A Cosy Hideaway & Muddy Boots

I arrived to Hiawatha with soft drops of winter rain tapping against my windscreen and fog slowly settling over the mountains behind my little navy blue cottage.

Tucked away at Gardenfarm, this humble cottage sits beside a pond, surrounded by farmland, streams and farm animals. Down the bottom of the property, I could hear the river flowing while cows wandered across the hills.

Inside, the cottage was simple, warm and comfortable. Everything a girl could need for a solo escape, including some handy WiFi. Two bedrooms and three beds meant there was no need to play paper, scissors, rock over who got which room. I claimed the big bed with no negotiation needed.

That first night, I curled up under a blanket with a cuppa, some chocolate and an old school DVD from the collection in the lounge. Girl was toasty warm! Great heating!

The next morning was grey and gloomy, but that wasn’t going to dull my self shine. I packed a picnic lunch, grabbed my camera and headed into Tarra Bulga National Park.

The drive wound through jaw dropping rainforest, with the Tarra River and waterfalls calling my name for plenty of roadside stops. I wandered along the tracks beneath towering tree ferns, everything dripping with rain and covered in moss. It was slippery and absolutely breathtakingly beautiful. Muddy boots, messy hair! And we were loving it!

I found a waterfall tucked amongst the forest and climbed my way closer to photograph the rushing water with a slow shutter. She was gorgeous!

Then came the suspension bridge nearby at the Bulga Picnic Area. These things make me edgy, but obviously I crossed it anyway. Ha!

The forest was alive with lyrebird calls and naturally, when nature calls, I went off track searching. Sitting completely still, I eventually spotted one singing his little heart out. And they are LOUUUDD! Ha! I managed one photograph before he disappeared back into the forest. What a sight!

By late afternoon, I was heading back to the cottage, just in time to catch the first sunshine of the day setting over the hills. Back at my little blue hideaway, I made an easy girl dinner and sank into a warm as heck bubble bath. After a day of muddy tracks, waterfalls and rainforest exploring, my muscles were very grateful for this tub.

That night, I dreamt of waterfalls and lyrebirds and soon realised that had been my lived reality the day before. What a beautiful life. The cottage is simple living at its best. No fuss, just a warm, safe place to land while the wild Gippsland landscape does the entertaining.

Rain on the roof. Cows on the hills. A river flowing nearby. Lyrebirds calling through the forest. And waiting for you at the end of an adventurous day is a cosy, safe space to come home to.

Sometimes, that’s all a girl needs.