On top of the world

WORDS: Suzanne Simonot PHOTOGRAPHY Supplied - Binna Burra Lodge

The Scenic Rim is throwing a month-long celebration – and we’re all invited.

BINNA Burra will host a range of special experiences and escape packages in May as part of a month-long eco and nature-based festival in the beautiful Scenic Rim.

The Escape in the Scenic Rim adventure, from April 29 to May 31, is a month-long festival set against the backdrop of one of the world’s most spectacular natural stages – the World Heritage-listed Gondwana Rainforests of Australia.

The event offers visitors a strong connection to country through hard and soft adventures throughout the region, including a range of transformational experiences at Binna Burra designed to provide deeper, more meaningful and engaging experiences to ‘feed the mind, activate the body and lift the heart’.

Escape to the Scenic Rim highlights at Binna Burra from Thursday, May 26, to Sunday, May 29, include two special guided waterfall walks, while guests can choose from a range of stunning offerings in Binna Burra’s bundled Sky Lodge accommodation.

The walks include a Guided Waterfall Half Day Walk through the cool forests of the Lower Ballanjui Falls. The trail includes stops at two lookouts over the valley (a good morning tea stop) before a descent via eucalypt and tall palm forests to the base of the waterfall, a great place for a picnic lunch. The walk, which returns on the same track (11km total), includes morning tea and a packed lunch.

The second Guided Waterfall Half Day Walk will take guests along the Coomera Falls circuit – rated one of Australia’s best hikes by Australian Geographic. The walk’s stunning circuit takes in dense forests and spectacular lookouts over waterfalls and gorges. See if you can spot bright blue and white Lamington spiny crayfish along the way. The tour walk will continue to the first creek crossing for its main break, which lunch included.

The walks can be booked as standalone experiences or as part of the Best of Binna Burra accommodation packages, which also include access to all activities, daily breakfast, packed lunch and dinner and optional award-winning Sky Lodge studio or two-bedroom apartment stays.

Extra specialty activities for all ages, from art workshops to stargazing and winery tours, can also be added. Check Binna Burra’s upcoming events page for a full list of scheduled events.

Binna Burra, which boasts 360-degree views of the Scenic Rim, is one of the Gold Coast’s peak destinations. The eco-resort also boasts a range of function spaces and venues including 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.