear to my heart in this age of disposability and extravagance. Our old Sprinter van has been built out using the same philosophy, where we reclaimed materials wherever we could, repurposing and upcycling. In the Cattle Camp cabin, you will find windows and doors reclaimed from sites like the old Regatta Hotel in Brisbane, giving the cabin a unique and charming character. Furnishings are comfy and cosy creating the perfect setting to just relax and unwind. The cabin is open plan and while the kitchen is small and basic it contains everything you need, including welcome flowers and homemade cookies. Gas cooking and a microwave are available as well as a small BBQ on the verandah. The living area is completed with a wood fire, a comfy sofa and a generous arrangement of throw rugs to help you get cosy. The cabin is totally off-grid but more than adequately supplied with power and water. There is a TV but more importantly, there are games, puzzles and books.

There is a small bedroom and bathroom to the side of the kitchen lounge. French doors open onto the verandah and you can lie in bed in the morning and watch the sunrise and mist drift across the paddocks in the morning, absolute bliss. I am a huge fan of the tiny house movement and I loved everything about this minimalist and cosy cottage but G who is a pretty big guy did say he did feel a bit cramped in the bedroom but I think that had more to do with deterring me from forcing him out of our comfy home and into a tiny cottage in the middle of nowhere permanently 😏, (which, I so would do if I thought I could get away with it), pretty sure he would not have even mentioned feeling a bit cramped if it were not for thinking about what his crazy wife might be thinking. {G edit: No it had more to do with the walls being 30cm away from the bed!} As a holiday stay the size is perfect, it is cosy, comfortable and romantic. Looking through the guest book it was obvious this was a favourite location for couples wanting to celebrate an anniversary or just have a romantic, relaxing break together and for that, this is an absolutely perfect location. I loved the cosy bedroom with its super comfy bed, piled high with comfy pillows and lovely touches like pictures of the resident highland cows on the walls.

As mentioned Cattle Camp cabin is one of two cabins on the property, the other cabin had an outdoor heated bath, something that Cattle Camp was in the process of getting but not quite a finished project when we stayed. Kim, (host), kindly messaged me, to let me know that the other cabin was empty at the time and invited me to go use the bath at the other cabin, which I appreciated but to be honest, was happy with the hot shower at Cattle Camp, Kim even left bath supplies for me on the verandah which was a lovely thought. I have to say everything about the stay at the cabin was welcoming and thoughtful from our hosts. They have done an exceptional job in creating a peaceful retreat for any traveller.

Did I mention the cows! Piralilla farm is a working farm and amongst the livestock is a small herd of highlands, the supermodels of the bovine world, or rather the walking bovine teddy bears of cattle breeds with their gloriously shaggy coats and big square heads. When it comes to cuteness these guys really won the lottery big time. There is a bucket of cow treats conveniently left on the verandah of the cabin for the cows and if you just pick up the bucket and give it a shake, it is enough to get their attention and have them come to the fence to say hello and hopefully collect a handful of food. Aside from the cows, birdlife abounds and we even saw a small mob of roos hop across the paddock on the last afternoon. There is a fire pit close to the cow paddock, which was a lovely spot to sit and watch a fire in the early evening. There is also a small herb garden from which you can grab some fresh additions to a salad or pasta, just one more thoughtful addition to the cabin.

I have to say that our short stay at the Cattle Camp cabin was absolute bliss, exactly what I needed to slow down and recharge. I can highly recommend it as a location for a country retreat from the hassle and hustle of modern life. There was peace, solitude and cosy comfort, it was absolutely idyllic. While I was there for the peace and quiet I can see why this would also be an ideal spot for a romantic getaway. It is dog-friendly so you can bring the mutts, our girls slept in the van (they travel in luxury). Just a couple of hours from Brisbane and only about thirty minutes from Toowoomba the cabins are ideally located for short tranquil getaways. It might feel a million miles away but if you need it you still have access to shops just a short drive away or pubs for a meal.