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A trend is emerging in Australia of visitors replacing the luxury of well-equipped hotels with the more down-to-earth experience of eco-lodges, according to reports.

There are currently thought to be 72 lodges, retreats or resorts with an ecological approach in Australia, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.

The official tourism agency of Victoria has plans to make the south-eastern state Australia's number one destination for sustainable travel by 2012.

However, the region, which only has three accredited eco-lodges, is lagging behind the north-eastern state of Queensland, which has 31 'green' retreats.

Rob Prettejohn, founder of the Thala Beach Lodge in northern Queensland, told the Herald: 'There's a big group of people who feel that luxury is having your own space and solitude and listening to natural sounds.'

He added: 'While they might forgo the glitzy side, what they gain in terms of luxury experience is a genuine interaction with the environment, but they don't have to sleep in a tent to get it.'

Nature-loving tourists accounted for 68% of all visitors to the country last year and, according to research commissioned by Tourism Australia, these travellers are likely to stay longer and spend more than other guests.

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