Environmental Protection | Huon Bush Retreats

Huon Bush Retreats is a part of Mount Misery Habitat Reserve. We are proud to be conserving natural and cultural values and sharing them with our guests.

On site conservation

Mt Misery Habitat Reserve is a loose collection of co-operatively managed private properties of about 8 square kilometres (1600 acres). Many are covered by legally binding conservation covenants.

Cabin eco-features

At Huon Bush Retreats, we take responsibility for our own environmental management. Huon Nature Trust, which owns the land, has been set up to allow people to contribute to the protection of land and natural values in the area.

The cabins are built entirely of steel to be extremely fire resistant. This allows each cabin to be nestled in it's own environment, in close contact with the surrounding forest instead of the usual 30 metre clearing. Cabins are fully insulated and heated by modern wood fired heaters. We grow more wood on site than we consume.

Twelve volt, solar generated electricity operates the lights and music throughout the entire site.

Water quality protection and Natureloo dry composting toilets

Protection of water quality is very important in the operation of HBR. We source all our water from natural sources and carry out minimal treatment.

Our water quality is preserved firstly by not mixing clean water with sewage. To achieve this we use dry composting Natureloo toilets. Composting toilets mean there is no black water discharge and halves our total water consumption. Our waste water treatment first separates grease, then lint and particles. The remaining grey water goes to evapo-transpiration beds that keep untreated waste water out of the water table but still returns it to the earth. Most is then taken up by plants that use the dissolved nutrients to benefit their growth. Our operation is water neutral, ie we return as much as we take and what leaves our land is as clean as what enters it.

Water is collected on site from the building roofs.

Composting

Each cabin is supplied with a bench top compost bin which we empty into our composting system-the resultant compost is then used in our organic vege garden to produce some of the ingredients for our menu and food label.

Recycling

Recycling bins are provided to each cabin.

Cleaning Products

We use Clean Conscience -natural cleaning products and laundry powder.

Active in community environmental protection

Michael is active in local conservation campaigns and was a founding member of the Huon Valley Environment Centre. He was also active in the community campaign to prevent Gunns Timber from logging the Lucaston Valley.

Paul was a full time activist during the Franklin River campaign as well as working on a wide range of other issues. He now works as a ranger with Parks and Wildlife Service. Michael and Paul's success in achieving conservation goals lead to the opening of Huon Bush Retreats being blockaded by 60 forest workers and their families. We see this as an acknowledgement of our success in achieving good conservation outcomes over the years.

HBR was opened on 22 February 2004 by Senator Bob Brown. Bob and his partner Paul Thomas were our first guests.

All staff share our environmental sentiments ensuring that the Huon Bush Retreats commitment to environmental protection carries throughout every level of operation.

We further our commitment to the environment by supporting other organisations with donated gift voucher prizes.

Learn about Tasmanian environmental issues at

And to balance the views, read the other side from

Forestry Tasmania