Airbnb has named ‘The Grainshed’ in Gommburra, Queensland as Australia’s ‘Best Regional Stay’.
The 830-acre property is dotted with waterfalls, water holes and walking tracks, making it an ideal rural getaway.
But property owners Bel and Neil explain turning the property into an Airbnb was never part of their original plans.
“Neil has lived on the property for about 20 years and I’ve been here about five years,” Bel said.
About three years ago Bel, a therapist, decided she wanted to take her practice out of a clinical setting.
“I wanted to utilise the outdoors and nature as part of the framework for my therapy sessions.”
The couple were tossing around ideas of what exactly therapy on the property might look like.
“Eventually we came up with the idea that a lot of these families we work with don’t get the opportunity to come and stay in the country or on farms.”
“We decided to create accommodation on the property for people to visit,” Bel said.
Accessibility was always at the forefront of the Airbnb design. ‘The Grainshed’ property is fully wheelchair-accessible.
Building Airbnb’s best regional stay
Bel and Neil uwanted to keep the authenticity of the 100-year-old grain shed but make the interior luxurious enough to create a special stay.
They enlisted the help of locals to create what is Airbnb now recognises as Australia’s best regional stay.
“We upcycled things like the the windows, used a lot of our own timber from the property and got local carpenters and builders to help us.”
“It came together a lot better than we expected and we thought wow maybe we should put this out to a wider audience.”
By 2019 the couple listed ‘The Grainshed’ on Airbnb.
The property
The Grainshed has views over the Goomah Valley and Main Range National Park. The home is fully self-contained and has a fire pit, next door horse stables and nearby swimming holes.
Guests can go for a sunrise walk and sit by a sunset fire. Enjoy a breakfast of farm fresh eggs or take a 4WD tour of the property with Bel and Neil.
You can also try on-property yoga, massage and meditation services, backed by Bel’s therapy qualifications.
Guest reviews
It’s easy to see how ‘The Grainshed’ won the Airbnb ‘Best Regional Stay’ with a mass of positive reviews.
“This place is terrific. Neil and Bel have done a great job setting up this romantic little cabin in a beautiful part of the world,” said one visitor.
Said another: “The Grain Shed Retreat was easily one of the most relaxing experiences I’ve had,” said another.
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