Forest Walks Lodge

Forest Walks Lodge is situated in the hidden valley of Jackeys Marsh, south of Deloraine, Tasmania. It is a solar passive designed guest house, thermally efficient with its own in-built electricity, clean water, heating and waste water system. As far as possible it was built with sustainable materials.

An insulated concrete slab with underfloor heating provides thermal mass and warm feet in winter with hot water from the wood stove. Using the reverse veneer building technique, the solar hall is concrete block painted in warm colours to trap heat, with an outside cladding of timber. The ceiling features R7 insulation. This energy efficient timber building envelope is completed with Paarhammer triple glazed windows and French doors.

During the time of building, one of the owners was the president of FSC® (Forest Stewardship Council®) and Paarhammer was the first FSC Chain-of-Custody approved window joinery in Victoria in 2008. The windows and doors for the Forest Walk Lodge were made in FSC-certified New Guinea Rosewood, which originated from an Eco-forestry project, and were Chain-of-Custody certified products. (Paarhammer FSC Trademark Licence Code: FCS-C015342; Chain of Custody Certification Code: SCS-COC-001887)

In the house a low trombe wall provides additional thermal mass in winter but is shaded by a carefully designed roof in summer. The lowest ambient temperature inside the building has been 11 degrees during winter, even with no heating for several weeks while the house was empty. It can get cold in this part of the world which the photos of the lodge covered in snow attest to, but the sun through the northern windows is enough to maintain the temperature.

The lodge features solar panels as well as hydro power for electricity and a large worm farm installed underground which turns all waste water, both black and grey, into nutrient rich water for the garden.

A few steps from the comfortable lodge and the surrounding sensitive garden begins the Tasmanian Wilderness and the owners take visitors on informative and educational forest walks through UNESCO listed World Heritage Forests. Experience such walks, the comfort of this sustainable building and local gourmet food at the Forest Walks Lodge.