Overhead,sheet-sized painted curtains usher guests into the theatre of an endless white-clothed banquet table beyond. Somehow,we have emerged from our bush tent,past giant paperbark and scruffy sheoak trees,and slipped onto the time-warped canvas of a medieval painting. One thing is clear,the owners of Paperbark Camp,Australia’s first “glamping” enterprise near Huskisson on the NSW South Coast,don’t do things by halves.
The occasion is Paperbark Camp’s 25th birthday,where friends,family and new and returning guests gather to celebrate this milestone created by Sydney couple Jeremy and Irena Hutchings,who opened it in 1999 after being inspired by safari-type accommodation during a trip to South Africa.
While the dinner could have been held in the camp’s destination restaurant,The Gunyah,with its soaring roof and chef’s kitchen,Paperbark Camp is all about embracing the land it sits upon,so kingfish ceviche,roast lamb and local cod are enjoyed on Wanda Wandian country under starry skies.
The night begins with a local Indigenous smoking ceremony followed by a dance performance,including a seemingly simple representation of a kangaroo that’s so uncanny we are talking about it hours later. Whether it be the wood smoke,the fire-light,a spooky split in the time-space realm or just the magic of the bush on a starry night,we are again transported,though this time we are delivered onto a much older canvas.
Things that go bump in the night
Stay in a deluxe safari tent at Paperbark Camp (smack bang on a kangaroo highway) and you’re presented with a king bed,luxury linen and robes,polished hardwood floors,an open-air,yet private ensuite with freestanding bath (candles and a bush view supplied),a verandah with deck chairs – and a warning. Intruders,in the form of brush-tailed possums,have been known to sniff out chocolates,toothpaste,unattended wine – even lipstick – and we’re asked not to take food into our tent and to pack away toiletries at night.
This is no hardship,considering guests can wander up to the nearby The Gunyah Restaurant in the treetops at any time of day or night,plonk on a comfy lounge in front of the fire and help themselves to Wi-Fi,a hot drink,a snack (a freshly baked carrot cake materialises when we are there),or something stronger if thoughts of a possum with siren-red lips keep you awake.