She Lives Alone in a Remote Wilderness Cabin

There's something idyllically beautiful about living in a wild remote off-grid property, especially here in the middle of the Tasmanian wilderness. But this way of life does not come without its difficulties, and today we're about to meet an inspiring woman who was only 21 years old when she took that challenge head-on, and what she has created is absolutely stunning. Hi Kayla, it's so lovely to meet you. Thank you so much Bryce, it's lovely to meet you too. This place that you've got here is absolutely enchanting. We're here on this gorgeous misty day and it really makes it even more magical, doesn't it? It really does. It changes all the time up here, so you get a whole plethora of different things each day. It's pretty nice. Yeah, and you bought this land when you were only 21 years old. Yeah I did. It's been a long time and hard work and lots of changes, but I definitely don't regret it. And it was quite a journey for you coming onto this land because you have done a lot since you've been here. Yeah, absolutely. It's been a lot of work. I've enjoyed a lot of it. Sometimes it's hard as well, but I feel very grateful. The land gives me so much, so that's awesome. Yeah. When you actually bought this land though, it looked nothing like it does today. Absolutely not, no. It was very overgrown. The native bush had come right up in between all the buildings and the bracken just covered everything, so you couldn't actually see a lot of what was here. You could just see the kind of rough outlay of the land, and then I was pulling out all this bracken this high. I was finding fruit trees and beautiful rock piles and all sorts of things. Wow, so it was kind of like discovering your own property. Exactly, it was, yeah. But it must have been a tremendous amount of work reclaiming all of this. Absolutely, so much work. But I ran Working Bees and so many of my friends and my community came and helped out and it's actually amazing how much work people have put into this place as well as me. That's beautiful. Yeah. This land has quite a story as well, doesn't it? Absolutely, I mean historically it was a berry farm. It was one of the first areas that was separated in settlement back in the 1830s. And then the person that I bought it off, he had a very interesting history with the place and he started everything that you see around you from scratch. He had a very eclectic way of building as well, using lots of recycled materials and in an arty kind of interesting style, which I think I've carried on naturally. It's something that I'm very attracted to and turned out to be my way of building also. But a lot of what he had previously done on the land was all destroyed in a fire. Yeah, a lot of it was. This survived the fire, this original building. The structure was here initially and some of the cladding but everything that's added on was stuff that I did. Right, yeah. I see you've just had the excavator run to create a big firebreaker on the property as well. Absolutely, yeah. Bushfire is something that you have to worry about a lot in these parts, yeah. And did you already own the property when the fire came through? Yes, yeah. I'd been here for about 18 months, so pretty fresh in the first house. And obviously I was 21 and I had no idea what I was doing. Just adjusting, being used to alone in the wilderness was such a massive thing in the first place. Because you are very remote here, aren't you? Yeah, it's very isolated. But there's something so beautiful about that in terms of the environment, like all the animals that are around and the trees and the silence. But I feel like as humans it takes a while to adjust to being completely alone. I've always had Jemba, my dog. But yeah, it's something that you have to adjust to. Yeah. So having only owned the property for 18 months and then losing the house in a fire, that must have been a real big hit to take. Yeah, it was pretty full on. I think like a lot of things in life, you don't really understand the impact until much later. But at the time I kind of was in fight or flight, just surviving, you know, just like, OK, what am I going to do now? What are my options? You know, do I want to stay here? Am I willing to stay here? And what does that look like now? It's an amazing lesson in that sense. But our community really stepped up for me and my family. And I guess I was kind of pulled out from the ashes by the community. Beautiful. Yeah. And you're off grid here now in your cabin. But after the fire, you were really off the grid, weren't you? Yeah. I had an old van dragged up here. That was my father's. And I slept in that for a while because everything just stank of ash just so strongly. And I was cooking on the fire outside. It was very basic. Yeah, even more basic than it is now. Wow. But now looking at this place, you wouldn't really get an inkling of that history because it all just looks so lush and beautiful. Yeah, absolutely. It's amazing how the bush came back. In fact, it was incredibly inspiring. You know, you're just faced with this environment that's so black and orange and dark and desolate. And then within a few weeks, the first fronds of fern come out, you know, that bright colour against the black. And it's just incredible. And it's also inspiring. It really helps you learn from nature. It's like this is the natural cycle of life. It really is. And tell me about the process of resurrecting your home from all of that. It's been a very long process. I've probably been through around three layers of renovation. Trying to make coherent all these separate elements, you know, especially when you're working with recycled materials. Things are very different. They're different textures, they're different shapes. You don't always have the right length or the right material. Or sometimes it's different. So it's like little clever ways of learning how to make it look put together. I guess, yeah. And I can see that you have got a lot of style, a lot of flair. You are an artist. And this does look like the quintessential artist hut in the woods, doesn't it? Yes, I'm artist by nature. People ask me what I want to be when I grew up. I said, well, I want to be an artist living in a tree house with my dog. And that's exactly what I did. Yeah. And what a location for your home as well, looking out onto this incredible vista. Yeah, yeah. It's very lucky. It's just, it's always changing. There's mountain ranges and the cloud sits in different levels. And of course, the stars at night are outrageous. That's beautiful. Yeah. How much land do you have here? It's 25 acres. 25 acres. That's quite a lot of land. How do you find upkeep of all of that? Oh, absolutely exhausting. I'm always working at one thing or another. It's over here. The trees are growing too big, so I need to cut them back. And the bracken's coming up over there. And by the time I finish that job, this one's come back again. So it's constant work. Yeah. When especially doing all of this on your own, that cannot be easy. No. And there's some things that I just literally have to put aside and say, I can't do that. It's been very interesting learning my own limitations and boundaries as well. So there's only so much I can do. Yeah. I see you do have a lot of planting here on the land, though, as well. Lots of fruit trees, lots of beautiful flowers. Yeah, absolutely. So I've been trying to keep them protected from the animals, because that's another thing. The trees that you do want to grow get eaten by the wildlife, who are ferocious in these parts. And one thing that I love on this property is your greenhouse. Thank you. Yeah. That's been a work in progress. Yeah, definitely. But that's all made from recycled windows and has gone through many iterations as well. And it's in the internal shaping of the garden beds and things like that. But yeah, it's my shower now. Yeah, I love that you've tucked your shower in there, too. Yeah, it's a really nice place to have a shower, I've got to say. You really feel cocooned and nestled in the trees. Yeah, beautiful. And this new deck extension that you've done is fantastic as well, because that really doubles down on the kind of treehouse vibe of the place. Yeah, absolutely. It's been a lot of fun. Making it stable has been interesting, but it works. And it makes the roof for the downstairs area, which is great as well. And just really opens up the outside experience. You know, you can still walk out here with no shoes on and not have to worry about the ants. And have a nice cup of tea in the morning. Now, the actual structure of the home, this was built by the previous owner, wasn't it? Absolutely, yeah. All from hardwood timber and bridge timbers and all sorts of things like that. So it's a very solid foundation. Yeah, what did he use this for? He had a toilet in here. Oh, really? Yeah, and that's all, a flushing toilet. That was it. Now it's my house. Wow, what a transformation. Well, I am just already completely enamoured with this. I just think this is cute as a button here on the land. And I cannot wait to see what you've done on the inside. Can we check it out? Absolutely. Come on through. It is just so cosy in here. Absolutely. Especially with the fire on, it gets like a bit of a sauna. Yeah. And speaking of the fire, what a centrepiece for your home. Especially with that fire backing, it just looks so good. Thank you. Yeah, that was actually from the bushfire. A lot of the stuff that is around you was salvaged. You know, not only recycled, but salvaged from the fires. And this was a piece of one of the sheds that was lost. And I got a thing for rusty steel. Fair enough too. Yeah, it looks so good. And the fires just brought out so much character in that metal too. Yeah, absolutely. All the different colours and textures. Yeah. And this is such an artist's house in here. Everywhere I look, there's just something interesting. Yeah, it's a group effort. A lot of it's my family and friends have, you know, we've swapped and traded and gifted art and materials. So it's a labour of love from many different sources. Yeah. And you have the most adorable housemate I've ever seen. Is it still there? He's just stuck behind the lintel. Yeah. So cute. You're not thrilled about that one, are you? No, definitely not. We try and keep those housemates out. More like yard mates. Yeah. Little more work to be done in here than that probably. Yes, absolutely. All the little holes. Yeah. It's just another one of those benefits of living in nature. Absolutely, yep. And Gemba has such a lovely spot there as well. She does, yeah. She's definitely a centrepiece for this lifestyle. Yeah. Such a vivacious dog. Absolutely, yeah. She's great company. So standing in here right now, it's kind of hard to believe that this was once just a bathroom because it is just such a lovely space that you've created. Can you talk to me about transforming this place into your home? So yeah, it was a long process in many different layers. I feel like a bed often takes up so much space, especially when you're living in a small area. So his genius idea was to push it out of the wall. And I am so grateful that he suggested that because it really is such a practical way of having a bed. And it feels so cosy in there too. Yeah. It's such a nice way of doing it. Having the windows there and the gorgeous view out onto the trees and then lifting the bed like that, you've also created a lot of storage underneath. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, it's really handy. You've got to make use of every bit of space that you can get. Obviously things I don't use very often are down there because it's a little bit annoying to open the cupboard doors, but it's fantastic having that extra space. But also having these windows here is fantastic because I can look straight out at the stars. The views from in here are just exceptional, aren't they? Absolutely. And like I said, it's the same as outside. It changes all the time and it's magical. Yeah. This is such a beautifully curated space as well. It doesn't look like furniture. Every single one of these items just looks like a little treasure that's been collected. Definitely. Yeah, it has been. It's all very practical, but I have a background in antiques, so I always keep an eye out. I picked up a lot through that work. And also as I've travelled, I've always picked up little things here and there and little special knickknacks you can fit in a backpack. As an artist, this must be such an inspiring place for you to create in. It really is. I mean, in every form, it's inspiring. If you need a break from doing something, you go outside and all of a sudden you're invigorated. It's insane. Yeah. It's very inspiring. Tell me about your artwork. Well, it comes in many different forms. Basically, whatever artistic implement is closest at hand when the time strikes to create. So whether that's spoon carving or drawing or painting or sewing or whatever it is really, it's compulsive creative. I would herald myself as, I think. I love that. And one thing that I think is so special and probably in your case also so helpful for that creative process is here you live in a place almost without distraction. It's so quiet here. It's so peaceful here. But there's also barely any cell phone service here and you don't have the internet either, do you? No, it's very remote. Yeah. So you do. You find yourself wanting to do things. And especially in winter when the days are much shorter, it's dark a lot of the time. I just sit by the fire and I make things. You're probably one of the only people I know who still actually uses radio. Yep, absolutely. I wake up with classical music every morning. That's how I keep in contact with the world. I absolutely love that. In this day and age, so many of us would actually look at that with such a lens of idealism because the internet, it is so distracting and it's something that's actually become super invasive in our lives. What's it like living without all of that and without that temptation? It's actually fantastic. I mean, sometimes logistically, it can be difficult to organise things. But in terms of the freedom and the liberation that you have, not being glued to something or so reliant on something, it's amazing. It's why I have time to make all these other things. But it changes all the time. You know, like we go through different phases and ebb and flow throughout the use of technology, I think, especially in these days. And there's times when you need it and times when it's good to avoid it. I think that's so true. We look with this modern lens back in time and we think, well, how did people have time to do preserves and to knit and sew and do all of these things? And I guess the answer is, they just weren't on their phone for five hours a day. Yeah, it's amazing how much time you have to do things. You are off-grid, but you only have a small off-grid system. So you're very much living within the natural cycles here as well, aren't you? Yeah, absolutely. I didn't even have proper power until probably about two years ago when I got the fridge started. But before that, I was just using a car battery that I just recharged when I drove out and back again when I just was running lights. And especially having this lovely big fire as well that you can also cook on and heat your water. That is, in a regular house, normally the biggest energy sink, isn't it? Yeah, it's practical to bush living, absolutely. I mean, and there's trees around everywhere so that have fallen and dead already. So it's just a matter of chopping lots of wood. How do you find storage of all of your things in here? It can be tricky because I run my business from here as well. So I have to have quite a lot of fabric storage. But you just have less things. Yeah, tell me about your business. I make hats. Yeah, I've got a business called Wilderway and I sew hats made from recycled materials in a few different styles. Yeah, they're all handmade every step of the way. And yeah, I put a lot of love and care into them. Beautiful. And again, what a lovely place to run your business from. Absolutely. You've used such beautiful materials in the creation of this place as well. Thank you. Yeah, it's very kind of you to say. A lot of it's just circumstantial, what I could scavenge or what was here already or what my neighbours and my family have donated. But yeah, a lot of the different things. I mean, the shingles on the toilet, they were salvaged from a 150-year-old house. They're all original hand-split Taz Oak shingles. They even had the handmade nails still in them. Brilliant. Because of course, you do have the classic outhouse here, don't you? Yes, absolutely. You have to, yeah. It's a wheelie bin composting toilet and it has the traditional moon crescent on the front door. Brilliant. Lots of salvaged and reclaimed elements in here too. Yeah, I get stuff from everywhere. I think that's part of the fun of it. Did you paint the artwork on the ceiling? Yeah, I did. I love it. Kind of like a painted skylight, isn't it? Yeah, well, that was kind of the idea. Yeah. And what size is your cabin here? So the main part is three by four metres. The kitchen's about two by two. And then the storage is popped out. So the bedside's popped out. The cupboard's popped out. The fridge is popped out. Yeah, so making the most of the little space. Yeah, that's a great way of doing it. And when the weather's great, I spend most of my time outside anyway. So it's just really when it's raining or when I'm working that I'm in here. I see the juggling balls there as well. Can you juggle? Yes, I have been learning to juggle. Again, another one of these amazing things that happens when you don't have the internet. Exactly. Yeah, you get to play. I love that. That is such a cool candle holder too. Thank you. Yeah, I used to work in antiques and I had access to a lot of really beautiful things and I got that at an auction. But that's the thing, everything, because it's such a small house, every little thing has a story. Perfect. It's pretty amazing. I can tell you the history of each bit of furniture and each little object. Wow, I love that. And behind me here is your kitchen. Can we have a look in there? Absolutely. Thank you. Come on through. This is just so charming, especially with all of the open storage in here. It's kind of like a cross between a cozy kitchen and a pantry. I've always loved the idea of a walk-in pantry. So of course I couldn't fit one in this small space, but I decided if it was my kitchen as well, it could work. Yeah. And one really interesting thing about this kitchen is, you actually don't have any running water in here, do you? No, I have a stainless steel tank out the side where I collect my drinking water from and I bring it all in by hand. What's it like not having running water in here and why did you decide not to plumb it? The plan was to do it eventually, but I've become so used to living without plumbing that it's so easy. And of course it's just there, the tank, so I don't actually have to walk very far. And also I can be much more aware of my water usage and I can put the water from underneath on the plants. So during summer when water is more scarce, I can just literally use my dishwater and put it on the plant and I'm plant happy. Nice and easy. And then you've got the cooker behind you? Yeah, it's great. I mean, it's small. I love to cook. So having the gas stove top's fantastic and it's got a little gas oven, which is just the right size. Honestly, I can get away. I've even baked sourdough bread in there. No problem. Great. I love the cast iron pans hanging on the wall too. Thank you. Yes, they were also a score. I got these from an op shop and this was my father's and yeah, they always have a story. Yeah, beautiful. The colour in here as well, that orange on the walls just makes the place feel so happy and vibrant. Thanks very much. Yeah, orange happens to be my favourite colour. Good choice. Great that you've got the door here as well. A nice connection between your kitchen and your veggie gardens. Exactly, yeah. It's just a simple walk up the hill. And you've got the mill there as well. Yes, I mill my own oats every morning for my breakfast. Lovely. And going back to the water for a moment, how do you filter your water here then? I just drink rainwater straight. Yeah, I have a bit of a cloth that I put on the top of the tank but I grew up on rainwater and my stomach can handle it. It's clean and the roof's very clean. I can access that and clean out the gutters whenever I need to. Yeah, but it's all fresh and clean water. Yeah. Again, it's kind of easy as a city dwelling human to forget that humans can actually drink the water that just the earth provides us. Yeah. It's a nice reminder. Absolutely. Yeah. And how long have you been living in the cabin here? I'll be nearly nine years. Wow. Yeah. And tell me what life here is like. It's a mix of so many things. You know, it's magical like I said and beautiful and serene and isolated and hard work but it's very rewarding in so many ways and you just kind of adapt to a completely different lifestyle. You know, I think a lot of people these days are so far removed from this way of living but actually we've been living like this a lot longer than we have otherwise. Very true. Tell me about the hard things. The responsibility of being the land owner and manager I think very much in terms of conservation. So I spent a lot of time devoted to looking after the land and making sure that, you know, all the invasive species are under control and that takes a lot of time. Also just having the responsibility of it all falling on my shoulders. You know, it's like I'm the one who has to fix the thing. And also the isolation as well has its difficulties. I mean, I spent a lot of my early 20s not around many people and that was good in so many ways but also difficult in others once I realised that it was important for me to be involved in more in the community. Yeah. You're not so isolated here though that you are cut off from community and the ability to tap into that when you want to though, are you? No, I actually have an amazing array of neighbours that live around me and we spend a lot of time together and I'm very lucky with that. And, you know, it's not that far to the nearest town and I have access to multiple small towns close by so even though there is that sense of isolation it's still not that outrageous to go to town. A lot of people would look at your living situation and think a young woman alone in the middle of the wilderness you must be terrified living here. What would your response to that be? I was. It probably took me two years to get used to it. I spent most nights feeling very afraid and uncomfortable but I just did it anyway. You know, I just kind of pushed through it and I think that I have that response to a lot of things that I fear. It's like just because I'm scared of it doesn't mean I should let that control me. So what advice would you have for somebody who looks at the way that you live, absolutely falls in love with it but is maybe letting the fear hold them back a bit? Well, I think it's always good to have a first-hand experience before you commit to things. Like I grew up like this so I kind of knew to a certain degree what I was getting into. It was just more of in terms of adapting to my particular circumstances but to somebody else I would say, you know, just go for it. I know who I am now because I've had so much time to get to know myself. So many years it's just been me here and my dog. So much time has been me working and thinking and learning about who I am and what I can do and what I can't do. I've got to be able to build a house and think about what it is that I like. What colours do I like? What textures do I like? What patterns or what plants do I like? All those types of things. It's now when someone asks me, what would you like? I can tell them. And I just want to say also my mum has been an incredible help for this whole project. She really stepped up and every step of the way she's helped me paint the house, renovate the interior. You know, so my mum has been an incredible inspiration for this whole journey as well. You know, the kind of lifestyle that she's lived has really inspired me but also my friends in my community and my neighbours. You know, they've really... I've been so lucky and so blessed with the support that I have received through this whole process and this whole adventure. Can we talk about the cost of building your home? Very minimal. It's somewhere between seven and ten grand. Wow. For everything, yeah. Because everything was salvaged, like I said. And that's one of the reasons it took me so long to get it to where it is now is because it's just finding the materials at a relatively cheap price. Yeah. And when you bought the land in your early 20s, this was an area where the land was quite obtainable back then, wasn't it? Yes, absolutely. It was much cheaper. I think it would be impossible for me to get into the property market now. It's crazy. Even just the land value of this place has gone up exponentially. So I was just very lucky. I just went for it the time that counted, I guess. And I'm really grateful that I did because, yeah, I think I made a good decision. Yeah. And this is such a rich place for you to call home. And it's so beautiful here in nature. But this has also been a great launchpad for you to have some huge travel adventures. You don't just squirrel yourself away here. You really get out into the world and explore. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I think that it's really important to do that. For many years, when I first got the place, I was here most of the time working on it. But the last few years, I've made the most of having a bit of freedom and going off and doing different things. And it's been great. Yeah. And what are your future plans for the land here now? I think more of the same. Just keeping on top of things, but also expanding. Now that I've finished this place, working on the other buildings around and building some more and potentially getting some more people onto the property and doing woofing and work exchange and stuff like that. Great idea. What a good plan. Thanks. Yeah. And what's your next big travel adventure? I want to go to Mongolia riding horses. Amazing. Yes. But also I want to cycle in Europe. So we'll see what happens first. Both amazing plans. You couldn't lose either way. Yeah, I reckon. Yeah. Well, Kayla, I just absolutely love your home here. I just think you have created the most magical space for yourself. And even though I can see that being here isn't always easy and there's a lot of hard work and upkeep involved in this way of life, I just think it is a truly beautiful way of life that you have crafted for yourself. Thank you so much for sharing it with me. Thank you so much, Bryce. Kayla's home is just so beautiful. There is so much to love in every corner of this home. Kayla made this place exactly as she liked it, as a representation of her. But getting here was anything but easy. There was so much loss and tragedy that was involved in this. But it was her spirit and willingness to persevere that made all of this possible. And as a result, there is just such an incredible amount of heart in this home. you