Season 3: Episode 6 - A Tiny Adventure

There is just one more box to check before we make the financial commitment and the tiny house idea crosses the line from concept to reality. And that is to spend some time living in a tiny house (two nights counts, right?).

Season One readers will recognise this one - MAP!

Leaving our kitties in the capable care of good friends The Dans, we travelled northward. A delicious breakfast at Straight Up in Hobart, a pit stop at the very excellent Willow Court Antiques in New Norfolk, to pick up an old plane that Adam will give a bit of love to and use on the Tiny House and it was off further northwards, by way of westwards.

We hopscotched our way through Hamilton and Ouse before enjoying a sunshiney lunch adjacent to Tarraleah and Tungatinah power stations on the bank of the Nive River. We even had a new friend hang out with us:

Our Field Guide to Birds of Australia says this fella is a petrocia phoenicea Flame Robin. He was certainly entertaining company.

We hung out for a half an hour, wandering at The Wall In The Wilderness, sipping whiskey and pinot noir. The wall is cool, and a real monument of dedicated sculptural perseverance, but didn't have the same 'wowing' effect as when we first saw it six years ago.

A brief traipse along the edge of Lake St Clair, with a view to some snow capped mountains and we kept up our westward trajectory towards Lake Bradbury and Queenstown.

This way is the long way. Fuel in Queenstown and leg stretches beside Lake Plimsol and still another couple of hours to go. We are out of mainland long distance travelling fitness. Four hundred and fifty kilometres in a day never felt like a lot when we were doing it pretty regularly - it feels like a lot now! I guess normal is whatever you are used to.

Tasmania remains beautiful, captivating, awe inspiring, breathtaking and verdantly soul calming. This little adventure has been a timely reminder of all the reasons we moved here, none of them related to working full time. We will get to that.

Some more switchbacks and winding descending/ascending and we found ourselves, quite literally at The Good Place.

The real reason for this adventure was to have a tiny house experience and decide if this is something we can really commit to. We will get on to our thoughts and feelings about the tiny house pictured above in a little bit, but lets finish the adventure story first.

Weary travellers rested, relaxed, pooped in a composting toilet and slept in a loft bed.

Saturday in the AM we went for a very overcast adventure to Cradle Mountain. A few more switchbacks and descent/ascents and we arrived at the newly minted visitors centre which had just begin construction last time we were here. A shuttle bus and a short meander later and BEHOLD! CRADLE MOUNTAIN!

Um... Lets wander around Dove Lake a little and try again. BEHOLD! CRADLE MOUNTAIN!!

Ah well, probably a good thing that this wasn't the main reason for coming here anyway!

A bus back after a bit more wandering took us to the super green and lush Enchanted Walk, where we got to enjoy the Pencil Pines and made another new friend.

Wombats are pretty rad, and super adorable.

A picnic lunch and a cheeky stop for beer and chips, and it was back to The Good Place for the afternoon to keep on tiny-housing. We spent some time just being in the space, thinking and talking about what we liked and didn't like, what worked and what we would do differently.

A brief afternoon stroll in the sunshine let us live the beautiful surroundings, and make even more new animal friends.

Tiny house living seems to be super great for connection to the outdoors. Not that it ever felt claustrophobic, but the reduction in space certainly enhances the contrast between inside and outside.

Another good nights loft sleep and a much shorter homeward adventure via Mount Roland, Mole Creek and Veg Bar and now we have had some time to digest the experience.

So what did we think of our Tiny House Stay?

Well, the truth is, the tiny we stayed in was clearly built a little on the cheap as an airBnB return-on-investment proposition - and that is okay. And the decor was not what we would choose. And the loft stairs were quite steep. And the ventilation of the bathroom was shit and the sink too small. And the layout was kinda strange. And it was wider than road legal and not VSB1 compliant. And fake plastic trees...

But.

The loft sleeping was super comfortable and restful. The bathroom didn't feel too small, nor did the kitchen. The feeling of being in the space felt right, not too small.

The space was warm, and quiet, and made homely by the fact we were together. Which is the key to this Season 3 adventure. One of the fundamental drivers of the whole tiny house idea is to reduce our cost of living so we can spend more time together rather than working.

And in the context of how it felt to be in the space, a tiny house is right for us.

So now it is time to take the leap! Financial commitment has been made and the trailer that will carry the vehicle of our liberation is to be manufactured.

Next Episode we will take a look at more detailed design and some more decision making.

All our Love,

Adam and Ruth,

Foraging for Vegan Treats

Season 3 Statistics:

Mortgage purchase attempts: 2

Funds raised through selling stuff we were not using: $700

Tiny House University Units Completed: 37

Land Rover For Sale Gumtree Ads Bookmarked: 3

Working weight estimate: 3030 kg

Working cost estimate (spent/total): $0/$60 342

Tiny houses we have been inside: 2