The Tailor Travel Stories

Australia’s Best Glamping & Luxury Tent Accommodation

post date: 12-01-2022

written by: Orph Both

Perfectly located at the intersection of the indoors and outdoors, glamping holidays in Australia are an immersive way to discover the country’s most breathtaking natural landscapes without compromising comfort. Explore our selection of Australia’s best glamping and luxury tent accommodation, ranging from eco-friendly shelters to rustic bungalows.

Travellers to Australia often look to discover its great outdoors. This enormous country boasts remarkable landscapes of cragged mountain ranges, sweeping coastline, sprawling bushland, and ochre-red desert, with each region showcasing its own unique flora, curious wildlife, and must-see attractions.

One of the most memorable types of accommodation on offer throughout the country are luxury tents. Nestled deep in the landscape, this style of outdoor lodging evokes a profound sense of space and deep connection to nature.

Off-the-beaten-track Australia is where we at The Tailor excel, and this unique style of outdoor retreat exemplifies the space where the experiential and luxurious meet. An itinerary featuring glamping and luxury tent accommodation made by our expert team will always customised to your interests and needs, ensuring you’re travelling in comfort while also experiencing Australia at its most rugged and authentic.

What is glamping?

True to its name, ‘glamping’ is a combination of ‘glamour’ and ‘camping’. This popular type of accommodation is both eco-friendly and adventurous, immersing you into the environment like traditional camping, while offering modern conveniences such as private bathrooms, plush bedding, chef-prepared gourmet meals, and more.

Most glamping retreats are made of semi-permanent structures intricately woven into their environment to deliver a gentle ecological impact. These are often safari-style tents elevated on timber platforms but can also include open-air bungalows made from local and responsibly sourced timbers and materials.

Some glamping locations offer the amenities of a five-star hotel in extremely remote areas, and others prioritise seclusion and immersion into breathtaking natural wilderness over five-star facilities. However, every glamping experience is designed to immerse you into nature itself, inviting you to hear, smell, and see the landscape without ‘roughing it’.

Depending on the location, some glamping locations are accessible all year around, while others are seasonal offerings that either celebrate unique and regional natural phenomena, or shut over particular seasons where the weather is too turbulent.

Our five-star glamping experiences

Discovering the great outdoors is an integral part of any of our Australian itineraries. Our hand-picked selection of Australia’s best glamping, luxury tent, and outdoor retreats includes accommodation that is:

  • Exclusive by design, often offering less than 20 total retreats to deliver an intimate experience;
  • Environmentally conscious, with a focus on reducing their carbon footprint and ecological impact to ensure the landscape is preserved for years to come;
  • Remote, being tucked into the country’s most breathtaking pockets of pristine nature, often vast distances from cities.

With landscapes ranging from rainforest to reef and outback, discover Australia’s natural beauty without sacrificing comfort. Our glamping journeys made by our expert Travel Designers combine exceptional service with carefully constructed outdoor accommodation, featuring outstanding experiences led by expert guides through the country’s most iconic landscapes.

Awaken to migratory birdsong inside a mesh-sided bungalow at Bamurru Plains (Top End)

Mesh-sided bungalow at Bamurru Plains overlooking lush Top End coastal floodplain

Perched upon the Mary River floodplain on the edge of Kakadu National Park, Bamurru Plains is spread across 300 kilometres of spectacular wetlands and savanna woodland abundant with biodiversity including buffalo and wallabies to saltwater crocodiles and hundreds of species of birdlife.

Just ten luxurious and rustic-chic safari bungalow huts made of corrugated iron are on offer. Built on stilts overlooking the floodplains, the bungalows are made with three mesh screens, immersing in the wilderness around you. Sleep alongside wildlife, wake up to the call of Magpie Geese, and unwind in the evening with a high-pressure shower in your spacious ensuite bathroom while marsupials meander nearby.

With its unique and rural location and outstanding activities, one of the best ways to elevate your Bamurru is exploring via air. We can seamlessly weave in a scenic flight to deliver incomparable views of the spectacular and biodiverse wetlands landscapes, before you explore the region on foot or by 4WD with rich, interpretative detail from your guides.

Look outside your luxurious eco-tent straight onto coral reef at Sal Salis (Ningaloo Reef)

Interior view of guest lounging on hammock on the front deck of the beach-facing eco-tent at Sal Salis, Ningaloo Reef

Camouflaged into sand dunes and with World Heritage-listed coral reef and National Park on either side of you, Sal Salis is the Australia’s finest beach camp. Just sixteen off-grid, luxury safari tents overlook Ningaloo, Australia’s largest fringing coral reef abundant with marine life including migratory whales, turtles, brightly coloured fish, and corals.

Perched on platforms over the dunes, each of Sal Salis’ tents come with a deck and inviting hammock. These comfortable and spacious escapes offer fresh linens and eco-ensuite bathroom and offer private respite when you’re not adventuring. All-inclusive activities and meals will keep you busy throughout the day, with kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, snorkelling, and guided wilderness activities all on offer.

One of the most unforgettable and popular ways to elevate your experience at Sal Salis is with seasonal whale swimming. Take a private charter to swim amongst gentle giants like whale sharks and humpback whales, while other marine life of turtles, dolphins, dugongs, rays, and sea birds may accompany you on your expedition.

Marvel at Uluru from your own five-star luxury tent at Longitude 131° (Uluru)

Interior of a Luxury Tent at Longitude 131° with direct views to Uluru in Australia’s Red Centre

Boasting an outstanding reputation as one of Australia’s most renowned accommodation sites, Longitude 131° offers peerless views of Uluru and the Red Centre from the very foot of your bed.

Modelled after the glam tents of African safaris with gorgeous canopy ceilings, Longitude 131°’s standalone luxury tents offer curved timber viewing decks fitted with an outdoor double daybed so you can sleep under the stars, while floor-to-ceiling windows beckon you into the rugged and vast Red Centre even when you’re tucked inside in a plush, King-size bed.

Discover the profound sense of place that Australia’s spiritual centre provides throughout your stay, whether relaxing inside or exploring the landscape by day. Guided interpretation and walking around the base of Uluru is integral to any visit, while explorations to Bruce Munro’s acclaimed ‘Field of Light’ installation, scenic flights over Uluru, Kata Tjuta (the Olgas), and Atila (Mt. Conner) can be customised for you.

Adventure amongst the outdoors from your Outback Tent at Mount Mulligan (Outback Queensland)

Luxury Outback Tent opening onto Mount Mulligan’s landscapes of eucalyptus trees

Located close to a former mining town in a region steeped in both rich Aboriginal and colonial history, Mount Mulligan is built within Queensland’s dramatic outback, nestled in the shadow of the eponymous mountain.

Offering a balance between a true escape to nature while still enjoying the comforts of the nearby lodge, Mount Mulligan’s unique and immersive Outback Tent offerings are found just five minutes’ walk or a two-minute electric buggy drive from the Main Pavilion. These 100% weatherproof camps rest on raised timber platforms and are nestled amongst eucalyptus woodlands, offering generous floorspace complete with a spacious outdoor deck overlooking a majestic escarpment. These tents are fully serviced, offer easy communication with the main lodge for convenience, and include an ensuite and gourmet minibar while opening directly onto the eucalyptus woodlands surrounding the lodge.

Make the most of this rugged outback territory enjoying on-site activities like ATV exploring, kayaking, fishing and wildlife spotting, or exploring the historic coal mine, abandoned township, or goldfields with guided interpretation.

Shower under the stars and dine alongside the sea at Kimberley Coastal Camp (The Kimberley)

Guests sitting around a campfire on the beach at open air Kimberley Coastal Camp

A castaway eco-retreat built upon a remote shore of the Admiralty Gulf in the far-northern Kimberley eco-lodge, Kimberley Coastal Camp is sprayed by salty sea breezes and is hidden amongst red sandstone and native grasses so remote it is only accessible via helicopter or light aircraft.

Beachfront, ensuited bungalows catering for a maximum of sixteen guests combine the in- and outdoors with a relaxed and unpretentious atmosphere. Made with natural products of corrugated steel, timber and mesh, your stay at Kimberley Coastal Camp never has you too far from nature – with even the open-air ensuites of each bungalow being situated amongst gorgeous rock formations and lush greenery. The main area called ‘The Shed’ is open-plan and encourages you to relax and mingle with your fellow guests and surrounding environment.

Your experiences will adapt to the circumstances of the day and what the beautiful and fragile environment presents in its day to day. Go barramundi fishing, mud crabbing and oyster gathering and look for endangered quolls, olive pythons, wild dingoes, and sea eagles. Venturing further afield, we can coordinate adventures to the region’s ancient and marvellous Wandjina rock art sites, some of the oldest Aboriginal rock art in the world, the famous Mitchell Plateau, and vast landscapes lined with creeks and gorges.

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Our Awards and Recognition

Don’t just take our word for it

As pioneers in Australian five-star luxury and experiential travel, we have the accolades to prove our expertise. The Tailor and our Founder and Managing Director, Drew Kluska, have been recognised with prestigious awards, showcasing our dedication to crafting exceptional journeys across Australia.