Inside Airbnb’s ‘most unique stay’ in Australia

When the owners bought a unique property in rural Victoria, they had no idea the “derelict” train carriage it came with would be such a hit

When an Aussie couple bought a quaint loft in a small rural town in Otway Ranges in Victoria, they never thought the “derelict” train carriage that came with it would be such a hit.

Fleur and Mike Leslie listed Ottways Loft, a secluded hand-built treehouse in Forrest, on Airbnb in 2014.

It’s a property “like no other” and a labour of love for the original owner who lived in a tin shed onsite for over five years while he built the property in the 80s, Fleur explained.

However, as popular as it has been over the years, what had really got guests asking questions was about the abandoned 1920s steam train carriage.

The 1920s steam train carriage before Fleur and Mike Leslie resorted it. Picture: dufflebird.com.au

As Fleur puts it, “we inherited it by mistake”. However, that “mistake” would soon become one of the most popular listings on Airbnb, winning the couple the title of Most Unique Stay for 2023.

The train was built in 1926 at the Newport Railway Workshop in Melbourne as First Class carriage 61 AW and transported travellers throughout regional Victoria.

Between 1937 and 1980 it was converted a number of times between first and second class, operating between Melbourne and Sydney before it was to a rail yard in Collingwood in 1983.

Not long after it was sold, and put on a truck from Melbourne to Forrest, which is a small township in the Otway Ranges.

The train was built in 1926 at the Newport Railway Workshop in Melbourne. Picture: dufflebird.com.au

“The owner had bought the carriage for $400 in 1983 — but it was the moving costs that cost him a fortune,” Fleur said.

“He had to get it transported (by truck) from a railyard in Collingwood. It’s about a two-hour drive to Forrest.”

The owner used it as his workshop while he built the treehouse.

This is how it looks now – it won Most Unique Stay at the Airbnb Host Awards for 2023.

Fleur said he was quite the environmentalist and craftsman who used parts of the train in the construction of the house. For example, he stripped panels out of the train and fit them perfectly into the grid of Eucalypt poles of the house.

“’Finding the train parts’ is a fun game for kids,” she said.

The carriage came on the same land as this loft – a treehouse that’s also listed on Airbnb. The owner used parts of the train in the construction of the above property.

The couple had no plans to do anything with the abandoned carriage which was uncleaned and full of cigarette butts until interest mounted from guests — particularly train enthusiasts.

That’s when they had a light-bulb moment to turn it into a short-term accommodation. The pair then spent more than nine months restoring the carriage in 2014 before listing it on Airbnb the following year.

This included careful use of salvaged materials to create an original interior.

The carriage fits up to six people.

It boasts an elegant design with a ‘Great Gatsby feel’.

“We didn’t have the budget to authentically restore the carriage to its original glory from the Roaring Twenties,” Fleur said.

So instead the duo opted to convert it into a three-bedroom accommodation with a more “playful, steampunk theme (hence the name Steam Carriage)”.

In 2020 during Covid the pair decided to do a second renovation taking this back to the elegance of the 1920s and giving it a more “Great Gatsby feel”.

There is an outdoor ensuite to complement the master bedroom.

“It’s now a romantic homage to the simpler and slower time – the ‘Great Age of Steam’. We also added an outdoor ensuite to complement the master bedroom and a bit more luxury and glamour,” Fleur said.

She said they want to create a space to evoke feelings of nostalgia, adventure and old world charm — and it’s safe to say they’ve hit the mark with ‘Steam’ taking out the ‘Unique Stays’ category in this year’s Airbnb Host Awards.

“We are so incredibly excited to win this award,” Fleur said.

“There are a lot of unique properties on the market so it’s exciting to be chosen among some other great listings.”

She said the location also plays a role in what makes the property so unique, popular and “almost always booked out”.

“It was a former logging town and now it’s a mountain biking mecca,” the Airbnb owner added.

“It’s close to nature-based activities and while the town is small it has quite dynamic businesses such as a brewery that does great beer and food.”

“It feels like it’s in the middle of nowhere but has the benefits of a sophisticated town.”

This year’s Host of the Year award went to Veronica and Colin Eastmure from Conodlale in Queensland. The couple’s “Down at The Dale” retreat is a farm stay located in the rural Sunshine Coast township.

The a list of the winners can be found on Airbnb. Winners were assessed based on guest scores, reviews and a designated panel of judges from across the country.