How a simple shack turned into a popular retreat in Gympie’s dairy farmland.

A Gympie region couple have poured their heart and soul into transforming a small shack into a stunning getaway – with a little help from a centuries old pub, too.

A Cedar Pocket couple have turned their quiet fishing shack into a stunning five-star retreat.

When Nina Murphy and Jack Gear of Cedar Pocket first built a little $5000 off-grid fishing shack on their dairy farm, they never imagined it’d turn into a popular five star-rated secluded getaway.

With the backdrop of Mothar Mountain and views overlooking Gympie, the house, lovingly named and built with the “Heart and Soul” of Ms Murphy and Mr Gear was a 12 month labour of love.

Everything is recycled or sourced from the property except for its kitchen, and the house was built with their own hands.

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The timber used to build Heart and Soul came from the cypress pine of a 120-year-old pub in Townsville.

“We thought it looked like a burning pile,” Ms Murphy said.

“ We removed all the nails and spent hours sanding it.

“It was left with the character of the old rusty nails and came back to a beautiful, golden finish.

“You could still smell the cypress pine when we were sanding it back.”

The beginnings of Heart and Soul, which started life as a small fishing shack.

As Heart and Soul was being built, it soon became apparent it could not just be a little shack.

“When I put the gyprock on and I just went, we’ve got to keep going,” Ms Murphy said.

In addition to the recycled and rustic feel of the place, it is entirely off grid, designed so whenever the couple went travelling and adventuring they would not have the stress of constant energy bills.

“It’s totally solar powered,” Ms Murphy said.

“We’ve got a wind turbine and batteries, a composting toilet, and the gas stove and oven.”

It took 12 months to complete, and their friends and family told them they could not keep this spot to themselves so they listed it online as a vacation house.

They have since been inundated with constant five-star ratings. It was always booked over weekends and now weekdays can be just as busy.

Most people who stay are from busy metropolitan areas like Brisbane and the Gold Coast, Ms Murphy said.

She believed the peace and quiet up there is what draws guests, alongside the spectacular scenery.

Heart and Soul is located on a dairy farm in Cedar Pocket, about 11km from Gympie.

“They've got total seclusion up there,” Ms Murphy said.

“You can’t see anybody, no one can hear or see you.”

The retreat is located on Mr Gear’s dairy farm, a farm that has been in his family for three generations.

It is also the one of the few remaining dairy farms in the area.

Originally a veterinary nurse who grew up on the Sunshine Coast, Ms Murphy moved to Kin Kin 17 years ago.

She met Jack at the Kin Kin pub and eventually moved in with him at the dairy farm.

She said one of the most magical things about the place is the seclusion and the peace that comes with it, even the internet slows down out there.

“A lot of people don't even turn their phone on,” she said.

Originally published as How a simple shack turned into a popular retreat in Gympie’s dairy farmland.