Binna Burra events set to scale new heights

WORDS: Leighton Pitcher PHOTOGRAPHY John Elliott & Marc Llewellyn

Binna Burra’s Gondwana Festival Opening Ceremony truly was a spectacular sight to see – one we won’t soon forget. The rain fell over the fresh, vibrant green growth on Mt Roberts, where the old lodge and heritage-listed cabins once stood, as mist rolled up the surrounding valleys and the sun set behind the mountains surrounding this beautiful destination.

The jaw-dropping Geodesic ‘Sky Dome’, was the gem of the evening. Lit up in sprays of colour that inspired a spiritual feeling of power and recovery. Binna Burra is back.

This opening ceremony marked the first time that the old lodge site had opened to the public since the bushfires in September 2019.

“Where we are tonight was where the lodge reception and lounge stood until it was burnt down in the bushfires on Sunday, September 8, 2019,” said Binna Burra Lodge Ltd. chair and National Parks Association of Queensland Inc councillor Steve Noakes, one of several speakers at the event.

“That was at the beginning of the terrible Black Summer bushfires across Australia which saw over half of the 366,500 total hectares of the Gondwana World Heritage forests destroyed or damaged. Eighteen months ago, we all lost a special place where generations of families and visitors from across the world had created memories that remain with us each today.

Steve said it was time to look ahead to “the new possibilities for this spectacular piece of land”, where Romeo Lahey and Arthur Groom built the first Binna Burra Lodge.

“As we plan for the second Binna Burra Lodge here at Mt Roberts, let us not forget that this environmental/social enterprise we have the responsibility to guide as its current custodians is nestled in the ancient Woonoongoora landscape,” he said.

“Our current Binna Burra journey towards a Reconciliation Action Plan will more strongly recognise that the histories, stories and living knowledge of Aboriginal people and culture of this cultural landscape should be a key component to the new Binna Burra narrative and our ongoing recovery from the devastation of the bushfires of 2019.”

Binna Burra looks forward to the future of this stunning location which boasts 360 degree views of the Scenic Rim, a destination title that was coined by Arthur Groom, who founded Binna Burra Lodge along with Romeo Lahey. This title is still used by the local council and community years later.

The addition of the Binna Burra Sky Dome will now enable Binna Burra Lodge to get back to business, hosting stunning functions and events on top of the world at one of the Gold Coast’s peak destinations, with the option to add a fully tailored experience package through indigenous welcome, on-site catering, drink packages and more.

Other function spaces reopened at Binna Burra include the Tea House Observatory and the Groom’s Cottage Bushwalker’s Bar, which was voted one of Destination Gold Coast’s Top 12 places to visit.

Email [email protected] to contact the team at Binna Burra Lodge or phone 07 5533 3622 to speak to the team about organising your next function or event.