Australia
Kooljaman, Cape Leveque, Western Australia
At the tip of the sublime Dampier peninsula, Kooljaman is a multi award-winning, Aboriginal-owned wilderness camp. Set amid dazzling white beaches framed by red rocks and fronted by the opalescent Indian Ocean, and near two indigenous communities, it offers budget accommodation in permanent tents or beach shacks. Getting there is half the adventure – either by a rugged four-wheel-drive track (three hours from Broome), or a scenic flight.
• Mini safari tent for two from £35 (minimum two nights), +61 8 9192 4970, kooljaman.com.au
Sanctuary Retreat, Mission Beach, Queensland
This outstanding ecolodge and yoga centre immerses you in a Unesco-listed rainforest that’s home to rare butterflies, tree frogs, possums and birds. You’ve a good chance of seeing a cassowary – a powerful flightless bird that looks like a small emu in war paint. Stay in a simple, canvas-roofed hut and there’ll be nothing but bug-proof screens between you and the croaking, chirruping fauna. Healthy meals are served in a hillside lounge with polished timber floors, a long veranda and views of the Coral Sea.
• Doubles from £38, +61 7 4088 6064, sanctuaryretreat.com.au
Bungalow Bay YHA, Magnetic Island, Queensland
On the tropical island that locals call Maggie, off Townsville, this is an award-winning resort-style hostel. A-frame bungalows are set in grounds with hammocks beside the pool, an open-air bar and a curry house. It’s adjacent to a wildlife sanctuary with koalas and wallabies and within walking distance of tranquil Horseshoe Bay and village cafes and shops. Regular ferries serve Magnetic Island from Townsville and local buses run to Horseshoe Bay, or you can hire an open-topped Mini Moke to get around.
• Doubles from £40, +61 7 4778 5577, yha.com.au
New Caledonia
Chez Waka, Lifou,
Loyalty Islands
Some 1,000km out in the Pacific Ocean, off Australia’s Gold Coast, Lifou is the largest of the Loyalty Islands and a true tropical hideaway. In an idyllic location right on Mu Beach, Chez Waka has four traditional huts sleeping two to five, and a larger one for up to 10 people. John, Waka’s husband, will take you snorkelling or arrange a fishing trip, while Waka prepares delicious dinners featuring fresh lobster, crabs in coconut and bougna, a local speciality of fish or chicken and root vegetables cooked in banana leaf.
• Hut for two from £40,+ 687 45 15 14, no website, email anewelec@canl.nc
