Quirky, one-of-a-kind and often downright weird — introducing Australia’s most unusual hotels

Wollemi Wilderness Treehouse perched above Bowen’s Creek in the Blue Mountains. Picture: Supplied

SERIAL travellers will be all too familiar with nondescript hotels that blend seamlessly into one another. Cable TV, identikit toiletries that make your skin itch, bog standard — and usually substandard — tea and coffee making facilities, coupled with nausea-inducing patterned carpets and bedspreads.

But it doesn’t have to be __like this. In fact, if you’re game for something a bit different there are plenty of places to spend that night in Australia that go way beyond the pale.

Whether you sleep in a caravan on top of a multistorey carpark, have a bespoke star sign experience at the world’s first astrology-themed hotel, check into an actual cave, or live out your childhood dreams in a sky-high tree house; these unique lodgings will redefine how you think of hotels and a stay in one will be memorable if nothing else.

THE ULTIMO, SYDNEY

Is there a luxury holiday in your future?Source:Supplied

Love reading your daily horoscope? How about taking it a few steps further and staying in a hotel where everything is matched to your star sign. A must for starstruck travellers, the newly-opened Ultimo is officially the world’s first astrology-themed hotel.

Set in heritage-listed building in the heart of Sydney’s bustling Chinatown, the property features 95 guests rooms that are jam-packed with unique experiences designed to make guests feel aligned to their astrological sign.

Curated with the help of celebrity astrologer, Damian Rocks, unique experiences include city guides tailored to you star sign, zodiac branded ‘do not disturb’ hangers and slippers, an in-house astrology library and even ‘astrolo-tea’ (specially selected tea to match your star sign). Packages are also available for bespoke star charts upon arrival, alongside personal face-to-face astrology readings.

WOLLEMI WILDERNESS TREEHOUSE, BLUE MOUNTAINS

Forget the kids — this is a tree house that’s adults only.

High up in a canopy of trees overlooking 240 hectares of private wilderness in NSW’s Blue Mountains, Wollemi Wilderness Treehouse has charm and romance in spades. Though erring on the rustic side, its floor-to-ceiling windows, spa bath and roaring wood fire are guaranteed to impress your belle or beau.

FREMANTLE PRISON YHA, FREMANTLE

Built with the blood and sweat of convicts in the 1850s, this UNESCO World Heritage-listed structure was converted into a 200-bed YHA two years ago.

Housing inmates as late as 1991, guests can now sleep in the former prison warder’s cottages or — if they’re brave — in the actual cells. Speaking of, given that its history spans 150 years of incarceration and hangings (between 1888 and 1984 43 men and one woman met their maker here) there have been more than a few reports of things that go bump in the night. Sleep well!

NOTEL, MELBOURNE

The rooftop of a carpark never looked so good.Source:Supplied

Of course, in the hipster epicentre that is Melbourne, there’s more than a few quirky places to rest your head; though few can top the recently opened, Notel.

Paying homage to the golden age of caravanning, these six, retro Airstream trailers have been refitted as designer urban accommodation. But the most unusual part is their location — perched on the roof of a nondescript multistorey car park smack bang in the CBD.

There’s no concierge, room service, or reception — you even use your smartphone to book and as a key for your trailer — but the killer city views more than make up for the DIY approach. Plus, inside are surprisingly spacious interiors that house a comfy queen bed, shower and toilet, free mini bar and private deck. One of the trailers even comes with its own private outdoor spa.

JAMALA WILDLIFE LODGE, CANBERRA (www.jamalawildlifelodge.com.au)

Fancy a safari experience without having to dig out your passport? At Canberra’s Jamala Wildlife Lodge you can blink and pretend you’re on the edge of the African savannah.

Nestled in the grounds of the National Zoo and Aquarium in the heart of the nation’s capital, Jamala is Australia’s first all-inclusive wildlife lodge experience. Boasting 5-star, African-style lodges and bungalows that are all designed to get guests up close and personal with some of the zoo’s most in-demand residents, accommodation ranges from the uShaka Lodge, where your roommates are monkeys and sharks, to the aptly named Giraffe Treehouses, where you’ll be hand feeding your long-necked neighbours in no time. But undoubtedly the most unique offering are the Jungle Bungalows with floor-to-ceiling glass walls between the lodge and a variety of exotic animals, including European brown bears and lions.

Rates include all-inclusive dining and a guided tour in the morning

REEF SLEEP, GREAT BARRIER REEF

The world’s largest coral reef system, the Great Barrier Reef, should be high on anyone’s travel bucket list. But rather than simply swimming, snorkelling or diving in the World Heritage-listed natural wonder, why not spend the night on it too.

Forty nautical miles from shore, Cruise Whitsundays’ ‘Reefworld’ is located on one of the most spectacular stretches of the reef. By day you can enjoy diving, snorkelling, swimming __like any other visitor, but in the afternoon the day-trippers will have left and you and a maximum of 12 others will retire in a comfy swag on the top deck and be gently lulled to sleep by the motion of the ocean, under a star-speckled night sky.

HATTER’S HIDEOUT, BELL

Yep, that’s it.Source:Supplied

Fancy yourself as a modern day caveman? Well, at Hat Cave you can make your “Flintstones” fantasies come true.

Part of the ‘Hatters Hideout’ complex, this 25-metre high sandstone cave (roughly equivalent to a six-storey building) is one of the most unique camping spots in the country.

Set deep within a mountain gorge near the NSW village of Bell and surrounded by lush rainforest, the impressive natural acoustics inside have been likened to those at the Sydney Opera House. The cave comes kitted out with the basics — think solar powered lighting, a kitchen sink with rainwater tap, composting toilet and gas BBQ — and when it comes to bedtime, it’s bush swags and mats. Glamping fans beware!

MERCURE KAKADU CROCODILE HOTEL, KAKADU

For visitors to the Top End, being inside the belly of one of its most infamous residents is at the bottom of their holiday wish lists. However, that doesn’t apply at Kakadu’s signature crocodile-shaped hotel. These prehistoric man eaters go hand-in-hand with the region and the tourism industry certainly seems to appreciate the property’s quirky design, with the hotel winning last year’s ‘unique accommodation’ award in the NT Tourism Awards.