I thought I’d start our very first blog post for Kingdomes by talking about who we are, why we started Kingdomes and what we would like to achieve. So, without further ado here is a bit of insight into the life of Ash Goulston (my gorgeous partner), Jesse Anyan (me) and the company security guard Peanut.
Nature has always been a huge part of my life. In my low-points I had found myself surrounded by nature, fascinated with the sheer complexity that goes into it. Nature had made me realise the struggles that I had been going through were nothing compared to the sheer vastness of this amazing place we call home. This really helped put things into perspective into how small my problems were but also on how large life can become. Too often do we confine our entire lives around a radius no larger than our local towns and cities (COVID now just gives us an excuse to remain here, though I do get the importance in such uncertain times). Nature is there to help us escape it. I was your typical moody teenager. Lost on my journey through life and wondering what it is in life I want to be and achieve as well as what legacy I wanted to leave when I am gone. The Royal National Park, south of Sydney, was my escape from the rat race that so many of us endure on a daily basis. There, a beautiful lookout hanging over the cliff faces of Stanwell Park to the infinite abyss that is the Pacific Ocean. This is where I go to would release my struggles. Nature has a voice; you just have to be able to tune into the frequency to be able to hear it. Once you find this voice though, you will be drawn to its beauty. Simple yet complex. Loud yet quiet. I had found my calling; I just didn’t quite know or understand it yet.
As of writing this (September 2021), Ash and I have been together for 3 lovely years with no signs of slowing down. For Ash’s 21st birthday ( Just over 2 years ago) I had surprised her with a glamping trip which funnily enough was just south of The Royal National Park. We had an unforgettable night. Clear night sky, freezing cold night (Ash is a June baby) rugged up in a blanket by the fire talking about anything and everything. The conversation eventually turned to our future together and from this conversation sparked the foundations to what we now know as Kingdomes. I hadn’t quite understood what my calling was prior to this event but now I could hear it perfectly. How a surprise gift to my partner turns into a gift for myself I’ve no clue but hey, here we are.
GLAMPING? WHY GLAMPING? AND WHY DOMES?
As you can probably tell now, I am quite the fan of the great outdoors. I loved camping and all that comes with it. Bringing you into the present moment, no external distractions, creating stronger bonds with those around you and simply being in nature, watching sun rise and fall before seeing the vastness of space unravel before your eyes. Absolutely spectacular. That’s not to say there aren’t downsides to camping and the outdoors (especially coming from myself, born and raised in Sydney in the late 20th-21st century). Running water, plumbing, proper heating/cooling, rain, having to spend 47 minutes trying to pack up the tent that sits in your garage for 350+ days of the year (add an extra hour if it has been raining).
There must be a way to fuse all the wonders that nature brings while also living with the comforts of the 21st century and sure enough, there is one word that sums this up perfectly.
GLAMPING.
Nailed it.
With a passion for the environment, land preservation and animals in the forefront of my decision making, I began my research into glamping as a whole.
Getting back into nature? Check.
The potential for land conservation? Check.
The possibility to help animals either directly or indirectly? Check.
Still able to use a toilet so that I don’t have to resort to squatting next to a tree? Double check.
Beautiful. Off to a great start. Now to turn my attention to the structures that are available out there. I’m going to go through my old notes to find my list of potential glamping structures I had noted down and will share them with you below.
Wow this brings back some nostalgia.
- Log cabins
- Bell tents
- Safari tents
- Tepees
- Yurts
- Tiny homes
- Igloo style (seem familiar)
- Hobbit homes
- American school bus
- House-boat
- Container house
- Old train carriage
After months of breaking down the pros and cons, prices, structural rigidity, lifespan, ease of build and overall aesthetic, I had concluded my findings which (SPOILER ALERT) were geodesic glamping domes. I will create breakdowns for pros and cons later in a different blog post.
Now I will spare you the headache of all the technical mumbo-jumbo that I had to go through to ensure that Kingdomes Leisure PTY LTD was a safe and viable business structure for the Aussie market but in short, we have done the research to ensure you don’t have to. The only part we cannot account for is individual councils which is a process that we can work with you to ensure compliance with your local council throughout your glamping accommodation journey.
WHAT WE HOPE TO ACHIEVE THROUGH KINGDOMES.
As mentioned in this blog, I have a passion for nature, land conservation/preservation and animals. I want to evolve this business around these 3 principal core foundations.
Nature.
Whether you believe in climate change or not, there is no doubt that human intervention since the industrial revolution has had an enormous impact on mother nature. Land deforestation, numerous carbon pollutants, rubbish and waste are among the highest factors of human’s involvement in the decline of this world’s natural health. Our ocean levels are rising, our Great Barrier Reef is dying, our forest fires are increasing and burning more intensely for longer. Even our soil is becoming so toxic that crops are requiring more and more fertilisers and other chemicals just to sustain ourselves. We spray our food with chemicals that even insects won’t touch, and we destroy vital life sources in place for the critical benchmark diets of rice, wheat and corn that we as a species heavily favour. We are destroying a planet that we rely so heavily on for our own survival, and we are doing so at a rate that is simply unsustainable. Myself (being 24) and my partner (23) have a moral dilemma of what we can do as individuals to ensure that we can leave this Earth one day better than the state that we had found it. We face the dilemma that if we do not change our habits, actions and way of life to work WITH nature, rather than AGAINST it, there may be very few generations that will exist after us. Even bringing up kids is such a conundrum which sounds a bit extreme I know. I want my future kids to have a healthy and happy life (which I am sure 99% of parents want for their kids as well) but with how intense the statistics are and how quickly the destruction of this world are increasing, it is hard to think of what they and the generation that follows them will have to face if we don’t do our part TODAY to ensure a better world for TOMORROW.
I want to do my part to make a positive impact in this world and even though I am but one voice, I want to be able to use it to the best of my abilities. This is where Kingdomes will come into play. Though we are still in our infancy stages of growth, we want to utilize our branding to evolve around nature, the benefits of it, why it is so vital for our future and the generations to come. It is all well and good to say that what we are doing as a species to our planet is wrong and unsustainable but unless there is an actual solution to these problems, nothing will change. Kingdomes hopes to evolve around this to further educate individuals to do their part to create a healthier, happier, more sustainable planet.
Land conservation/preservation.
Being a company so heavily focused around glamping, land conservation naturally works in our favour. Either directly or indirectly we are helping businesses and individuals create a revenue source for their plots of land without actually harming said land. With a minimal carbon-footprint, a huge benefit to move off-grid and a means to protect the environment around it (even if purely for the sake of privacy/glamping), our domes are doing their part to help the environment. As we evolve, we will continue to adapt newer and more environmentally conscious products as well collaborating with other Aussie businesses who have the same motives to ensure that the entire glamping, off-grid and sustainable living industry is on the same page and heading to a common goal that can benefit everyone involved.
Animals.
I am a firm believer in the importance of the circle of life. I also believe that with great power comes great responsibility. We as a species sit at the highest point of the food chain and regardless of what your thoughts are regarding higher powers, we have been gifted both the blessing and curse of being the most intelligent species on Earth.
Jesse, what on earth are you talking about and what does this have to do with animals?
Being at the top of the food chain naturally gives us the most power in nature’s hierarchy. Going off the principal of with great power comes great responsibility, being at the top of this hierarchy as well being the most intelligent animals on earth, we must take the moral responsibility to ensure the balance of life and nature is maintained and to look after it so that it can look after us. We as a people are currently tipping this balance which are causing devastating effects. Animal species are constantly being added to the endangered list and though it is nearly impossible to say with 100% certainty, the world is losing entire species more-or-less daily. This is due primarily to land-deforestation and unsustainable feeding.
On an individual basis it is hard (if not impossible) to eradicate/eliminate these issues. Practically everything we buy, consume and use, aids in deforestation, pollution, rubbish/waste or killing of animals either directly or indirectly. Now I would be a complete hypocrite if I had said that I do not contribute to these problems, but I do strive to be better at minimising these as much as possible. Ways on how to minimise your carbon footprint will definitely be on the list of blog pieces in the future.
Kingdomes and Animals.
With land conservation/preservation naturally helping to keep wildlife habitats intact, our business already aids with helping animals but eventually we would like to take it one step further by means of preserving our own land and either creating or assisting other organisations with the sole purpose of helping animals.
The above is definitely a long-term plan (Rome wasn’t built in a day) but it is definitely a step in the right direction. This I guess is my accountability to the world that this is what I plan to do and will ensure that I continue to achieve this very goal. This journey cannot be done alone however and with time, I hope to recruit more individuals, businesses, organisations, government andregulatory bodies to this cause to create more and more awareness/solutions/ideas to better our society while also creating balance in nature. If anyone has ideas, products, businesses, services or anything else that can assist us or us assisting you in helping out the abovementioned point then please do not be shy to reach out to us.
This is a glimpse into my story, a start of my next chapter into the Kingdomes journey and I hope it ends up being an endless book of triumphs for myself, my loved ones, our local communities, our beautiful country, our spectacular planet, this entire species and mother nature that we rely so heavily on and take so much for granted.
All big things started with an idea, a goal, a vision. This is mine. I hope you enjoyed it. All feedback is welcome and if you have any ideas for blog posts in the future then please let us know.
Here are a few blooper photos of us trying to take a half decent family photo with a camera on timer.
