These quiet countryside stays in Australia include plush rooms in a grand 1850s mansion set in sprawling forested parklands, tiny houses with panoramic views of picturesque hills on a wagyu farm, a glamping wilderness retreat with luxury tents near a serene lagoon in a national park, and a contemporary, white-washed, light-filled cottage with bay views in a wine region.
If you’re in need of the kind of relaxation that only comes with escaping the hustle and bustle of city life to a rural paradise, and the sort of rejuvenation that results from the restorative properties of sunrises and sunsets, of absorbing sweeping landscapes, and gazing up at clear starry skies, then these quiet countryside stays in Australia are for you.
Because I’d give anything right now for a blissful getaway to a serene rural retreat with bucolic vistas and friendly farm creatures, I’ve handpicked these quiet countryside stays in Australia in case you need some R&R too. I’ve selected four very different lodgings, the common denominator being that you’ll be gazing at green rolling hills, dotted with horses, cows or kangaroos, with a glass of wine in hand, from your balcony, veranda, deck or terrace.
Before I tell you more about these quiet countryside stays in Australia, I have a favour to ask. Grantourismo is reader-supported. If you’ve found our travel guides helpful, please consider supporting Grantourismo. You could use our links to buy travel insurance, book flights with CheapOair, Kiwi.com or Etihad; book transfers and accommodation on Agoda, Expedia, Wotif, lastminute.com, ebookers, or Trip.com; book an apartment or home on PLUM; book tours on Get Your Guide; buy train tickets on RailEurope, bus and train tickets on 12Go, or book a cooking class or meal with locals on EatWith.
Now let me tell you all about these quiet countryside stays in Australia.
Quiet Countryside Stays in Australia – Rural Retreats, Tiny Houses, Bush Glamping
These are our picks of quiet countryside stays in Australia.
Beechmont Estate, Gold Coast Hinterland, Queensland
Located in Queensland’s Gold Coast Hinterland, on the Beechmont Plateau on the edge of Lamington National Park, Beechmont Estate is my pick of these quiet countryside stays in Australia if you like the idea of a farm stay – in this case, a working wagyu farm stay, with a polo field, and an outstanding farm-to-table restaurant on site.
Just a 90-minute drive from Brisbane, 40 minutes from the Gold Coast or an hour’s drive from Gold Coast Airport, Beechmont Estate is handy if you’re visiting from interstate. Book a rental car for pick-up from Gold Coast airport.
While you’ll probably find it hard to leave your cosy cabin, below, with its plush bathrobes, fireplace and wooden deck with panoramic views of the gently undulating hills, you won’t have to go far to savour the serenity and scenery. What you can expect to see is pictured in the main featured image at the top of the post. Sigh…
Pull on your hiking boots for a bush-walk on some of Australia’s most breath-taking trails, explore the estate on an e-bike – take a picnic hamper and blanket to spread out somewhere on the stunning grounds of the estate – indulge in some pampering at the spa, and perhaps even catch a polo match on site.
Make sure to book a table at the chef-hatted paddock-to-plate restaurant, aptly named The Paddock, where chef Simon Furley uses locally-raised beef and sources sustainable regional produce from the surrounding Scenic Rim and Southeast Queensland to create delicious menus.
Arrive early for dinner so you can enjoy sunset from the terrace of the restaurant, which has a welcoming club house vibe with sofas and communal tables if you wish to socialise. And if you don’t, enjoy a glass of vino by the fireplace or outside under the stars.
Book Beechmont Estate with our booking partner
Koendidda Country House, Indigo Valley, Victoria
The most atmospheric of these quiet countryside stays in Australia is historic Koendidda Country House, Indigo Valley, Victoria, a grand Gold Rush-era mansion, built in 1863. Handily located near the Rutherglen wine region in rural Victoria, Koendidda is an easy three-hour drive from Melbourne.
Set amongst 42 acres of shady parklands with landscaped gardens and manicured lawns in the bucolic Indigo Valley – which is especially lovely and lush at this time of year – the welcoming bed and breakfast has open fireplaces, stained glass windows and plush rooms with high ceilings.
Just a 5-minute drive to the little blink-and-you’ll-miss-it town of Barnawartha, ten minutes to charming Chiltern, and a 25-minute road trip to Rutherglen, Koendidda is an ideal base for exploring the wine region, home to over 20 vineyards with excellent restaurants and cafés.
Although it’s also tempting to stay in and stroll the shady gardens or savour local cheeses as you enjoy a bottle of wine on the wide veranda, listening to the soundtrack of birdsong in the surrounding forest.
Book Koendidda Country House with our booking partner
Tanja Lagoon Camp, Mimosa Rocks National Park, New South Wales
Settings don’t get more serene than that of Tanja Lagoon Camp, a glamping wilderness retreat of luxury safari tents overlooking a tranquil coastal lagoon, surrounded by the spotted gum forests of Mimosa Rocks National Park on New South Wales’ Sapphire Coast.
A 45-minute drive from Merimbula Airport or a three-hour drive from Canberra Airport, where you can pick up a rental car for the very scenic road trip, Tanja Lagoon Camp is the pick of these quiet countryside stays in Australia if your idea of camping includes a bathtub, plush double bed, fully stocked kitchenette, and heating.
This is also the spot for you if you’re torn between the countryside and coast. Here you get to enjoy both the bush and the beach. There are plenty of bushwalking trails through pristine forests of spotted gums and cycads, wildlife watching that includes everything from rainbow lorikeets and pelicans to red-necked wallabies, canoeing and kayaking on the sparkling lagoon, and the creamy sands of Middle Beach just two kilometres away.
The luxury tents are all 70 m² and raised off the ground with a wooden deck with a day-bed and dining table with tranquil lagoon views. The tents have heating, hardwood floors, a sofa, a writing desk, a comfy bed, quality linen, large ensuite bathroom, and a kitchen with a full-sized fridge, freezer, microwave, and induction cooktop.
Outside, each tent has a good quality gas barbecue with a hotplate, grill and oven, and its own fire drum with camp chairs and fire wood provided. Weather permitting – that is, outside of bushfire season – you can enjoy the pleasures of a blazing campfire. Winter is perfect!
Book Tanja Lagoon Camp with our booking partner
The White Shack, Bellarine Peninsula, Victoria
The White Shack on the Bellarine Peninsula is not at all what you’re probably imagining. Well, it’s far removed from the actual beach shacks my family rented when I was a kid for summer holidays at sleepy beach towns on the New South Wales coast.
Let’s just say this is a rather luxurious ‘shack’ and it’s my pick for you of these quiet countryside stays in Australia if you’re looking for a stylish holiday house for a rural getaway for a group of friends or family.
You get the whole house, which sleeps six. Although the dining table and living area will comfortably seat ten, so another four family members or friends could stay somewhere nearby and drop over for meals.
There are two super-spacious, light-filled living areas and a stunning dining space with fireplaces, striking art on the white walls, floor to ceiling windows with picturesque views of the wrap-around terraces, vineyards and Port Phillip Bay beyond.
Loads of books and board games, a fully-equipped kitchen, a furnished terrace dripping with wisteria, with relaxing wicker chairs and a long dining table, an outdoor barbecue, and immaculate gardens all make this an immensely pleasurable country haven.
And while it might feel like The White Shack is idyllically isolated, some of the Bellarine Peninsula’s best wineries, including Terindah Estate, Scotchman’s Hill and Jack Rabbit Vineyard are in the neighbourhood, along with distilleries and providores.
There are plenty of villages and towns on the Bellarine Peninsula with excellent cafés, wine bars, pubs, and restaurants to rival the city of Geelong, just 20-minutes away, and Melbourne, only a 90 minute drive from the property.
Book The White Shack, Bellarine Peninsula with our booking partner
Please do let us know if you stay in any of these quiet countryside stays in Australia in the comments below, as we’d love to get your feedback.
