Hinterland Hosts – Meet Pam & David Hughes

Recently we chatted to one of our friends about our story and our BnB, the things we love, and the things we find challenging. We thought we could share our story of how we found ourselves in the Sunshine Coast hinterland with 3.5 acres and a big beautiful BnB. Read on for our story!

What led you to host a BnB in Sunshine Coast Hinterland?

We moved to the Sunshine Coast hinterland from Sydney 4 years ago. We both came from corporate backgrounds in engineering and transport.  We just wanted to try something completely different, and semi-retire.

We spent a lot of time traveling the country looking for the best place to buy a BnB. Then we happened to be on the Sunshine Coast and took a drive up to the Range.  Within 10 minutes we knew it was the spot for us. Little did we know that this would be a full-time love job! There are 3.5 acres here which require a lot of maintenance time with 20+ avocado trees to look after as well!

We love it here and have no desire to go back to corporate life. We love meeting people and love how much they enjoy their stay and the property. We love the diversity of our guests and getting to know them and their stories! It is so great to meet so many people.

Had you done anything like this before?

No. We hadn’t really even stayed at B&B’s much before. We like entertaining and meeting people so we thought if we treated our guests like friends or family, we would have half a chance of doing well, and hopefully, leave our guests with an enjoyable experience.

What are the challenges of hosting your own BnB?

One of the biggest challenges is the dietary requirements! We provide a fully cooked breakfast here at Avocado Grove, so catering to dietary needs quickly became a priority. As long as you let us know in advance, then your dining experience is that much better. We try to use local fresh produce where possible as there is so much available in this area.

Luckily here on the Range, there is a great variety of restaurants for our guests to choose from which we are happy to help with a prior reservation if needed. (Remember, all direct bookings receive a complimentary drop-off and pick-up to restaurants along with the range).

We also have a local chef by the name of Alan Dawes on hand too, so if guests want something really special, Alan will come in and cook up an amazing super feast. His 6-course degustation menu is absolutely amazing.

What do you love about the Avocado Grove BnB?

The location is just lovely. It’s quiet and scenic. The whole area used to be an avocado grove so it’s really pretty. The sunsets are amazing and in summer it is so green. The birdlife is great and we love meeting and hosting guests from all over the country.

Coming from Sydney, we appreciate the quiet surroundings and such a beautiful backyard overlooking the Blackall Ranges. We found it challenging to find a property that wasn’t on a busy road, so when we saw this one, we knew it would be perfect. Coming from the city, we appreciate the space and quiet so much.

Over the past four years, we have revamped the gardens, painted the house, revamped the rooms, and worked so hard to improve the property. We’ve had previous guests come back and almost didn’t recognise the place! It’s great to look back and see what we have achieved.

We love what we do and it’s a joy to welcome our guests here and we find that 80% of our bookings are return guests.

What would be your perfect day off?

The perfect day for us would be to be completely looked after for the whole day! We would start with a spa or treatment at Ikatan Day Spa in Doonan. Perhaps a massage then a spa? Then after the Day spa, we would head to one of our favorite restaurants for lunch, the Spirit House in Yandina, it offers a really nice Balinese-inspired setting with delicious contemporary Asian food.  We have done a few of their cooking classes too so it would be great to do a cooking class too on our perfect day off!

Your Hinterland Hosts

Pam & Dave look forward to hosting you at our BnB. Located on 3.5 acres guests can enjoy the peace and quiet on the rear deck overlooking the range and avocado grove whilst enjoying the sounds of nature and beautiful sunsets.

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