From an eco-hut for two in Mudgee to an architecturally designed guesthouse in Hobart, these are two of the winners of Airbnb’s first awards in Australia for the best unique and best designed accommodation revealed this week.
Australia’s top host of the year prize was awarded to Victoria’s Kate Quinlan, whose 1970s style campervan on her family farm in Daylesford earned her 5-star reviews from guests all around the world.
Adrienne Penny of Queensland won the Community Contribution Award for giving respite to carers by hosting free-of-charge stays at her Sunshine Coast beachside apartment.
Retired helicopter rescue pilot Cam O’Beirne, from Western Australia, won the Most Magical Experience award for hosting an Airbnb stay where guests are taken on an adrenaline-filled simulated coastal rescue mission.
The Best Unique Stay prize was awarded to Gawthorne’s Hut in Buckaroo, about five kilometres from Mudgee, NSW. With no television or internet, the hut was designed to optimise the views of the land, guests immediately feel a sense of isolation, peace and tranquillity in this off-the-grid property.
The Best Designed Stay award went to Slow Beam in Hobart which is an architecturally-designed, luxury guest house with breathtaking views. The interiors of ultra-modern black walls and ceilings have been inspired by the Brutalist architecture and creates a sense of being in a design museum.
And the Best Regional Stay was awarded to the Grain Shed in Goomburra, Queensland, a renovated former grain shed which has been turned into a bush sanctuary. It has wheelchair accessibility. The property in the Southern Downs region also has some incredible wildlife such as wedged-tailed eagles which can be found nesting behind the retreat.
“Everyday, hosts offer one-of-a-kind stays and unique experiences that make it possible for guests to experience the world in a more authentic, connected way. There’s a range of price points, from luxe listings to tiny homes and everything in between,” said Susan Wheeldon, Airbnb Country Manager, Australia and New Zealand.
