An Off-Grid Micro Cabin Embraces Nature in the Australian Outback

What is it about tiny houses, micro cabins, modest cottages (?), that make them so dang desireable? I’d wager it’s the accessibility—the perceived affordability. In an era where all signs point to most millennials and Gen Zers renting forever, something small and portable feels like the right alternative to the summer home compound our parent's dreamed of. This 150-square-foot micro cabin on wheels fits the bill, like a Venn diagram of aesthetics, functionality, and practicality.

The pre-fab structure was designed by Alex Nivison and Richie Northcott of Fresh Prince, a custom cabin builder, and assembled in a warehouse over the course of just 60 days. Once finished, the cabin was set atop a standard car trailer and hauled to its final/temporary resting place, riverside and surrounded by forestland.

With a timber frame, birch ply interior, and black birch exterior the modernist cabin mixes contemporary trends with a slight outdoorsy vibe. The clever fiber cement board clad bathroom with exposed copper plumbing proves the designers did more than just look at Instagram for inspiration. Massive picture frame windows are similar to those favored by micro cabin startup Getaway. Sweeping sliding side doors bring the outside in.

Rounding out the off-grid details, the cabin pulls power from solar and water from the body of water it’s perched just feet from. When you reduce things to the absolute bare minimum, the minor details can become so much more beautiful, and a more considered existence becomes less of an option. Sometimes you’ve got to force your own hand in life.

Only issue is, it’s in Australia. But hey, if you happen to live in the Sydney area, and have a spare $200, the Barrington Eco Hut could be yours for the night. Its proximity to world heritage site Barrington Tops National Park only adds to the allure.