A night at the living museum

Sleep over in a national park, feasting on campfire cuisine and spinning stories by the fire, without having to tackle a tent

SET inside the ancient World Heritage-listed Nightcap National Park in the Byron hinterland, Nightcap Ridge is a new eco-retreat pitching back-to-basics luxury.

Made up of cottages and a function space called The Argory, owners Sara and Fraser Duddy say the unique set-up offers an escape from the everyday.

“We drove into Nightcap Ridge five years ago and immediately knew it was the one,” Mrs Duddy said.

“Being in the middle of Nightcap National Park, the flora and fauna is absolutely breathtaking. It’s a 100 per cent off-grid property but you certainly won’t see any pit toilets.”

Guests can choose from three beautifully furnished cottages, with indoor fireplaces, free-standing baths and big verandas.

“We’ve chosen vintagelook fixtures and fittings, and local antiques to furnish the buildings, which goes well with our sustainable ethos,” Mrs Duddy said.

“The TV is behind a cupboard and we don’t have any clocks or indication of the outside world.

“Guests have access to binoculars and wildlife reference books to identify the abundant wildlife as well as bicycles to roam around the park and visit natural wonders such as Minyon Falls.”

Nightcap Ridge offers a chef-prepared heat-and-eat menu of campfire cuisine, including slow-cooked lamb shoulder pie and hearty pots of beef and Guinness stew or pulled brisket.

“A hanging pot can be brought to the campfire or oven baked pies, platters or pizzas can be delivered to pop in the oven,” Mrs Duddy said.

An organic vegetable garden and bushtucker trees supply those who prefer to forage for their feast.

“Guests, especially the little ones, really enjoy going in and picking their own veggies and salad greens for dinner,” Mrs Duddy said.

“The chooks roam around the property and many of them lay blue eggs because they’re a special breed originating from Chile called araucana. There’s a large orchard and indigenous bushtucker trees such as blue quandong and Davidson’s plum, which we use to make jams and conserves to share with our guests. We also have beehives and sell the 100 per cent rainforest honey.”

A historical decision is to thank for the property’s rare position inside Nightcap National Park.

“After World War 1, the land was given to an ex-serviceman on the proviso he cleared the trees – except for a couple – to make way for a dairy that would service the UK’s increasing need for milk products,” Mrs Duddy said.

“This was a common practice in the Northern Rivers.

“Many years later, the property fell into disrepair and lantana covered the land until the 1980s when a local planner regenerated the land and planted more than 10,000 native trees.”

Now, Nightcap’s rainforests are part of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area, home to the highest concentration of marsupial, bird, snake and frog species in Australia.