Top five quirky places to stay this weekend

Here are our picks for places that challenge the idea of conventional accommodation.

A window with a view is one thing, but what if your room itself was completely transparent and the scenery outside simply amazing? That’s what you get with the Bubble Tent experience: an inflatable pod perched on a canyon with a comfy bed, a telescope for star gazing and nothing around but nature and abundant bird life. The three bubble tents are placed around a huge working farm between Mudgee and Lithgow, about 200km north-west of Sydney. All are off the grid (the bubble is kept inflated by solar power) and one even has a wood-fired spa bath!

This gloriously situated pod-like cottage was designed for low environmental impact but modern luxuries aren’t forgotten. Solar energy powers a fridge and TV, there are two bedrooms with sleeping for four and in winter gas heating keeps you toasty warm. Then there’s the location, overlooking beautiful Butler’s Beach near Marion Bay on the tip of Yorke Peninsula west of Adelaide. You can swim, snorkel, get out and see the area or just kick back in your own little pod of paradise.

Steam trains were once a way to power civilization into the future; now, in the case of this lovingly restored early 20th century train carriage, it’s a way to relive the past. The old “red rattler” carriage features original timber finishes, signage and compartments. It’s easy to imagine how it would have been like to travel in style in this era. There are three bedrooms and a funky sitting room. Better still, it’s in the Otways village of Forrest which is a haven for mountain bikers and close to the Great Ocean Road.

This 40-foot shipping container has been retired from a life at sea and now sits overlooking bushland on a 50 acre property near Lilydale, outside Launceston. With a king size bed, wood heater, separate kitchen and an eclectic mix of recycled materials it is cosy, comfortable and luxurious. Try the outdoor bath, savour the organic brekky provisions, crack a bottle of the local Pinot, soak up the view and leave your cargo of cares behind.

You’ve heard of TV’s Downton Abbey, but did you know a similar version exists in sunny Queensland? Welcome to Abbey of the Roses, a magnificent 19th century convent in Warwick (160km south-west of Brisbane) that has been beautifully restored and is ready for couples to become lord and lady of the manor. Stay in the Mother Superior’s room (don’t worry: she’s left the building) or the Bavarian Room, formerly a girl’s dorm and now featuring a four-poster bed and the original soaring stained glass windows. Stroll the grounds, grab a bike, take a hit of tennis or just relax and contemplate the holy serenity.

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