WA’s best tiny cabin stays for winter

Frogs croak like bongo drums as the Milky Way glows above. Off in the distance, ocean waves crash, sending sea spray into the crisp air. Kangaroos graze under karri trees and there’s not another human in sight. 

 It’s the sort of scene you might expect when camping. Instead, there’s a king size bed - with hot water bottles dressed in faux fur - perched beside an enormous picture window that brings the outdoors in. This is what it feels like to be in a tiny cabin. 

Positioned on farmland, beside bush tracts and overlooking vineyards, tiny cabins have exploded in popularity since their introduction to Western Australia in 2019. 

It began with just one micro stay inside a remodelled sea container that was designed as an upgrade to camping. The trend has since unfurled in a big way, largely across the southern half of the state. Now, there are around 60 tiny cabins in locations as diverse as Toodyay, Yallingup, Denmark and Esperance, with plenty in between and a number of easy-access cabins on Perth’s outskirts. 

Many are particularly well suited to winter, not only for the cosy up and snuggle in factor. Tiny cabins are almost exclusively off grid, powered by solar, wind and gravity. That makes air conditioning in summer a ‘needs-only’ basis, given the power-sucking nature of such creature comforts.  

In winter, meanwhile, dropping temperatures allow for seasonally permitted outdoor fire pits and, inside certain cabins, petit fire-fuelled heaters. It’s a great excuse to wrap up in blankets and lean back on cushions while leafing through coffee table books on slow living and mindful travel, or reaching under the bed to stowed board games.  

As tiny cabins become more sophisticated, some are adding indoor baths and even saunas, along with local wines and chocolates. For those who prefer to keep things simple, there are still some with tin plates, drop nature loos and no power points. When it’s too cold and wet to camp and you’re in the mood for bells and whistles in rural seclusion, could there be a better winter combination? 

Sea, Denmark  

A bath the size of a trough is cut into the deck at this new Heyscape tiny cabin, named Sea, one of three to open on Raintree Farm, 10min drive from Denmark. Nip out to the deep, steel bath wearing nothing but a thick bathrobe (provided) as it quickly fills with steaming water.  

Winter is the best time for a toasty soak, as stars twinkle above and steam rises into the inky night sky. The deck also hosts a Heston Blumenthal barbeque and plush lounge chairs, perfect for breakfast in the sunshine. Inside the 18sqm space is another luxury: a flushing loo – a rarity in environmentally sustainable tiny cabins. The kitchen is equipped with another luxury: a toaster, while a gas hob heats the kettle. A tiny fridge allows for self-catering, or pre-order an antipasto box to cover dinner time.

Join the farm’s ‘marron catch and cook’ experience to tick off lunch. The property is also home to The Dam, a restaurant and distillery with pearl shell inlaid to the black floors. Meanwhile, iconic natural beauty spot, Green’s Pool is 8min down the road, as is the Bibulmun hiking track and Munda Bidi mountain biking trail. Wineries such as Singlefile are a 15min drive away.  

Henry, Ferguson Valley 

A micro wood burner heats the winter air inside, while a campfire toasts the toes outside at Henry, a tiny cabin in the Ferguson Valley, about two hours’ drive from Perth. With windows on all sides, the cabin overlooks a dam (for icy dips, should you fancy) and a hill lined with grapevines.  

There’s a winery doing personable tastings at the entry to the vineyard, a 5min drive from the cabin, and more down the road. Totally secluded, the only sounds are from black cockatoos perched in the surrounding marri trees.

One of three stays run by Hidden Cabins, there’s a strong focus on eco-design, with a (hot) rainwater shower, composting eco loo, solar powered mini fridge, handmade ceramic plates and B-Corp certified king mattress dressed in flax linen. It all fits into 15sqm, with a barbeque-topped deck around the edge.

Books abound, and games such as Cluedo and Connect 4 are tucked beneath the bed. You can self-cater, or there are ingredients for easy meals available for purchase, ready and waiting.  

Wilma, North Dandalup 

Only a 1.5hr drive from Perth, this secluded tiny cabin sits east of Mandurah and close to the Munda Bidi trail. Perched on a hill surrounded by grass trees and boulders, with views across undulating countryside, Wilma is the place to go to reconnect with nature – and you can bring your dog ($40 surcharge).  

While you’re disconnecting from modern life, make use of the fire pit and bring supplies for the campfire jaffle maker – there’s even a picnic rug on hand so you can sit outside for lunch. If it’s raining, books, card games and an old-school cassette player will keep you busy as you watch the weather through large, square windows. A woodfired combustion heater will make it hard to leave, but those with itchy feet can visit The Giants, 30-40mins drive away.

Tiny Cabin operator, Unyoked has another hideaway in the region called Colin; it has a woodfired outdoor bath. The riverside cabin is reachable via a 600m uphill hike, so it’s best for fit and nimble folk. 

Edith, Busselton 

Tiny cabins don’t have televisions. What Edith has instead, is an evening show of dozens of kangaroos grazing and playfully tussling in the setting sun. This Heyscape hideaway is set on the sheep farm and vineyards of Whicher Ridge Wines, a 20min drive from Busselton and its famous jetty.  

Arrange a Pick and Sip tasting in the sensory garden, led by the winemaker by day, and spark up the firepit for marshmallow charring by night. The ‘classic’ wood panelled cabin has board games, a great winter option that could be paired with a glass of estate wine.

Get a proper sense of disconnect by seeing your phone reduced to a single bar; pop it to one side and instead enjoy the outdoor bath and a barbeque on the deck. 

Tiny Matilda, Bridgetown 

Before you even get to this white, bright tiny cabin, you pass a farm produce shed near the entry gate. Inside are spray-free delights like quince paste, oranges, rhubarb and artichoke, all from Galloway Springs, the regenerative farm that Tiny Matilda is positioned on. 

Overlooking a dam three hours’ drive from Perth, this Into the Wild cabin fits a queen and a double bed – the former beside an enormous window, the latter up a ladder in the loft. The scoop bath on the deck is large enough to fit the entire family – great fun in the rain - and there’s a campfire rimmed by stump seats. You can even bring the family pet (additional $50).  

The cabin’s moniker is from the Jackie French novel, ‘A Waltz for Matilda,’ which was inspired by the famous Banjo Patterson poem. Perhaps bring a notepad to pen your own poetic musings as you sit in bed, gazing at the wintery scene beyond the glass. Or, drive into Bridgetown for the finds at Ooh La Lollipop, Karma Llama Records and The Rabbit Hole (definitely go downstairs). 

Jarrah Valley Escape, Bedfordale  

Tiny Away’s cabins are wood clad huts on wheels. Steps lead up to an entry platform to reach the raised accommodation, similar to a caravan but taller and boxier in shape. Each of the 11 cabins around the state are identical, fitted with long, narrow floor-to-ceiling windows, a reverse-cycle air conditioning heaters and an eco-friendly cassette toilet.  

More compact that other brands’ tiny cabins, measuring just under 13sqm and without balcony, they lend themselves to couples and singles who like to explore as much as they like to snuggle.  

For a weekend getaway close to Perth – with a firepit – try Jarrah Valley Escape in Bedfordale. It’s only a 42min drive from the city centre, 30min to hikes and winter waterfalls at Serpentine Dam and 20min to Araluen Estate’s gardens. 

Petit Eco Cabin, Yallingup 

This adults-only retreat is hidden within certified organic grapevines at Margaret River winery, Window’s Estate. As with most tiny cabins, there are no neighbours in sight, ensuring ultimate privacy. Rainwater fed and solar powered, there’s a combustion fireplace fitted with a baker’s oven for cosy winter cook ups.  

Fill the vintage outdoor bath and steam amongst the gum trees while gazing at the dam; it might be too cold to rinse off in the outdoor shower, but a cranking barbeque can be used to up the temperature. The timber-clad cabin’s wooden interiors were furnished by felled trees collected from a family farm.

The bed faces a “waterfall window” that forms part of the ceiling, allowing you to view full-length trees and gaze at the night sky. Whether rain or shine, book a long lunch at Chow’s Table (a 4min walk) Driftwood Estate (2min drive), or Wills Domain (3min drive). 

Tim and Ashleigh, Toodyay 

Found 15min drive from Toodyay and nearly 1.5hr drive from Perth, Tim and Ashleigh can be booked separately or together. The cabins sit 250m apart and each has bunks and a queen bed, ideal for group trips, be it multiple family members or friends.  

Tim has an outdoor cinema screen, so rug up the kids and pop them in front of a movie while you warm up with a pinot noir on the deck. Barbeques make dinner easy, and fire pits can be lit for marshmallows on sticks, or there are gas kitchens if it’s raining.  

By day, each has a raised boom net that kids (and adults) love to lay in as they rest from their free-ranging. If the clouds are grey, cosy up inside with a game of Jenga and leaf through beautiful lifestyle hardcovers.

In Toodyay, the year-round Christmas shop is a must-see, there’s a family-friendly emu farm and a dawn hot air balloon at Northam is only 20min drive away.