Stunning Tassie retreat feels like your own private mountain

The cabin

Felons Corner, Sheffield, Tasmania

Felons Corner with Mount Roland as a backdrop.

Check-in

There’s always a surprise in smaller Tasmanian towns. They might seem staid and conservative at first, but because in many of them you can pay off a house in less than three lifetimes, they tend to have a creative edge – musicians, artists and artisans, people who pursue scents over cents. Take Sheffield, in the state’s north-west: murals painted all over the town, a curio shop run by Doktor Mojo and his cat, a draper for your workwear, casual wear and formal. We’re heading a few kilometres out of town to Felons Corner, part of an enterprise called Van Diemen Rise. There are no neighbours within sight after you wind your way up the sometimes steep lane to find your freestanding timber cottage with the rocky massif known as Mount Roland dominating the view over the valley beyond. Tap in the code and the house is yours.

The look

Looking through the lounge towards the kitchen.

The vibe is cottage-like, but not twee. Big glass doors off many rooms merge outside and in, and that interior has a lot of timber lining, sometimes painted, sometimes raw and stained. The kitchen and lounge area runs north-south, and the deck follows it all the way around, so you can get some shelter whichever way the wind is blowing. Outside at the front are a couple of large umbrellas for shade and on a corner of the deck, a sunken bath – why not? A striking portrait of Australian singer and actor Bonnie Anderson hangs in the lounge. I was here in perfect sunny weather, and won’t complain about that, but I’d love to be here in a raging storm, fire going inside, rain drumming the roof and lightning lighting up the mountain in the distance.

The rooms

The ground-floor bedroom.

There’s a big mezzanine bedroom above the lounge where you can lie in bed and enjoy the views of Mount Roland. Back downstairs, there’s a lavatory and laundry, a big bathroom with freestanding bath and walk-in shower, a smaller lounge with a widescreen TV and another bedroom, this one with double doors to open to the elements. The Wi-Fi is strong and the light and other switches blissfully easy to operate.

Out + about

If Mount Roland is just too tempting, a 15-minute drive to Gowrie Park will get you to the bottom of the walking track; it’s steep and takes three to five hours there and back, but at the summit you’ll get views all the way to Bass Strait one way and the peaks around Cradle Mountain the other. There are good wineries within an easy drive – Ghost Rock and Eastford Creek among them. Mountain bikers can hit the trails of Wild Mersey, starting just out of Sheffield, where bike hire is available.

Food + drink

The Felons Corner kitchen.

Bring your own is the key here because why would you leave? You can get essentials nearby in Sheffield, but you’d do better to plan ahead and stock up in Longford, Launceston or Devonport, depending on which way you’re travelling. There’s a fan-forced electric oven with gas cooktop, basic food prep equipment and all the pots and pans you might need. There’s no barbecue, and for an outdoorsy place like this, that’s a bit of a missing link, but I can’t say I blame them – terrible things to keep clean. Eating out, there’s pub and pizza in Sheffield, but for restaurants see the wineries above or make the 30-minute drive to Devonport where Mrs Jones is recommended.

The verdict

Suit a couple or a couple of couples, this is a stunning location with splendid bush isolation, where you have a well-designed and lovingly finished cottage with smart touches. It has its flaws, but the sum of its positives far outweigh any trivial negatives.

The essentials

From $462 a night for the cottage, plus a service fee of about $70. See airbnb.com.au

Our rating out of five

★★★★

Highlight

Tasmania isn’t short on spectacular mountain views, but when it comes to accommodation, they seldom come in such a private location.

Lowlight

Some like to unpack and sort their clothes into drawers and cupboards. You’re out of luck here – some hooks on the walls and a couple of hanging stands, but that’s about it.

The writer was a guest of Airbnb.

This article contains affiliate links, whereby Traveller may earn a commission if you click on a link, at no cost to you.