River Room Bellingen Treehouse

Room in Gleniffer, Australia

  1. 3 beds
  2. Dedicated bathroom
Stay with Kirsty
  1. Superhost
  2. 15 years hosting

Listing highlights

Exceptional check-in experience

Recent guests gave the check-in process a 5-star rating.

Unbeatable location

100% of guests in the past year gave this location a 5-star rating.

Room in a guesthouse

Your own room in a home, plus access to shared spaces.
Open up your bedroom wall and enjoy the intimate surrounds of rainforest along the Never Never River, just below your tree house hideaway. The building was designed by an iconic Australian architect and is just 10 minutes drive from funky Bellingen. Swim olympic lengths in our clean, cool and freshwater front yard. Walk, canoe or ride nearby in Dorrigo and Belongil national parks. Ask about other onsite beds for families on Never Never Creek acreage. Tread lightly. Relax.

The space
We love our Gleniffer home. It sits in the beautiful northern NSW Bellinger Valley, among treetops, on the bank of the Never Never creek. This quiet and precious part of the globe is called the Promised Land, romantically named by an enraptured Italian farmer.

Proceeds from Air BnB help us to regenerate and protect this special place, so thank you in advance for your patronage of this precious bushland.

THE ROOM

The River Room is a very big space, and more than just a bedroom. You sleep in a comfy king-sized bed but also have extensive desk & couch space for writing, painting, reading and quiet time. It is simply furnished, which best suits its minimalist architecture. One wall opens up like a garage door to reveal the Never Never Creek, just metres below. It is detached via a walkway from our main home.

The bathroom is nearby. Your wonderfully drenching shower, basin and toilet is along a short walkway. It is private but constructed so you can still enjoy your rainforest surrounds. In summer or winter, you may like to use a dressing gown/wrap.

THE BUILDING

Our 3-part tree house was designed especially to suit the local climate and environment, by respected Australian architect, Richard LePlastrier. It was built in 1980 by a meticulous Dutchman, Henk Mulder. The peace and serenity you will experience here is due largely to the architecture of this building - which allows you to embrace the rain storms, the cacophony of birdlife and the meandering or raging river. We have made only minor adjustments to the minimalist interior design, in order to preserve its historical significance.

GUESTS

The River Room lends a wonderful peacefulness to our home and for this reason bedding in this space is limited. It is not suitable for a group of adults (two adults only). To ensure your experience is in keeping with our neighbourhood atmospheric, we request absolutely no visitors during your stay.

For families with more than one child, we offer heavily discounted rates for any spill over in The Hut on Never Never Creek acerage ($30 plus half cleaning costs). We also have a room below the River Room with a queen sized bed. Just ask about this when you send a booking request. (If your children are not old enough to sleep apart from you, the Valley has lots of options for your family which may be more suitable).

If you are bringing children they need to be supervised; remember it is a treehouse in a rural area, and the bush can be unpredictable. Most children are fine, other than energetic and inquisitive toddlers!

MEALS

There is no kitchen in the River Room, however, we do provide a toaster, kettle, plates and cutlery. Most guests are on vacation and like to buy from Bellingen’s excellent delicatessen, bakery or other cafes, bringing home some basic snack and breakfast food - keeping things simple. You can heat up your takeaway food in our microwave and retire to your River Room to eat. There is a dining table in the room and we have a fridge in our downstairs laundry that you are welcome to use. If you prefer to eat out, Bellingen also has many great restaurants. Just remember they close early compared to the city and might require bookings at peak holiday times.

For longer stays, you can request access to our downstairs bush kitchen and BBQ, which can be shared/negotiated depending on your meal preferences/times. Please enquire about this prior to booking.

SWIMMING IN THE NEVER NEVER

Swimming in summer is literally at your doorstep, in a clean and deep waterhole off your own pontoon. Talk to us about fish/eels and water monitors and platypus.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Telstra works well for your smart phone internet use. Check any other mobile networks for their advised reception quality. Our rural area is currently NOT serviced by high speed NBN. Bring your own toggle if you want WIFI options.

WEATHER

We enjoy sublime winter days, which are usually warm and sunny before you retire and tuck under your River Room doona! Summers are glorious with sub-tropical balmy nights. You will be grateful for the rainforest shade and the refreshing river waters during the hotter daytime hours.

We are a 15 minute drive from Bellingen. You will need a car or bike.

Guest access
LAUNDRY

If you're on a driving holiday, you'll be happy to get some washing done here. Bring your preferred laundry powder.

PARKING

There is plenty of on site parking.

During your stay
We are rarely on the property during your stay, but a member of our family or a friend will be here to look after you. When we are in-house, we in asmall building on the property (The Hut - like a granny flat) with our own private living spaces. If we’re about, we love a chat on the property! As long as bushfire season prevents it, we have a fire pit you can enjoy. latest update: please ask us if you want to use as Firewood has been in short supply with floods and rain lately. We may not be able to supply firewood.

Other things to note
You are staying in a rural area. Be prepared for bush life - it can be unpredictable! VERY IMPORTANT: Please read the House Manual on Airbnb prior to packing and arriving. It provides important information on what to bring, and what to expect in this rural area. The House Manual can be found in your Reservations/Details section on Airbnb.

Please note, if you are using the service of a professional photographer to photograph your wedding party, or any other event, they need to be cleared with hosts prior to arriving on the property.

Registration Details
PID-STRA-6155

Where you’ll sleep

What this place offers

Garden view
River view
Waterfront
Kitchen
Fast wifi – 284 Mbps
Unavailable: Lock on bedroom door
Unavailable: Carbon monoxide alarm

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Rated 4.95 out of 5 from 353 reviews.

Guest favorite
This home is a guest favorite based on ratings, reviews, and reliability

Overall rating

  1. 5 stars, 96% of reviews
  2. 4 stars, 3% of reviews
  3. 3 stars, 1% of reviews
  4. 2 stars, 0% of reviews
  5. 1 stars, 0% of reviews

Rated 4.9 out of 5 stars for cleanliness

Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars for accuracy

Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars for check-in

Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars for communication

Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars for location

Rated 4.8 out of 5 stars for value

Guest reviews mention

Where you’ll be

Gleniffer, New South Wales, Australia
This listing's location is verified and the exact location will be provided after booking.

Neighborhood highlights

Precious natural places are increasingly rare in the world. We are privileged to live in one of those neighbourhoods. The Valley has coastal and hinterland national parks. The region is dubbed ‘Northern Rivers’ because the district has so many river systems, small and large, meandering through our valleys and coastal properties.

But it won't stay this way forever without the thoughtful efforts of locals and visitors combined. Regeneration and weeding preoccupies us all, but with the rich rewards of a healthy, thriving, native bush riparian zone. We encourage you to soak it up; relax, slow down, tread lightly.

ACTIVITIES

Dorrigo and Ebor are within half an hour from our valley. The NSW Parks and Wildlife managed areas have excellent walks and extensive trackways. There are beautiful national parks at Dorrigo and Bonville.

Urunga has a newly created wetlands Boardwalk (accessible off the old Pacific Highway). It is a truly stunning walk and close by is a longer established boardwalk to the beach from Urunga township.

Surf stretches are only half an hour away and the beaches are renowned for small crowds.

The valley hosts special musical and cultural events including the River, Jazz and Readers’ and Writers’ Festivals and the Bello Winter Festival.

Nearby Valery trails offers horse riding.

Meet your host

Superhost
450 reviews
4.93 out of 5 average rating
15 years of hosting
My work: Media
Speaks Italian
Lives in Bellingen, Australia
Raised our now adult boys in the Bellingen Valley after departing Sydney jobs and continuing our media employment here and on the road. We have worked hard to regenerate our 13 hectare property and now enjoy a fully established rainforest riparian environment around our house. Your fee for sharing it, helps us maintain and continue this vital regeneration work with our neighbors along the Never Never River and its precious water catchment. We're keen on cooking and of course, cleanliness but not neat freaks! Into atmospherics! We love most music and congregation. Internationally we have lived in Italy and keep going back to visit friends and extended family. (When we do, you'll be hosted by our trusted house sitters). We've made films about the old Russia and books about Islam, Italy and international politics. We hosted willing workers' on organic farms here in Gleniffer for many years and our family loved the help and the variety of international guests and expert help. Very happy to answer questions and give you the good word on the places we fondly call home. Our buildings are atypical contemporary architecture which provide you with an architectural experience. We can make suggestions of other accommodation where you might stay locally if you'd prefer to be totally pampered in a more familiar surrounds or enjoy a working farm given we are a regenerated property but not a place for wandering amongst chooks and cows — rather, as in any subtropical rainforest, you may get harassed by a bush turkey or a lace monitor!

Kirsty is a Superhost

Superhosts are experienced, highly rated hosts who are committed to providing great stays for guests.

Co-hosts

  • Jade

Host details

Response rate: 100%
Responds within a few hours
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Things to know

Cancellation policy
House rules
Check-in: 2:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Checkout before 10:00 AM
3 guests maximum
Safety & property
No carbon monoxide alarm
Nearby lake, river, other body of water
Smoke alarm