ANDREW and Kerry Wright were managing holiday homes on the Gold Coast when Covid hit.
“We re-evaluated what we wanted to do and where we wanted to be,” Mr Wright said.
“We wanted a lifestyle change, and we decided we wanted to manage our own guest experience, rather than other people’s properties.”
Last July, the couple and their young son saw a place in the Kerry Valley that “ticked all the boxes” they were looking for in that treechange.
Now they want to share that experience with families and couples around South East Queensland.
The Wrights have put plans to council which, if approved, would see them build a four-cabin retreat on Kerry Road, Darlington.
The 2.7 hectare block includes almost 500 metres of riverfront on the Albert River, including “a few nice swimming water holes”.
Mr Wright said the family ran a few goats, was looking to get llamas, and kept chickens, peacocks, turkey and guinea fowl.
That meant the property would provide both a “nature-based” and hobby farm experience for guests.
“A lot of city people are craving that, that’s what we were craving when we wanted to get away from the Gold Coast,” he said.
“Waking up to bird song instead of traffic.”
The Wrights have lined up a local builder and would like to start construction early next year, pending approval from council.
He said the build would take several months.
“Ideally, we’d be open mid next year,” he said.
The couple have also started a coffee cart, which had its first outing at the Darlington Park campground on Friday, only a few kilometres up the road.
They hope this will prove a complimentary income stream to their cabins.
The cabins require a Material Change of Use on the land from council.
The plans submitted to Scenic Rim Regional Council propose the construction of three cabins and the conversion of part of the established dwelling into a guesthouse.
One three-bedroom cabin would be constructed in the central location of the property, with two smaller one-bedroom cabins built on either side of the larger cabin.
The house already has a pool and a playground, giving it a “resort feel”, Mr Wright said.