One of the things I love about Tasmania is the abundance of shacks, caravans on private land (not allowed in a lot of shires on the mainland) and small houses. I love the idea of small living because it means you aren't overstretching your finances just to live and breath. We're all on this hamster wheel thinking we need to buy things that we don't need, just to feed the beast of capitalism.
So you can imagine my delight when I was invited to stay in this shack on the South Arm, not far from Hobart.
It was owned by a builder who grew up in the area, and they'd had the shack for years. They don't live there, but holiday there. Whilst the other properties in the area had gradually cut down the pine trees on their property, their place was still nestled amongst a pine forest, so even in a fairly populated area, it felt very quiet and out of the way.
The staircase was home made and spiralled up to the living area on a kind of mezzazine, where there was a bed, a cupboard, a writing desk, a record player and some vinyl that gave away the owners age - Jim Croce, Bob Dylan, Bryan Ferry, Led Zeppelin and the like, as well as a heap of old National Geographic magazines.
From upstairs you could look down to the kitchen. The woodburner flue went right up to the top and I imagined would heat the mezzanine nicely. We just burnt pinecones - there were plenty lying about, but the weather wasn't that cold so we mainly used it to boil a kettle and dry out wetsuits from surfing.
One thing I've always loved about unfinished houses with no interior cladding is the instant shelving you get from the framing! I love these old hippie shacks with their knick knacks and found things like shells and rocks. There were also cute stickers in the windows, like the one on the right below which read 'may all beings be free'. The owners were long time meditators which made the place have quite a peaceful vibe. There's something to be said for the energy of a place where people meditate often - you only need to go into a Buddhist temple to feel that vibe.
I loved seeing the pine trees from every window. Even though the traffic was about a block away, on windy days you wouldn't hear it over the whispering of the pines. It felt like a world away from the hustle and bustle, almost as if we'd slipped into an alternative universe or gone back in time to the 1970's.
Of course, we started doing DIY in our heads - the cladding, for one, and making sure it was free of drafts. The toilet was also a drop toilet outside which isn't ideal, but I've always liked the idea of human manure for the garden so this is something I'll probably do when we buy our block anyway.
By many global standards, this place would be luxury, but for Australia, it's just a tin shed in the forest. I don't even think it'd pass building regulations. But it definitely was more than liveable for us - we love our tiny homes and alternative living.
Would you live in a shack like this?
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Holy shit thatβs awesome!!!
Haha I know that's what I said when I saw it!
:)
This is so awesome! I'd definitely love to live here. Not too far from NZ either, few days on a boat. Off grid life sure is appealing to me, i'm in the planning phase!
Well, definitely its a luxury in a remote place, at least leaving a few days would take away all your stress. And if the bare essentials are not unreachable, why not live there forever !!
I would if it was mine, it's quite lovely really! I think the shape is charming. Actually many houses around it were expensive!
Nothing wrong with tin sheds in the forest! Just require insulation in winter
Yeah that would be awesome .. the very first job we would do if it was ours.. and fill the draughty gaps..
They are just cute. What else can you ask forβ¦ right in the middle of Mother Nature. Love it, everything is thereβ¦
Oh yes it was perfection for me!
I so can seeβ¦ one day I built one π
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Yes, I would live in a shack like that, and absolutely love it. I like that it has a mixture of materials: Wood, metal, and glass. I LOVE the pine trees, and also the wooden columns inside. The columns look like tugas (molave) wood, which is my favourite.
I agree about the spaces of people who meditate.
I love the simplicity of it all. Your photos are not loading on my laptop so I see only small close-ups of the interior and exterior materials. I think alternative living spaces is something to strive for.
I feeler calmer by just looking at the environs.
There'll be a #KISS topic in the next couple of weeks that I hope you'll be able to share your ideas or reality.
I hope so, tag me. I hope you come back to see the exterior, you will love it. The posts are pine of course. If I lived there I'd have to get a mill to mill the timber to clad the interior! Such a cool place.
Lot's of cool shacks in Tas and glad you got to stay in this one.
Me too, yes I love all the shacks
When I look at these pictures. especially the one with the gas range, I suddenly imagine myself myself coming in, or just living here peacefully. I remember the places I stayed in Uruguay when I was traveling.
I hope that little peaceful imagining was a nice moment in your day. It did feel sooo relaxed in there ..
No, as I am not a minimalist. My sister probably would love it though. Her current house would fit in what is now my office/exercise/reading nook area.
pretty cozy π
And that's a YES from me!!
Can you imagine the mushrooms in the spring??
I think I'd struggle with the garden being nuked by all that pine waste - it's SOOO HARD to grow under and around pine tress. But the shack?? Heck yes!!
I know, I'd immediately chop some down for the light and do some raised beds with compost and humanare (there's a composting loo) I told you I had it all planned out, lol!
I've been picking TONS of saffron milk caps and slippery jacks for eating!
Hey missed you, keep checking your blog but figured you were busyx
Ha! I'm getting flashbacks to the range of alternative places I've lived/slept over the years. They always make for such interesting stories and memories. I love the novelty of them! And... like you, I automatically start imaging how I'd fix/change them to make them more comfortable to live in knowing that would mean they'd lose a bunch of their charm π !LOL
And, you're buying a block? Of land? To... build on?
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We've decided against it for now - too uncertain and it was a bit of a dodgey buy I think. Couldn't get teh titles of the realo.
Haha yes stayed in soo many crazy places in my time and did the imaginative DIY on them!
Boo π Oh well. Maybe other land at a later stage?
Haha. !LOL
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I can see why you like it. It's cozy. Living in the woods sounds like fun. Thanks for sharing the !LUV. I think you earned yourself a !BEER.
I like to think Iβm a minimalist but would definitely like inside plumbing to live in this lovely house.
Love the pine trees surrounding the house.
Oh I love it, would love to go holiday there, it's pretty big by my standards, well compared to my truck it is lol. And yes that view of the trees is amazing xxxxx
Love Tasmania !
Hey @riverflows
Here's the topic this week, that I think you would have a stream of ideas that we'd all like to hear :) KISS Blogging Ideas 8: Off-Grid Living
If you get the chance to write on one of the topics, it would be great :)