June 27, 2023

91 - Niki Fisher and Trent Lowe on realising the dream of building a sustainable cabin unified with the natural landscape in Australia's Snowy Mountains

40 minutes

What do you get when you pair a talented illustrator and designer with an experienced and resourceful carpenter? The answer is simple - Mill Cabin, an understated yet wildly appealing bush retreat based in Crackenback in the New South Wales' Snowy Mountains.

Back in 2019, when owners Niki and Trent first secured the plot of land that would go on to house the cabin, formerly the site of a timber mill, their vision was to create something that was unmistakably in sync with - and sympathetic to - the natural environment.

Putting their combined skills and experience to use, the resulting structure is one that is a modern nod to the Australian stockman's hut, built using locally sourced timber and granite and furnished and fitted out with a range of handcrafted items painstakingly designed and assembled by this industrious pair.

Since opening the doors to the property in 2022, Niki and Trent have gone on to receive widespread media coverage and a coveted array of 5 star reviews, reinforcing the powerful way their uncompromisingly sustainable ethos has resonated with the travelling public.

Refreshingly, the couple have no plans to expand or multiply their current hosting operation, opting instead to work on regenerating the land on which the cabin sits where necessary, but largely leaving nature to do its own thing.

My catch up with Niki and Trent a week or so ago was a thoroughly enjoyable one which I know you'll also find fascinating.

...more