10 minute read
25 Years of Laidback Aussie Hospitality: Paperbark Camp
Paperbark Camp, a tented bush camp in Jervis Bay, Australia, is celebrating its 25 year anniversary of providing personalised, unique, and thoughtful experiences that reconnect them with nature. International Glamping Business’ Editor Annie Hilton spoke to Camilla Hamilford, Operations Manager, to learn more about its success story.
Can you give us an overview of your camp, your inspiration and your driving philosophy?
Paperbark Camp opened in 1999 after many years of dreaming and planning. It was a huge rollercoaster ride which took unbelievable patience from the time that the owners, Irena & Jeremy Hutchings, first started talking about giving up their day jobs to build a camp in the Australian bush.
The dream started in Africa, when over a few ‘sundowners’ with good friends in their private safari camp, Jeremy & Irena realised that the same concept would be ideal for Australia. Having been enthusiastic campers in their earlier years, they still loved the feeling of being amongst nature, but were no longer so enthusiastic about the whole process of planning, packing and unpacking that is required with traditional camping.
After returning to Australia, they discovered Jervis Bay and its pristine environment – and also noticed there was not much accommodation available. Being only a few hours drive from Sydney, it was an easy weekend destination. The idea of creating their own Aussie version of the African tented camp really began to take hold.
There were a few more years of planning, discussing ideas with friends and generally working up the courage to take the plunge. It was scary thinking of giving up secure jobs and a nice city lifestyle to risk everything, especially as may people thought it to be a pretty crazy idea. Whilst their vision was strong, it was hard convincing others.
Eventually, they found what they were looking for: a 100 acre site of untouched bush land with creek frontage and close to the shores of Jervis Bay. They finally took the leap, leaving Sydney to begin the long process of satisfying council and government requirements to build on a protected wetland – not to mention a type of accommodation that hadn’t seen before and could not easily fall into traditional categories.
Paperbark Camp opened at a fortuitous time; the internet was growing fast, sustainability was becoming a key decision driver as people looked for nature-based experiences, and the typical 4-5 star hotel experience had lost its lustre for many people who regularly travelled for business.
From the moment it opened, it was hugely popular and its reputation grew, along with the luxury camping phenomenon which soon had its own moniker, ‘glamping’.
Twenty five years on, whilst Irena & Jeremy are still around and often pop by for their customary afternoon G&T, they have passed the baton on to myself and my brother, Ben Hutchings, who together keep the dream alive.
Over the years, the camp has evolved somewhat from the original basic version of a small private bush camp and the Gunyah is now an integral part of the camp, with an established restaurant (never part of the original plans) renowned for its fine food and unique atmosphere… a treehouse for possums and foodies alike! It has become a special space for weddings and has proven popular for conferences, family gatherings and celebrations.
Today, we welcome guests from around the world looking for a genuine Australian bush experience as well as many weary city folk looking for an antidote to their hectic lives. So many years on it still gives us all immense satisfaction to see our guests enjoying our special part of the world and appreciating the beauty of our natural surroundings.
What type of accommodation can guests expect when staying at Paperbark?
The camp is based on African-style luxury tents that we import from South Africa. They are installed on a raised timber deck with a pared back, each having a private openair ensuite with bath looking out onto the surrounding tranquil bush.
Who is your typical guest; are they largely Australian natives or tourists from overseas?
Being just 170km from Sydney, our primary market is Sydney weekenders, but we have also worked in the inbound market for a long time and welcome many guests from abroad – in particular from the UK, Germany, Netherlands, France and Scandinavian countries. We are increasingly seeing visitors from India and other areas of Asia.
Over your 25 years, how have you noticed the industry shift – and how is this reflected in the way you run the camp?
The audience has widened hugely. In the early days, unless people had traveled to Africa, they were not familiar with the luxury camping concept at all. We spent a lot of time deliberating over what we should call our accommodation, but eventually decided that the word ‘tent’ (which is what they are) was not a dirty word and that we would refer to them as just that – not cabins, not rooms, but tents! Twenty five years later, we no longer have to explain the concept; we rarely welcome a guest these days who is not wellversed on the term ‘glamping’.
Whilst we have welcomed the expansion of the industry around Australia, it has meant that we do need to maintain a high level of service, which, of course, affects the price point. The hospitality industry in Australia is facing increasing wages which are already high in comparison to the rest of the world, so we are competing with destinations in SE Asia which some may perceive as offering better value for money.
Our mission now is to enhance people’s lives by providing personalised, unique, and thoughtful experiences that reconnect them with nature.
Can you share any memorable or unique guest experiences at Paperbark?
Oh wow, there’s just too many! We’ve had so many joyous occasions over the years, including our own family weddings! From engagements to weddings, milestone birthday celebrations, and also very special end-of-life experiences with people wanting to spend time together in comfort but amongst nature. It is extremely humbling for us when we realise people have us on their bucket list of things to do.
Paperbark has an ECO Certification – can you tell us more about this?
Sustainability was an obvious objective for Irena & Jeremy when they first designed the camp. They wanted to keep the environment as natural as possible, removing as few older growth trees as possible, installing solar panels and generally aim for minimal impact. Eco Certification was an obvious progression, and then Advanced Eco Certification a few years later. We continue to operate as lightly as possible, but today many of the initiatives that were groundbreaking at the time are now standard practice, and we are constantly seeking ways to improve our operations but always maintain viability.
Ecotourism Australia has been a great support and community to be a part of, sharing information and experience as well as promoting and advocating for our sector.
How does Paperbark support or pay homage to the Indigenous people?
Paperbark Camp has had a long relationship with the local Traditional Custodians of the Wandi Wandian lands that we are situated on. They regularly offer cultural experiences including Smoking Ceremonies, Welcome to Country and cultural performance, providing an opportunity for our guests to learn about the local Indigenous history and encouraging them to seek out the various Aboriginal experiences now available in the surrounding region.
We are culturally sensitive and respectful of their connection to Country and seek to learn how we too can live at one with Mother Earth, ensuring she remains healthy for future generations.
We support and encourage local Indigenous tourism operators, as well as various training programs that seek to improve the skills of local Aboriginal youth so that they can share that experience with community and improve their hospitality skills. We are also a financial supporter of Waminda, the regional Aboriginal Women’s Health Centre.
What experiences do you offer at Paperbark and how do they enhance the overall guest experience?
Apart from the luxury tented accommodation amongst the paperbark and gums, and a candlelit dining room serving fine food, cocktails and wine amongst the treetops, we also offer complimentary canoes, kayaks and SUP boards for enjoying the waterway and bikes for exploring the local area. Many guests haven’t been on a bike for years, so they love it when they realise they can still do it!
Exploring the creek by canoe is so peaceful, watching the waterbirds as they go about their day and keeping an eye out for brightly coloured Azure Kingfishers wiles away an hour or two easily. A couple of easy walking trails also provide the opportunity for wildlife encounters such as kangaroos, parrots, possums and sugargliders. A bit of physical exercise also helps make room for another delicious meal in the Gunyah dining room!
We also offer in-room massages, private yoga and Breathwork sessions.
Can you tell us more about hosting weddings and retreats – what does it look like behind-the-scenes?
Whilst weddings are not our primary business, we do have the pleasure of hosting couples a few times a year as they celebrate their love in front of friends and family. Luckily, most people who choose a venue such as ours are lovers of nature and so we find they embrace the surroundings and style of accommodation and are fun to work with when making arrangements. No doubt, behind-the-scenes of weddings is much more work than guests realise and weather watching goes next-level in the week leading up to the big day!
We would love to offer more retreats, however we are somewhat limited as to how many we offer – they are not as viable as being open for a regular weekend as we generally end up with less guests and have the restaurant closed to the public. We plan to have a dedicated space in the next year created for yoga and workshops which will make it more feasible.
What are your plans and goals for the future of Paperbark?
Strict planning controls mean that expansion per se on this site is unlikely, but we are always seeking to improve and build on the guest experience, mostly with regards to service tweaks. However, we know that there is a lot of opportunity in the surrounding area as Jervis Bay is a fast growing destination with few accommodation options other than holiday houses and traditional motels. We hope that the right property becomes available for us to expand our offering – possibly with a more DIY glamping option that is self catering and also an eco lodge with additional amenities.
Finally, if you could give one piece of advice to other glamping business owners, what would it be?
Be prepared for anything! By its very nature, glamping is fraught with issues that traditional accommodation is not, even more so if situated in remote areas. You need to know your equipment inside out, employ staff who are real all-rounders and have some maintenance skills… in our experience having someone who can sew on staff is very helpful!
