New WA cabins put you close to nature with all the comforts of a city hotel

Samphire Chalets, Busselton, WA

Busselton, 2½ hours south of Perth, sits at the northern edge of Western Australia’s Margaret River region. It’s most famous for its 1.8-kilometre-long jetty that stretches out across Geographe Bay. Unbeknown to many, Busselton has another watery champion. The Vasse-Wonnerup Estuary is a Ramsar-listed wetland, a salty inlet of international importance for 30,000 waterbirds comprising about 90 species. Now, 10 minutes east of Busselton, visitors can stay in this biological hotspot. Samphire Chalets consists of three luxurious, adults-only cabins overlooking an estuary where a bird bonanza unfolds.

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The three box-shaped chalets in burgundy and black cladding cut a very modern look. There’s a reason for this. Each chalet started life as a display unit for two Perth hotels, the Westin Hotel and Aloft. Clever relocation and design now enable effortless stays in this bird-filled paddock. Aside from being the ultimate recycled object, these chalets are solar-powered and use filtered rainwater. Refillable bathroom amenities are by local company Vasse Virgin.

Steps lead to a deck with comfy outdoor chairs; my garden features a fire pit for winter evenings. Using the emailed door code, I step into the fully equipped kitchen and dining area which has been seamlessly added to the original unit. In the main room, there’s oodles of storage and a king-size bed.

The bathroom has a marble vanity top and rainwater shower head. While there are no opening windows here, the reverse-cycle air-conditioning is effective, as is the Starlink Wi-Fi. The hero of the room is undoubtedly the massive window that forms the back wall of the chalet, and I’m transfixed by the view. Beyond the rushes swaying in golden afternoon light, the wetland teems with birds. Swans glide, teals squabble and black-winged stilts stalk. A whistling kite cries mournfully and, high in the sky, pelicans spiral upwards. In the morning, I roll over to press the “drapes” button and as the wetland is revealed, I see my feathered friends flapping in the new day.

Travellers can choose to be self-sufficient for food, or drive into Busselton. Shelter Brewing Co, right on the foreshore, serves fresh brews and wood-fire pizzas. The chilli mussels are punchy and the crab tostadas zingy. Right next door is The Goose restaurant with the best outlook in town, and Busselton Pavilion is a cool gastropub and beer garden. The region is thick with wineries. Try Swings and Roundabouts, Cullen Wines or Edwards Wines.

From the chalets, I drive a few minutes to Wonnerup Beach. The car park is hardly busy, but I’m surprised to find four-wheel drives churning along the sand; I take a restorative dip in the turquoise water. A one-minute drive the other way brings me to Tuart Forest National Park, one of the last strongholds of the mighty native tuart.

I stroll to the Malbup Bird Hide, a cabin with holes to peep through to the wetland. I’ve come at the wrong time, but aim for dawn, or better still, dusk. Bring your torch and stay until it’s dark to explore the Possum Spotlight Trail, keeping eyes peeled for critically endangered western ringtail possums, brushtail possums and quendas (bandicoots).

Samphire Chalets is a quiet escape into nature with all the luxuries of a modern city hotel room. It treads lightly on this underrated pocket of Busselton.

Chalets from $493 a night, minimum two-night stay. The chalets are not wheelchair accessible. 28 Forrest Beach Road, Wonnerup, Western Australia. See samphirechalets.com.au

The immersion in nature and rural landscape is hard to beat.

Although bird books have been thoughtfully included, a pair of binoculars would really improve the twitching possibilities.

The writer stayed as a guest of Samphire Chalets.

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