Moonbah Hut Holiday House – Jindabyne

Australian Traveller Magazine’s 100 Great Australian Holiday Homes While only built in 2003, you’d swear this cattlemen’s hut on the banks of the Moonbah River near Jindabyne has stood for a century or more. In fact, owner Brett Smith modelled his dream hut on one that DID exist for easily that long. When mountain man Norman McGufficke, who once owned the entire Moonbah Valley, passed away in his nineties in 1987, the valley was subdivided, with Smith securing a 250-acre share. Sadly, he wasn’t able to nab the block on which the original hut sat, and having to watch it deteriorate only made him all the more determined to build another.

Inside this authentic gem you’ll find an 80-year-old wood stove, 100-year-old wrought iron beds, 70-year-old fly fishing rods and an 80-year-old fully functioning candlestick telephone. And on the doorstep you’ll also find your very own lake stocked with brown, rainbow and brook trout, as well as around 15 breeds of chirruping frogs. For a holiday that predates TV and traffic, Moonbah Hut is utterly perfect.

Details // Big Yard Rd, Jindabyne, NSW. From $195 per night. www.takeabreak.com.au/MoonbahHut.htm, (02) 6457 8311.