From solar panels to native gardens, The Drawing Rooms of Berry has long embraced green practices.

In the South Coast hinterland, surrounded by rolling green hills and framed by the spectacular Shoalhaven escarpment, sits The Drawing Rooms of Berry, a 15-acre retreat offering four luxury self-contained lodges. Just two hours south of Sydney and minutes from the charming village of Berry, it has become a boutique escape for couples, friends, and families who want to enjoy comfort while staying connected to nature.

From its beginnings, The Drawing Rooms has placed environmental sustainability at the heart of its operations.

“Sustainable practices are fundamental to our values and a core part of our operations at The Drawing Rooms,” explained Special Projects Manager, Hannah Bligh.

The property already had strong sustainability credentials before starting its certification journey. Designed by award-winning landscape designer and co-owner, Michael Bligh, the gardens feature native and naturalistic plantings that attract pollinators while thriving without fertiliser or excess water. Two banks of solar panels power the lodges, pool pump, and even robot lawnmowers. Water comes from a natural mountain spring, while all grey and brown water is treated and reused to nourish the garden.

Guests are also encouraged to participate.

“Bottles and cans go to our local high school so they can benefit from Return & Earn; food scraps go to our chickens and coffee grounds to our compost bay,” Hannah said.

Eco-friendly refillable bathroom amenities and compostable teabags from a local fine tea merchant add to the guest experience while keeping sustainability front and centre.

The Drawing Rooms also plays an active role in supporting the local economy by providing employment for housekeeping staff, a massage therapist, and a garden maintenance team, alongside sourcing most supplies locally.

Despite these efforts, the team wanted a way to benchmark their practices against global standards. That’s where the Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard came in. The Scorecard is a pre-certification benchmarking tool that measures a business’s operations against 50 criteria across four pillars of sustainability: sustainable management, environmental impacts, socio-economic impacts, and cultural impacts. Valid for 12 months, it provides personalised feedback, identifies strengths and gaps, and helps businesses prepare for globally recognised certification.

“We were really keen to undertake a thorough evaluation of our operations to understand our areas of strength and things we could be doing better,” Hannah explained.

The feedback proved invaluable.

“It’s given us valuable and very specific feedback for some key areas, including the need to actually tell our guests more about our extensive sustainability efforts. It was a great prompt to update our marketing materials and guest information to allow guests to understand more about our ethos.”

The Scorecard confirmed that The Drawing Rooms was performing strongly in sustainable management and environmental impacts while offering ideas to improve in areas such as cultural heritage.

“It was really useful to gain more ideas to improve our impact in respect of cultural heritage,” Hannah said.

For the team, the process has made the next step clear.

“The Scorecard process showed us our strengths within multiple sustainability areas and what we can do to fill any gaps, so having already gone through that process of in-depth analysis, Certification is the logical next step.”

For The Drawing Rooms of Berry, the Scorecard has been an essential stepping stone, turning their commitment to sustainability into measurable progress and providing a pathway toward certification. For other tourism businesses, it offers the same opportunity: an accessible, practical way to assess operations, gain credibility with travellers, and build confidence for the next stage of their sustainability journey.

Click here to learn more about Drawing Rooms of Berry’s sustainable efforts, and book your stay: https://www.drawingrooms.com.au/kangaroo-valley-luxury-accommodation/#sustainabilityPlan

Drawing Rooms of Berry completed their Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard on 19 August 2025 and is a snapshot of their current sustainability practices. The scorecard is not a certification and is valid for 12 months upon completion.

Can small businesses really compete on global sustainability standards? Connect Adventures set out to find out.

At the heart of Northern New South Wales, Connect Adventures leads small groups on multi-day hiking journeys through the Tweed Valley, Byron Bay hinterland rainforest and the Clarence Coast. Guests can escape everyday life to immerse themselves in wild, untouched landscapes, guided by experts, nourished with gourmet meals and supported with personalised care. More than just walking tours, these experiences leave a lasting impression on visitors – sparking connection, curiosity and respect for Australia’s most remarkable natural places.

Sustainability has always been at the heart of Connect Adventures, but for co-founder Jason Little, the goal was to take it further by adopting a systematic approach to measure the company’s practices against global standards, strengthen accountability and identify opportunities for improvement. With funding support from Destination New South Wales, the team was able to achieve this by completing Ecotourism Australia’s Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard, which provided a structured framework to assess their operations and plan a path forward.

“Our main motivation was to better understand how Connect Adventures measures against recognised sustainability standards and where we can make meaningful improvements,” Little explains. “We see sustainability as key to our business, especially given our work in World Heritage-listed environments, National Parks, and on Country.” 

Built on globally recognised certification standards, the Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard provides tourism operators with a snapshot of their sustainability journey at a given moment, assessing performance across 50 criteria spanning Sustainable Management, Environmental Impacts, Socio-Economic Impacts, and Cultural Impacts. For Connect Adventures, the structured framework offered an invaluable opportunity to evaluate their entire operation. 

“While guided hiking has many positive impacts, we’re also mindful of the broader footprint – from planning and logistics through to resourcing, gear and local suppliers, and guest travel. The scorecard provided us with a structured way to assess all of these aspects and set clear goals for the future.” 

The results were both affirming and eye-opening. Connect Adventures achieved a high overall score, with strong results across all four sustainability pillars. More importantly, the process provided clarity on where the business could continue to grow.

“The greatest benefit of the scorecard has been the clarity it provided around our results and the areas where we can improve,” Jason reflects. “Alongside these insights, the scorecard also gives us credibility when communicating with guests, partners, and local communities – showing that our sustainability commitments are independently assessed and benchmarked.”

Looking to the future, Connect Adventures sees certification as the natural next step.  

“Certification has always been a target of ours and gaining this is a natural progression for us. We are committed to continuous improvement and believe certification will not only strengthen our practices but also enhance trust with guests, industry partners, and government stakeholders.”

While the business had been aware of the scorecard program, Jason says the support of Destination NSW made all the difference in making the opportunity achievable for a small operator.  

“As a small business, the grant support made undertaking the scorecard achievable for us, and we are very grateful. It gave us the opportunity to take an important step forward in our sustainability journey.”

Completing the Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard gave Connect Adventures a clear view of their strengths and areas for growth, while demonstrating accountability to guests and partners. With support from Destination New South Wales, the business has taken an important step toward continuous improvement, showing that even small operators can engage with global sustainability standards and plan for a responsible future. 

Click here to learn more about Connect Adventure’s sustainable efforts, and book your tour: https://connectadventures.com.au/ 

Connect Adventures completed their Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard on 6 August 2025 and is a snapshot of their current sustainability practices. The scorecard is not a certification and is valid for 12 months upon completion.

From wildflower walks to canyon abseils, Wollemi Wanders ensures its adventures tread lightly.

Wollemi Wanders is a boutique, family-run adventure company inviting travellers to step off the beaten track and immerse themselves in the wild beauty of Sydney and the Blue Mountains. Whether it’s a gentle wildflower walk through sunlit valleys or an exhilarating canyon abseil deep into sandstone gorges, every experience is guided by passionate biologists who love nothing more than sharing the hidden stories of Australia’s extraordinary flora and fauna. 

At the heart of Wollemi Wanders lies a simple philosophy: slow down, look around, and truly connect with the landscapes you’re moving through. Even the company’s name embodies this spirit. “Wollemi” comes from the Aboriginal word meaning “look around you, pay attention” – a gentle call to notice the rugged beauty of country. It also honours the ancient Wollemi pine (Wollemia nobilis), a rare and resilient living fossil found only in a single canyon system, standing as a powerful symbol of survival and deep time.  

Wollemi Wanders recently took an important step in its sustainability journey by completing Ecotourism Australia’s Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard. With support from Destination NSW, the family-run operator joined a growing network of tourism businesses assessing how their practices measure up across four key areas: Sustainable Management, Environmental Impacts, Socio-Economic Impacts, and Cultural Impacts. 

For founder Andrew Mitchell, completing the Scorecard was about putting assumptions to the test. 

“Our business is all about getting people into nature to experience the untamed beauty of the Sydney and Blue Mountains regions. One would expect that for any business such as ours, sustainable practices would be core business. But, as in science, you have to test your assumptions! I really wanted to know how we were doing, and how we could improve.”

Developed in collaboration with Tourism Australia, the Scorecard serves as a practical entry point, enabling operators to benchmark their efforts, recognise achievements and uncover new opportunities to strengthen their sustainability practices. For Mitchell, it became much more than a benchmarking tool – it offered clarity and direction.  

“The program provides a clear path forward through a jungle of issues, some of which I had not considered previously. It offers a detailed and independent assessment of where you are and what you can do to improve across many different areas of your business.”

Among the most valuable insights was the importance of communication and collaboration. 

“Some of Wollemi Wanders’ sustainability measures are known only to us. Communicating these measures would set an example and spread awareness of the issues and the solutions. Another insight was the advantage of linkages with other local businesses in promoting regional areas and drawing tourists in. A rising tide raises all the ships.”

  Andrew admits that, without the grant support, the process may have been postponed. 

“I had briefly considered [completing the Scorecard], but given the amount of work required it was something I had been putting off. The Destination NSW grant focused my mind on getting it done within the timeframe.”

Looking ahead, Andrew sees certification as the natural next step. 

“In a growing nature tourism market, one needs evidence that one is doing the hard yards to be sustainable. I think it will become increasingly important as a means for customers to distinguish sustainable business from others (and hopefully to vote with their feet!).”

For Wollemi Wanders, completing the Scorecard wasn’t about meeting requirements or chasing recognition. It was about deepening their promise to lead with authenticity, care for the land they operate on, and spark a lasting appreciation in visitors for the fragile beauty of Australia’s wild places. 

Click here to learn more about Wollemi Wander’s sustainable efforts, and book your stay: https://www.wollemiwanders.com.au/

Wollemi Wanders completed their Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard on 11 August 2025 and is a snapshot of their current sustainability practices. The scorecard is not a certification and is valid for 12 months upon completion.

From tree-top tents to a fully insulated eco-lodge, Willow’s Retreat offers a serene sanctuary for wildlife watchers and wellness seekers alike.

Nestled in a secluded valley, Willow’s Retreat offers guests the chance to disconnect from daily life and immerse themselves in nature. With options ranging from a fully off-grid eco-lodge to private campsites like Glossy Heights, the retreat caters to hikers, horse riders, birdwatchers and those seeking a quiet, restorative escape.

Spanning 50 acres of pristine bushland, pastures, cliffs and walking trails, the property is home to a rich diversity of wildlife, including eastern grey kangaroos, swamp wallabies, wombats, gliders, koalas and over 80 species of bird life. As a designated ‘Land for Wildlife,’ Willow’s Retreat actively contributes to conservation initiatives, collaborating with local wildlife organisations such as WIRES, BirdLife Australia and WPSA to protect native species and restore habitats.

With a longstanding commitment to sustainability, Willow’s Retreat sought to formalise and strengthen its practices by leveraging funding from Destination NSW to complete the Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard. In collaboration with Ecotourism Australia and Tourism Australia, Destination NSW provided eligible visitor economy businesses with free access to the pre-certification tool. This initiative empowered operators to benchmark their sustainability performance, identify areas for improvement and plan for meaningful long-term change.

“We’ve always believed in sustainability, inclusion and conservation – in fact, part of the reason for setting up Willow’s Retreat was to ensure this beautiful, private valley continued to maintain these values,” co-founder Phil Janson explains. “We were expecting these values to be reinforced by the scorecard, and they were; however, it also highlighted the things we can do to streamline our processes and build on our foundations.”

 

The Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard provided Willow’s Retreat with insights tailored to a small, hands-on operation.

“With being a very small team (just the two of us!), our documentation has been minimal, relying on shared decision making and often waiting to discuss options with the other,” said Janson, referring to co-founder Lyndel Taylor. “The scorecard highlighted the things we can do to catalogue and ensure continuity (e.g. preferred suppliers for sustainable consumables), develop business plans that would allow us to outsource and share the load, and gave some useful insights into areas we hadn’t considered.”

 

Achieving a clear picture of their sustainability practices has helped Willow’s Retreat plan future improvements.

“Whilst the scorecard gave us a great starting point, we hope to start the ecotourism certification process soon. As a totally off-grid property, harvesting rainwater and solar-powered, we definitely have an advantage in the sustainability stakes. We’ve also been living without rubbish collection for 20 years, so are well versed in sorting for reuse, recycling and compost,” said Janson.

 

The team’s next steps focus on upgrading systems to improve energy usage, engaging guests in waste reduction, and expanding conservation efforts. Current projects include mange treatment in wombats with WPSA, Tree Troff wildlife watering systems for arboreal species with WIRES, and work with glossy black and gang-gang cockatoos in partnership with BirdLife Australia. Efforts are also underway to gradually replace barbed wire with safe fencing to protect wildlife.

“We also need to expand the detail of this on our website and social media, to fully include our guests (past, current and future!) in this adventure,” Janson added.

 

Completing the Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard has not only validated Willow’s Retreat’s long-standing environmental commitments but also provided a structured roadmap for ongoing improvement. By formally assessing their operations across Sustainable Management, Environmental Impacts, Socio-Economic Impacts and Cultural Impacts, Willow’s Retreat has strengthened both its operational sustainability and its capacity to engage guests in meaningful, eco-conscious experiences.

Through this process, Willow’s Retreat demonstrates how even small, remote tourism businesses can leverage targeted support and certification tools to enhance sustainability, protect biodiversity and provide unforgettable, responsible experiences for visitors.

Click here to learn more about Willow’s Retreat’s sustainable efforts, and book your stay: https://willowsleap.com.au/willows-retreat/

Willow’s Retreat completed their Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard on 7 April 2025 and is a snapshot of their current sustainability practices. The scorecard is not a certification and is valid for 12 months upon completion.

[Images courtesy of  Willow’s Retreat © 2025]