a little piece of paradise

When people hit retirement age, most people start thinking about travelling or spending time with their families - not Susie Marr (pictured), she took on renovating a house which is now Mount Morgan’s newest accommodation offering.

“Mount Morgan Hillside Cottage” nestles between picturesque hills and valleys and is listed on Air BNB. Susie was on the Sunshine Coast when her caravan sustained a busted axle, and she broke her wrist.

Susie, who had visited Mount Morgan on previous occasions to help her brother who owned property in the town, called upon a friend’s help to drive her from the Sunshine to Mount Morgan.

Susie’s caravan was parked in the town while she waited for her hand to heal.

“I found this lovely spot not long after I arrived. By that time, I had grown to love the town and the people seemed quite nice that I decided to buy this house,” she said.

Susie, whose background is tourism, events, marketing, and accounting had rarely picked up a hammer in her life - what would follow was a journey of discovery, trial and error where Susie not only learnt how to use a hammer, but also learnt how to restore furniture, put decking boards in.

When she brought the house, it hadn’t been lived in for quite some time and the previous owner was only part-way through his renovations - there wasn’t even an indoor kitchen - although there was one outside. The deck was in a sad state and had to be completely replaced.

Originally her brother offered to help her fix the house up - but he became ill and couldn’t help.

“That threw that out the door - and there was no one else I could really afford or was available to help - so there was nothing else for me to do but start learning,” she said.

Most of the furniture inside the house was either given to her or she upcycled it from the transfer station or

“Harrod’s” as she calls it. It was not long before a plan was formed to share her little piece of paradise with paying customers.

“It’s such a nice location and position. When people visit me, they are just delighted with the house and the location.

“It’s just one of those little spots and it would be selfish for me not to share,” she said.

Susie has been overwhelmed by the help given by her neighbours and other Mount Morgan residents. Susie is no stranger to accommodation venues having owned Carnarvon Gorge Lodge at Springsure.

Susie believes that Mount Morgan Hillside Cottage would be the ideal location for couples or international visitors looking for a quiet and peaceful spot.

If businesses have any information that will help Susie promote Mount Morgan as a destination, please contact her on 0417 166 687.

“Mount Morgan has a lot to offer even though many people don’t realise this,” she said.