In 2016, Fiona Gunn and Clancy Palmer bought a four acre farm, complete with its own serene creek, an original farmhouse, and old galvanised shed in the Gold Coast hinterlands.
The Austinville block was their ‘dream property’, despite resembling ‘more of a nightmare’ at the time after years of neglect. ‘We still knew that we could make it into a beautiful home and place to live,’ Fiona says.
After carefully restoring the historic house, they decided to open it up to guests while living in another small home on the property. But by 2019, they decided to move back into the main house, which lead them to start their own farm and accommodation business, Palmer & Gunn. That’s when they created Wee Tiny: a dreamy, tiny house overlooking the farm’s private watering hole.
The couple built and designed the retreat themselves, using mostly salvaged materials they had left over from their farmhouse restoration. Fiona (a vet nurse) had ‘no building experience’ but was keen to learn, while Clancy (an engineer by trade) drew on carpentry skills he’d picked up over the years working for his dad, a builder.
‘We took a huge amount of inspiration from our farmhouse and shed, which was previously an old sawmill,’ Fiona says. ‘We wanted Wee Tiny to look as if it could have always been there.’ It’s also thoughtfully built onto a compact trailer, ensuring it can be moved and that it didn’t leave a ‘permanent scar’ on their land.
Inside the galvanised tin property, a high-pitched ceiling and exposed rafters fill the compact home with natural light, sharing a resemblance to the steep roofs of romantic timber chapels. It’s rustic, cosy and has plenty of country charm, but Fiona says the real highlight of the home is the veranda, where guests spend most of their time enjoying the outdoor kitchen and open antique fireplace with views of the creek and bush!
It means there’s no ‘bulky white goods inside’, instead you’ll find a beautiful open plan living space, and a luxurious claw foot tub. They even built a wood-fired hot tub nestled just outside the home, adding to the ‘slow stay experience’.
Fiona says the property’s limited phone reception also forces guests to replace screen time with talking by the fire – an aspect they are often grateful for – and it’s since become a popular destination for honeymoons or anyone looking to unplug and unwind in the great outdoors.
‘We really wanted to create a space for people to come and just be, with no distractions, no screens to take you away from just being in the moment either solo or with a loved one,’ she says.
Book your stay at Wee Tiny here.
