Seeing Stars Despite Disaster

SEEING STARS

Despite Disaster

Bubbletent Australia is an off-grid glamping site situated on a secluded part of a 1000+ acre working farm and nestled between Lithgow and Mudgee some 200km NW from Sydney. International Glamping Business Editor Will Rusbridge caught up with cofounder and CEO, Sonny Vrebec to find out more.

It’s been an incredibly difficult year for the glamping industry the world over, with coronavirus making even domestic travel difficult, but Australia has had it harder than most, “Well we’ve had a one-in-a-100-year drought, followed by a one-in-a-100-year bushfire season, followed by a one-in-a-100year pandemic followed by a 1-in-100-year flood event followed by a one-in-a-40-year snowstorm followed by the worst mouse plague in a generation. All back-to-back. Suffice to say, the glamping gods are angry,” says Sonny. “You can’t really do anything to protect yourself from all these things happening, obviously have to make sure the insurances are in place and that you go above and beyond to be understanding with guests but also to set the right expectations and just generally do your utmost to safe-guard your business but that generally comes at the front end with structuring,” he adds.

Despite the biblical nature of plagues, floods and pestilence that has visited his site over the last 12 months, Sonny is still upbeat about his business, which comprises of 3 off grid bubble tents – which are unique in the Australian market.

“We have been fortunate in Australia that governments on all levels have handled these events really well for the most part and put the right measures and incentives in place to really absorb the shocks of the events which have given businesses such as ours confidence to not only ride out these events, but actually use them as times to invest and grow,” says Sonny.

But one thing is for certain, we’ve learnt to make room for the unpredictable and make sure you look after yourself since there have been some really testing times.”

Sonny has been operating Bubbletents Australia for a bit over three years overlooking the stunning Capertee Valley - which is the widest enclosed canyon in the world and doubles as an internationally recognized Important Bird Area, one of only 50 around the world.

“We are fortunate to be the closest place to Sydney (3hrs away) that is classified as being in the band of the darkest skies in Australia. We’re near enough, but far enough,” he says.

The bubbletents – called Virgo, Leo and Cancer, allow guests a clear view of the night sky above them as they fall asleep underneath the stars. Bubbletents are unlike anything else on the market and really give site owners the opportunity to make the most of the views at their site, creating a breath-taking experience for guests.

“Well, they’re fresh and a bit different and therefore guests really enjoy them, I mean who doesn’t love the idea of sleeping under the stars after all?!” But they don’t come without drawbacks, as Sonny explains, “From an operational perspective, unless an operator is prepared to be super hands on, they’re the most difficult of all structures to operate we’ve found. They continuously need to have power supplied to them with ample back up provisions and you constantly need to have someone onsite to assist in case of that rare interruption which would adversely impact the experience if not addressed immediately. They offer no thermal benefits meaning running any heating/cooling off grid feasibly is currently impossible with the technology where it’s at, and the guest wear and tear on them is incredibly high, I know the names of all of the grandchildren of our seamstress who has repaired countless zippers for us for example...” site with energy for the guests being generated through solar energy. “Our caretaker’s cottage is run from the grid and our tents are run off solar and the irony is that the cottage has a couple of dozen blackouts a year whereas the tents never do. So much for renewables not being reliable!” says Sonny.

“Now with solar and battery costs being what they are and with the electricity prices in Australia being among the world’s highest, it really doesn’t make sense to go on with power options on a business-as-usual basis and not consider the alternatives. Having gone through a severe drought you gain an additional appreciation for water and what a precious resource it really is.

We’ve since placed rain saver caps on our steel tanks and added guttering to all structures that were previously without. One of the things we’ve realised after seeing how quickly our land has bounced back after the bushfires is that mother nature knows best, you just have to listen and work more in tandem with it and make some smarter choices. It has definitely raised a new level of awareness. The added benefit is that sustainability in our cases has also resulted in cost savings in many areas,” he adds.

With just three tents at Bubbletent Australia, the site tends to get booked up throughout the year quite consistently in order to remain profitable, “We’re lucky that our winters are generally quite mild and the summers are generally more timid given our altitude, so we don’t tend to have seasons that are as pronounced as in the Northern hemisphere perhaps which means we get a longer season,” says Sonny.

Currently in the process of expanding capacity on their site, Bubbletent Australia have also launched stargazing tours for guests that will soon be open to the general public, “There are lots of additional exciting things in the pipeline that are taking shape but we really believe in the future of glamping and for us, in our niche of astro-tourism where we can continue to create some really outstanding experiences. As anyone who has spent time under the stars can tell you, it’s hard to be indifferent at the awe of what’s overhead when experienced properly,” he adds.

“However, as our tumultuous journey has taught us, it’s important to take it all in our stride and to make sure that we’re enjoying the journey. It’s good to treat it like a marathon and not a sprint also which is a lesson well learnt.”

If you’d like to learn more about Bubbletent Australia, you can find their website at bubbletentaustralia.com.