The birth of Forth River Cottage came from Sandy, Sally’s Mother.

Sandy was born in South Africa and was familiar with the Cape Dutch architecture having lived in a similar style property growing up in Cape Town.

When Sally discovered Vrede while looking for a new home in northern Tasmania, Sandy was immediately drawn to the property.

Originally the cottage on the property at Forth was to be a ‘granny flat’ for both sets of grandparents who lived interstate and overseas. It remained in this role until the grandchildren reached their mid teens, with various friends also passing through commenting on ‘this little piece of paradise’.

A make over of the cottage in 2016, gave Sandy, who was involved in the South Australian tourism industry, the idea of renting out their ‘bit of paradise’ on the short term accommodation market. This would still allow the family to use it as a base for visiting relatives, while sharing it with the public at other times.

In 2018, Forth River Cottage was opened to the pubic via Airbnb with the thought that there may be a few visitors during the summer months. But news spread quickly and soon they were having to book out their own days a year in advance as the bookings began to flow in.