Name: Mt Barney Lodge Country Retreat
City, State: Gold Coast, Queensland Australia
What's it like?
Snuggled in the warmth of my bed at the Bunya Mountains
Lodge. Outside my picture window the mist wafts through the tops of
the tallest trees in the surrounding forest.
Queensland's mountain
hinterland hides the beautiful Bunya Mountains. Located about 240km
northwest of Brisbane, between Kingaroy and Dalby, the Bunyas are worth
the short drive.
My cosy cot almost won, but in the end, an
early-morning walk through the crisp air into the brilliant green forest
lured me out.
The heart of the Bunyas is the village of Dandabah
where the majority of accommodation is located, along with access to the
numerous forest walks. The village has an alpine feel about it. Winter
mornings greet you with morning frost and an occasional fog, and the
evenings are ideal for relaxing in front of log fires.
The 11,700ha
Bunya Mountains National Park contains the most western
rainforest in south east Queensland, and a weekend escape to the area is
an ideal way of briefly slipping 'back to nature.'
Rising 1,100m
steeply above the flatness of the plains below, the mountains are
characterised by thousands of dome-shaped bunya pines, which tower up to
50m. They are one of only two native stands of the pines in Australia. The
other being near Port Douglas in Tropical North Queensland.
Heading
out of the warm house and crunching my way across the lawn, I strolled
down Bunya Avenue under an arbor of green foliage. There was little other
movement - save for stirring campers, hungry wildlife and chattering
birds, emerging from night burrows and nests for a morning
feed.
Early-morning light streamed through the forest - filtered
through trees towering above, and falling on a sea of lush fern fronds
waving at my ankles. Walking tracks are well maintained and are
criss-crossed by small streams and miniature waterfalls. The 11 walks
range from a short 500m to a longer 10km.
Wildlife is plentiful -
with dozens of red-necked wallabies and swamp wallabies that call the
village home. Also easily spotted are possums, scrub turkeys, kookaburras
and green king parrots, with the possibility of a bower bird
sighting.
The mountains have a history based on early pioneer
dairying and logging settlement until the area was declared National Park
in 1908. In reality, its legends extend back much earlier.
The
Bunyas were the meeting place for neighbouring Aboriginal tribes who every
three years would come from hundreds of km away to feast on the bunya nuts
which ripened in one year out of three from January to March.
The
nuts are shaped similar to large pineapples and weigh up to 10kg. They
contain up to 80 individual kernels that are the size of large
pecans.
While the original visitors certainly enjoyed their
feasting, to help modern tourists, some local residents have produced a
volume entitled Creating with Bunya Nuts - a guide to the
intriguing produce.
Accommodation is offered in three different
styles. There are several commercial accommodation properties - including
the Bunya Mountains Lodge, or the Bunya Mountains Environmental
Centre.
During one visit, I stayed at the Lodge - a bed and
breakfast style establishment with wonderful food and warm
hospitality.
Friendly wallabies visit the lodge every morning
and evening.
After a frosty early-morning walk, the Lodge is a warm
haven to return to, and a great base to explore all the Bunyas has to
offer.
For families or groups, the near-by Environmental Centre
offers a range of houses and self-contained cabins all with log fires, set
in 22.5 acres adjacent to the National Park. There are also over 70 rental
houses, cottages or chalets available for lease on the mountain. Thirdly,
there is camping - with a select 55 camping sites available in the
park.
There are three camping areas in the park - but with its
toilets and hot showers, Dandabah is the best serviced and centrally
located.
The Dandabah grounds consist of the National Park
information centre and ranger station. Additionally, there is a kiosk, a
small store and two restaurants - the licensed Rosellas Restaurant, and
the BYO option, Puzzles at Rice's Cabins.
Visitors can take a
ride on a horse-drawn cart through the forest on an old logging track. For
day visitors, Dandabah also has barbecues and picnic areas - great for the
family.
All routes onto the mountain are steep and caravans can not
be taken on the mountain roads (there are sites at the bottom of the range
where they can be left). No fuel is available on the mountain, so make
sure you fill-up before you make the drive up the range.
For more
information:
Fraser Coast South Burnett Regional Tourism Board
Tel
+61 7 4122 3444
Bunya Mountains National Park
Tel +61 7 4668 3127
- By Dominique White
If you know of a great destination we're missing,
review it for us!!
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