Sapphire Coast glamping retreat

glamp under the stars in the stunning hinterland

Want to cuddle baby goats and glamp under the stars on a luxury country getaway? Well, you can do just that on the Sapphire Coast hinterland at Currajong Retreat.

When Lara Forsdick and her parents Grant and Jenny moved from the city to the Sapphire Coast, they were looking for a tree change. What they ended up with was a 100-acre off-grid farm in the Towamba Valley – and 100 Angora goats. Now, their lush property is home to Currajong Common & Retreat, where visitors can stay in luxury glamping accommodation, experience country living and explore the beauty of the Sapphire Coast hinterland and wilderness coast.



SAPPHIRE COAST TREE CHANGE

"Dad always wanted to retire on a farm. He grew up on a farm in South Africa, and always had that dream. When we started looking at properties we loved the Towamba Valley because it was the best of both worlds – not far from beautiful beaches in Eden and Pambula, but also a great country area. Half of our property border is the Towamba River, the west and south border is South East Forests National Park and we are also about an hour away from the Snowy Mountains.

When Dad found the property in 2017, the owner Ron Harris had one stipulation: 'What about the girls?' He was referring to the Angora goats – of which there were about 100. Mum got a message from Dad that read: 'How do you feel about goats?' They decided to give it a go, and bought the goats with the property. After 6 months, we fell in love with them. We now have close to 300.

Since taking on the property we’ve been through droughts, floods and fires, and there are times where we need to pay more to the farm than the farm is giving us back. We wanted to create more streams of income, so we came up with the idea for Currajong Common. We offer agri-tourism experiences such as farm tours, country lunches and shearing demonstrations, and we just launched Currajong Retreat which is a luxury glamping experience.



reconnect with nature

When we first made the move down here in 2017, we had so many friends who came to visit us who wanted to get away from the city. The whole property and farm is off-grid and we use river and rain water. The main homestead is a mudbrick home hand-built about 50 years ago with repurposed items such as stained-glass windows from old houses in Melbourne and floor boards used as pieces of the ceiling. We undertook a few renovations on the main house including a new kitchen, and we upgraded the solar system. We also renovated the stone cottage which will in later years be ‘Currajong Cottage’ as part of Currajong Retreat. At the moment, that’s where I live. When our friends first heard we were off-grid, the joke was that they thought we didn’t have things like a washing machine or an oven. Then when they came to visit they would say 'I can’t believe you’re off-grid,' and that’s what really sparked the idea of accommodation.

We now have three absolutely luxurious glamping tents overlooking Towamba River, specifically designed so that you can’t see anyone else’s accommodation. Each tent has a private ensuite bathroom with a walk-in shower, queen-size bed, kitchenette, lounge with a log-burner fire, dining area and outdoor deck with outdoor bath, which is everyone’s favourite aspect of it. You look onto the river and paddocks on the other side, but you can’t see anyone else.

There is no WiFi and no mobile reception in the glamping tents - the idea is that you disconnect, but reconnect with nature. We do have a main homestead with a beautiful communal lounge, large kitchen, access to information, and limited WiFi. We are working on providing reliable WiFi in the homestead at the moment. We are accessible by 2WD, and we are 45 minutes to Pambula and 50 minutes to Eden.



more to see & do

At Currajong Retreat, you have access to the farm on private tours, and the opportunity to interact with our goats. Next month will be kidding season which is always a really exciting time, and you will be able to meet our baby goats who usually arrive around September. The poddy’s get bottle fed and each night we carry the kids to the shed for them to sleep, so you will be able to help us with these activities if you would like to. Depending on the day, we might be shearing or moving goats between paddocks, which you are welcome to take part in as well. 

There are also bushwalking opportunities on and nearby the property, including in South East Forest National Park of which we have several access points. Our friend down road is a horticulturalist who can take you on a private guided tour, offering knowledge about our local native plants. In the warmer months our river is beautiful to swim in, and in the winter months it is the perfect backdrop for bushwalking, birdwatching or having a river side picnic."

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