First Season Success for Eversprings

First Season Success

FOR EVERSPRINGS

Even though Perth is one of the most isolated major cities in the world, the nearest city with a population of more than 100,000 is Adelaide which is over 1,305 miles away, it still felt the effects of coronavirus, “While COVID has been an irritation there has been a very strong Government response to protecting our borders, and compared with the rest of the world we have been extremely fortunate to live a pretty normal life. While we have had a couple of lock downs, the border restrictions have tended to increase intra State tourism,” says John and Gwyn. While the worst of the pandemic is behind us, quarantine regulations are still in effect, “Currently we allow access to Western Australia from various States in Australia (not all) but quarantine regulations are still very tight and we feel safe within our own little cocoon. As our business is built primarily on Intra State tourism we do not think that we will see much change to our business even when the quarantine boundaries are removed, and life returns to normal.” Isolation, however, does not protect against other environmental challenges as John and Gwyn point out, “Bushfires on the other hand are a whole different issue and they will always remain a constant threat in our drying climate. Our tents are pitched in clearings in the bush, but we accept that we would be unable to protect them in case of bushfire. We are very focused on a comprehensive site induction, particularly on the issues of how to respond in case of bushfire. In practical terms we constantly monitor bush fire warnings and keep in touch with guests during the bushfire season. We have 2 road egress which is useful in case of evacuation.”

The reasons for starting a glamping site are unique to each owner, from utilising unused land for an extra source of income to visiting another glamping site and being inspired by the experience, John and Gwyn however, “started the glamping operation in 2020 as a response to the hole that COVID punched into our retirement plans but we have really enjoyed the experience, meeting lots of (generally) wonderful people who appreciate the serenity which we offer.”

Now semi-retired the glamping is simply an enjoyable pursuit and an opportunity to share their lifestyle, “We only have a couple of tents and we could expand the operation

Located in the Perth Hills in Western Australia, about 40 minutes from the Perth CBD, Eversprings Glamping features 2 bell tents set on over 100 acres of land teeming with wildlife and adjacent to two nature reserves. International Glamping Business Editor Will Rusbridge reached out to John and Gwyn Bell, the owners of Eversprings Glamping, to learn a bit more about running a glamping site in Australia.

if we wished as we probably have both the demand and the land to do so. We just do not want to develop a full-scale operation at our age. The tents are about 60 meters apart and share a camp kitchen and ablutions. We cater for adults only with no pets, no smoking and our clientele tend to be couples wanting a weekend away to celebrate an anniversary or the like. They like the space and our price point tends to reflect that. A recurring theme has been that they do not want to be too close to other tents or share,” they say.

Originally from the North West UK, John and Gwyn have spent their working lives in Holland, France, Sweden and Indonesia before migrating to Western Australia in 1988. Having lived on the property for around 25 years Gwyn has bred many various animals and currently runs her alpaca farm and John tended to commute to Perth for business purposes.

“We have 100 acres on the fringe of a historic logging village (Mount Helena), part pasture and part bush. We border State forest on two sides and smaller blocks adjoining the village on the other. The village of Mount Helena has about 4000 residents and we have the basic amenities in the village, including a supermarket and a great oldfashioned country tavern etc. We have a nice Mediterranean type climate but at our elevation it can be decidedly chilly during winter, particularly after a nice day with clear skies. High season is definitely Spring (October) and Autumn (May) while it has been quiet in Summer (January) and we close in Winter (June). As this has been our first season, we have been primarily booked at the weekends and had capacity during the week,” says John and Gwyn.

When it comes to glamping accommodation, bell tents are an iconic option. Low start up costs mean a high ROI, and compared to other types of accommodation types, set up is a breeze. “When we were toying with the notion of glamping, we considered tiny cabins etc, but at our age we did not want to over capitalise and we felt that Bell tents were both romantic and relatively affordable if we did not like the venture. I do not think that after the first season that we would change that decision. All the infrastructure had to be temporary and easily removable.”

Amenities at the site include, “a proper flushing toilet and plumbed in large shower. We originally toyed with the idea of composting toilets and have no regrets that we ultimately decided to go with a “proper” leach drain system. This is a decision that has been universally supported by our guests.

We have a well-equipped, shared camp kitchen, each tent has its own table and chairs, various sitting areas around the campground area and a fire pit during the cooler months - with some trepidation I might add because of our paranoia over bush fire risk. City folk do not always understand the dangers of bush fire, even when it is cool.”

John and Gwyn made the decision to run the glamping site off-grid as while there are power lines close by they couldn’t justify the investment required due to the hook up and distribution costs, “We have solar powered camp lighting and have yet to figure out a safe way of providing heat to the tents when it gets cold at the beginning and end of the season. Other than the tent heating issue, being off grid has not proven to be a problem to the guests.”

With the site just closed for the winter, John and Gwyn are already thinking about the plans they are going to put in place moving forward, “Our focus next year will be to try to increase occupancy midweek and we have plans to increase amenity rather than expand the number of tents. We have to agree the ongoing plans with the Local Council who, on the one hand want to encourage tourism, but on the other cannot help overwhelming businesses with red tape and costs for permits etc… maybe that is just an Australian issue!”

Having proven to be a good decision to make the foray into glamping, John and Gwyn are happy with how their first glamping season has gone, “We started in October 2020 (our spring) and have just closed our site for winter in June 2021. We make no pretensions at being experts at glamping, yet we have learned much in the past 8 months and we do not, for one moment, regret our decision to offer glamping – we should have done it years ago!”

To find out more about Eversprings Glamping, find their website at everspringsglamping.com.