Jay Houhlias

“Hey pal.”

“Whatcha doing over there?”

“Smells good in here, doesn’t it?”

“It’s warm in here, isn’t it?”

“Your paw is on the door now, are you knocking? You have some good manners, you do.”

Here I was, talking to the kangaroo. His ears were pricked up while he listened. He had jumped his way to my front door as soon as I’d lit the fire. It was raining, but just his head and paws were wet. He was too fast to get rained on.

He circled the cabin, stopping at all the doors for a sniff. He certainly knew his way around. He had this other friend who didn’t hang around, and he had another bush turkey friend who was just skulking in the background. They made a good, albeit unusual, team. It looked like they’d all been here before.

I was at Gum Leaf Cabin in Carawirry Forest Escape. Sitting on 250 acres of private forest in the Dungog region of the Hunter Valley, with 10 kilometres of walking trails, bike trails, access to national parks, waterfalls and swimming holes, as well as birdwatching opportunities, it is a great place to do everything and a great place to do nothing.

I was on a solo weekend away with plans to do nothing, yet here I was with my pal and, upon being here, I found sudden inspiration to do stuff. Nothing crazy of course, and all within walking distance.

A few metres from the cabin there was a waterfall trailhead that took you on a 10-minute walk to the local swimming hole.

As always with secluded bodies of water, there are bonus points if you do a nudie swim. Or, it’s only really bonus points if you do a nudie and don’t get caught, because doing a nudie and getting caught is generally horrible, for everyone.

But if you can manage it, uncaught, there is a final set of bonus points. If you do the nudie then the second you get dressed, people arrive at your spot and you remain cordial, unsuspicious and skip away with a feeling you’ve just stolen some magic, that’s an added little victory.

The victorious beget rewards and the retreat offers food hampers that are delivered to your cabin. There is something about having your own space, a large kitchen with all the utensils and cooking utilities that makes you want to cook something grand. I used the BBQ to cook the steaks, sausages and bacon.

(I believe it was Banjo Patterson who once said it was a crime to cook steak on anything other than a barbie, or maybe it was Bob Hawke, I’m not sure. Ned Kelly?)

When I wasn’t walking or cooking or swimming, I was simply hanging in the cabin. The funny thing about deciding not to do much means things like cooking, for example, take up a lot of time and focus. Those are your plans for the rest of the day.

Another funny thing is it’s meant to be quiet, but it’s actually not. Yes, I was in a forest escape, generally quite far away from people, however, the forest was alive.

It was making sounds the entire time, birds singing and plants falling and branches moving randomly. The cabin did its thing as well, the fire crackling downstairs, the rainwater landing on the roof then flowing through the pipes.

All of it reminds you that even though you have decided to take some time for yourself, you are not out there alone.

On the morning I left the cabin, my pal came back out the front. His two friends did not join, so it was just him and I. I got the feeling Gum Leaf Cabin was in fact his place.

I wondered if it was somewhere he came every morning to say g’day to whoever was staying there. Maybe he’d gotten used to this routine, or maybe he was a secret employee of Carawirry.

He is probably paid with whatever food the guests are inclined to give him. I don’t imagine his job description is super detailed. It is probably something along the lines of introducing yourself and your buddies to the guests, checking in at regular intervals to make sure the guests are doing well and, most importantly, yet requiring the most subtlety, always ensuring the guests don’t ever feel lonely.

Book a new three-night stay before 31 August 2026, and receive free dinner and breakfast boxes for one of the days. Use code WINDIN when booking at www.carawirry.com.au/book.