Professionals Serendipity 
Sandra Musson has been the manager of Camelot Cottages for 3 years after her children purchased the historic Tamborine accommodation establishment. With business still going strong, Sandra shares her experiences being part of the Camelot staff and what makes it so special.
by Kyle Hitchmough
For those who might not understand, can you explain what Camelot offers?
It’s boutique accommodation. We have three cottages that are all standalone with fireplaces— so it’s mainly a couple’s retreat. Then we have what we call three ‘queen rooms’ which are like motel rooms on a separate wing from the house. The cottages are what most couples want, especially in wintertime with the wood burners, and the king spa baths.
What facilities are your cottages equipped with?
They have a wood heater, a kitchenette with a two-burner cooktop, all fully self-equipped. A big king spa bath and a beautiful glass walk-in shower. There’s a big king-sized bed, reverse cycle air conditioning… It’s all fully self-contained, it’s like a studio apartment.
Do you work with any other businesses on the mountain?
We get wine from Witches Falls Winery for guests that we put into our cottages— if they’re having an anniversary or a birthday or other special occasion. I also use locals when we organise massages, which we offer in the cottages, and we try and promote all the local businesses when people are asking about dinners and places to go to.
What goes into preparing your cottages for guests? What’s an average day’s work for you?
If we’ve got guests coming in, we open up all their rooms and turn the lights on. If it’s cold or hot, we usually switch the air conditioners on, so the rooms are warm or cool. We put whatever needs to be put in the cottages so that it’s ready for when the guests arrive. Then I walk them down, show them all the facilities, give them a bit of a rundown and a welcome and then I leave them to it, let them get settled in.
Do you have a typical kind of visitor here?
Not really! We get a broad basis of people. From young couples to older couples, people that just want a weekend, people who come and stay for a week. It just depends what they’re looking for, really.
What’s your opinion on the Tamborine Mountain area and community?
I find it’s really good! You can get involved as much as you want to. There’s lots of things that are offered on the mountain, lovely art galleries, beautiful walks, everybody’s more than happy to help however they can… it’s a lovely little community.
What do you think Camelot provides to accommodation on the mountain?
It’s peaceful, it’s centrally located, we try to provide a welcoming environment for people. We just try to be friendly. We do as much as we can for our guests as often as we can.
What do you like most about doing this?
Just the whole lot, I love it. I love the people, I love the work, it’s in a beautiful environment… It’s just a really good lifestyle. I really like it, I always have.
Do you have any standout experiences from your time here you’d like to share with us?
I had an older couple come from the coast, they were renovating their house, and they came back and stayed with us three times because they enjoyed it that much. The return customer is what I like because they’ve enjoyed being here, they give great feedback, and love our service, that’s lovely.
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