Tanja Lagoon Camp: Luxury Glamping and Eco Cabins on the Sapphire Coast

The Architecture

Tanja Lagoon Camp is a low-impact ecotourism camp on the edge of Tanja Lagoon, on the Sapphire Coast of New South Wales, between native forest and Mimosa Rocks National Park. Four luxury safari tents and two self-contained eco cabins are spread across a property the Bright family has cared for since 1998, where more than 7,000 native trees and shrubs have been planted to bring forest back to what was once a sawmilling site and dairy farm.

Every unit works independently: its own kitchen, full bathroom, private deck and wood pellet heating for colder nights. The tents sit on raised platforms that barely touch the ground and look out over the lagoon; the cabins, around 42 m², add a full kitchen, a lounge and their own outdoor fire drum. Eastern grey kangaroos graze between the units, and the wildlife corridor created by the owners lets the vulnerable eastern long-nosed potoroo move safely through the property.

Sustainability here is not a slogan: 22 kW of solar panels and a 17 kW battery bank generate all of the camp's electricity; water comes from rain collected in tanks and dams and is filtered with UV and carbon; and all sewage, greywater and organic waste pass through a worm farm treatment system. The structural timber was milled on the property with a mobile mill. That consistency has earned Advanced Ecotourism accreditation from Ecotourism Australia, held since 2017.

Days unfold at your own pace: paddle a canoe along the lagoon to the mouth and the secluded end of Middle Beach; walk 25 minutes on the track that crosses the national park; or take the longer walk to Bithry Inlet, two to three hours return.In season the coast becomes a whale-watching lookout, and Tathra and Bermagui, with their famous oysters and gin distilleries, are a short drive away.

For groups, the whole camp can be booked exclusively, with The Meeting Place — a 70 m² space with a commercial kitchen, dining and lounge areas, a large deck and a firepit — as the gathering point. Arrival is self-guided: you receive instructions before you travel, and the map board at the entrance points you to your accommodation.

The Environment

The property borders Mimosa Rocks National Park on the Sapphire Coast of New South Wales. Tanja Lagoon is an intermittently closed and open lagoon: after heavy rain it can open to the ocean and turn tidal, while in dry spells some areas stay shallow or empty. The track to Middle Beach crosses the national park and reaches a secluded beach in about 25 minutes; Bithry Inlet is further along the same walk, two to three hours return. By car it is an easy drive to Tathra and Bermagui, Bega, Merimbula and the historic village of Tilba, and to the region's surf and snorkelling beaches. The area is known for its oysters and oyster farms, and for its gin distilleries.

The design of the tents and cabins makes the most of natural airflow and shelter, so no artificial cooling is needed in summer; in winter, heating runs on wood pellets and, in Buru, a split system. All electricity is generated on the property. The camp makes no energy certification claim for its buildings: its accreditation is a tourism one (Advanced Ecotourism, Ecotourism Australia).

6 Accommodation