Orange, in the Central West of New South Wales, is one of the most enticing wine regions within striking distance of Sydney.
Now a striking new pair of architecturally designed cabins has opened on a working cattle farm just outside Orange, offering visitors a unique off-grid retreat.
pc3orange comprises two steel-framed cabins inspired by the simple form of a tent and the curve of a pipi shell. The retreats are the third instalment in the celebrated Permanent Camping series by Casey Brown Architecture, following earlier projects in the same Australian state: at Mudgee and Berry.
Each self-contained cabin distils the idea of a retreat down to its essentials: a bed, a deck, a fireplace, a bathroom and a place to sit and watch the world go by.
Each self-contained cabin distils the idea of a retreat down to its essentials: a bed, a deck, a fireplace, a bathroom and a place to sit and watch the world go by.
Inside, recycled ironbark lines the walls and ceilings, custom steel benches finished in a deep "volcanic orange" duco add a sculptural touch, and circular skylights frame views of the surrounding gum trees and night sky.
A slow-combustion wood heater with a stone hearth set into the timber floor, fully louvred bathrooms, and Japanese-inspired furniture complete the considered interiors.
Owner Andrew Kermode said the cabins were designed to give visitors a genuine sense of reconnection, both with the landscape and with each other.
Owner Andrew Kermode said the cabins were designed to give visitors a genuine sense of reconnection, both with the landscape and with each other.
"From the moment you arrive, the soaring steel forms are the first thing you notice," Kermode said. "They sit so naturally as part of the landscape, but inside it's all warmth, timber and quiet luxury.
"This is a part of the country that throws everything at a building: cold winters with snow heavy enough to bring down trees, hot, bushfire-prone summers, strong winds sweeping across open paddocks, and termites that make timber construction a real risk," said project manager Daniel Weber said.
"So the response had to be robust as well as beautiful. Each cabin is built entirely from steel, clad in corten so it weathers into the landscape rather than fighting it.
"So the response had to be robust as well as beautiful. Each cabin is built entirely from steel, clad in corten so it weathers into the landscape rather than fighting it.
"From a distance the cabins read almost like rusted tents dropped into the paddock, but up close every element has been resolved with real precision. It's a small building, but it's not a house shrunk down. It's its own considered response to this particular place, and we think it gives Orange something genuinely unique." he said.
pc3orange was shortlisted in the Small Project category of the 2026 Australian Institute of Architects awards.
pc3orange was shortlisted in the Small Project category of the 2026 Australian Institute of Architects awards.
Bookings and further info at www.pc3orange.au.
