BRISBANE: a city built for summer

When scarlet POINCIANA TREES burst into flower, it’s a sign to BRISBANE that summer has arrived, bringing with it the glorious appeal of all this sub-tropical river city has to offer. It’s a blend of city SOPHISTICATION, CULTURE and NATURE.

LOCAL HAUNTS

’s tours explore the hidden places locals love, catering to all interests, whether your passion is art, architecture, design, history, gardens or cafe culture.

Dive deep into the city’s history at the

and take one of

to learn what makes Brisbane tick.

Wander up Fortitude Valley, one of Brisbane’s most popular high-end shopping and dining precincts. For an ultra-urban-chic stay, book in to

’s Gin School lets you choose from more than 130 botanicals to create your own signature gin (and you get to take it home, too). Brisbane’s hottest new dining spot is , where your meal is created using the ancient art of cooking with fire over a stone hearth.

Only 30 minutes from the city centre, is a great place to combine your love of wine with a spot of glamping in a bushland setting, just a short stroll from the winery and restaurant.

On nearby , go sand tobogganing in the dunes, snorkel the sunken wrecks offshore, or hand-feed the pod of wild dolphins that visit

each night.

SUMMER EVENTS ON THE RIVER

Glide the river in a kayak from , paddling under the past the historic

A highlight of the summer season at the

is the world-exlusive exhibition, which features more than 100 innovative and influential motorcycles from the 1860s to today. The exhibition, which kicks off in November, will be on display until 26 April 2021.

See some of the big names of women’s tennis slugging it out at the tennis tournament, and the action of the world’s best at the in January.

The Motorcycle,

Visitbrisbane.com.au

STEVE MADGWICK

AS INCONCEIVABLE AS IT SOUNDS, some truly fine things spring to life during the grinding droughts that for too long have defined and diverted the trajectory of the Australian bush. And from necessity comes luxury, at least in the case of Faraway Domes, one of the most curious and original iterations of the glamping ideal out there.

The drought hovered over the Munsie family’s century-old cattle farm in the NSW North West Slopes region like a dry, dark cloud. Until, eventually, the Big Dry smashed down its insufferable fist.

“We began the process of destocking 2000 head of cattle and shutting down Willunga Pastoral Company,” says Belinda Munsie. Her husband, Jamie, has lived on Willunga homestead for his entire life.

“Our motto was always get out, cut our losses and not go into the expense of [hand]-feeding cattle. Put the proceeds in the bank and wait out the drought. Due to unpredictable rainfall and increasing temperatures, if three families were to continue to survive on our properties an alternative income had to be sought.”

On her travels through Canada and the USA, Belinda saw how ranchers often catered to tourists as a secondary income. She also noticed how North American city folk were in “a flourish of activity to get a shot of any animal that moved”. So the seed of Faraway Domes was planted abroad, but it took some home-grown inspiration for it to bear fruit. “Out mustering, I came across many sites along an eastern escarpment where a structure could be nestled into bushland.”

The first conundrum was finding an appropriate light-touch structure that could make the most of the amazing valley views while also withstanding the outback’s elements. And so the search for inspiration began.

“I liked the style and atmosphere of the safari tents at Paperbark Camp in Jervis Bay,” she says. Belinda also admired the tiny A-frame house at Kimo Estate and considered the concept of Bubble Tent Australia, but eventually decided against it because she felt it wouldn’t offer sufficient sun protection.

A geodesic dome design from the USA gelled with her still-forming vision, but because of budget constraints, including hefty freight costs, Belinda sourced a similar Chinese-fabricated design for a third of the price. An appropriate site was found on the edge of a rocky basalt outcrop enshrouded by mature box-gum woodland (crucially, outside the ‘fire zone’) and, with some sustained good old-fashioned elbow grease and country ingenuity, the Faraway dream was realised.

Some glampsites rely on advertising-brochure camera angles to portray faux remoteness, only for guests to

be engulfed by a snore-fest from nearby glampers.

But Faraway Domes (just a single structure right now, despite the ‘s’) requires no such smoke and mirrors.

The property is an hour north of the little town of Warialda, itself a couple of hours’ drive north of Tamworth. The tarmac gives way to a well-graded dirt road named for the family before a subtle sign directs you up a four-kilometre gravel driveway, through farm gates, over cattlegrids.

As you approach it from behind, the dome feels like a stranger in a strange land, nestled under shady fig and kurrajong trees, surrounded by native olives trees – just an inkling of that fantastic view that sprawls into seemingly limitless rurality. Western grey kangaroos and five local gecko species might watch you walk past the open fire pit and bird feeder fashioned from recycled electrical parts.

Inside the east-facing dome, the open-plan space feels weightless and spacious, like the outdoors has been invited in, thanks to the clear-panel portholes in, and the relative translucence of, the PVC shell.

The palette of greys, reds, ochres, charcoals and tans are easy on the eye, letting it naturally wander over to the 180-degree valley vista on show through the dome’s substantial ‘bay window’.

“Good money was spent” on the luxury items like the four-poster bed and leather couch. The remainder of the furnishings and fittings are a pastiche of bespoke elements, including lamps that Jamie made from old farm machinery, finished off with odds and sods from Ikea and Bunnings.

“I detest the cold, stark, clinically immaculate look,” says Belinda. “I have used a combination of rustic, industrial and eclectic styles with quite a few ideas from Pinterest. Including the kitchen island bench, which my son Will made from old pine timber we had stored in the woolshed. He is now inundated with orders and has started up his own furniture-making business, which has helped him financially throughout the drought.”

Faraway Domes is unashamedly aimed at couples, hinted at by the combination of two-seater couch, intimate dining table, and paired seating options outside on the fabulous deck. Faraway’s tour de force and signature experience is the stand-alone clawfoot balcony bath. Run the water, light the candles, slip in, listen to the birdsong, drink in the view – even if it is slightly obstructed by the wire safety fence at bath level (and you may struggle to fit two people into it).

Aesthetically, the inside bathroom is surely one of the outback’s chicest, complete with carved dark-stone basin,

Getting there

Faraway Domes is located three hours’ drive north of Tamworth, NSW, and five hours’ drive south-west of Brisbane, Qld.

Staying there

Rates start at $425 per night (minimum two nights) with optional food packages on top.

Playing there

While you might opt to relax and do little more than soak in the outdoor tub and stargaze while here, you can also explore the region by taking a scenic drive along historic Fossickers Way, visiting the ar tesian spa town of Moree, and swimming, hiking and fishing at Macintyre Falls.You can also book an in-house massage or beauty session. farawaydomes.com