Looking for a holiday that promises clean mountain air, fabulous views, and the chance to relax and get away from it all?
Then look no further than Lamington National Park in the Gold Coast hinterland, where without a doubt the two most well-known resorts are:
Separated by just six kilometres as the crow flies, the drive between the two is far longer than you’d expect – it takes approximately one and a half to two hours, due to the mountainous terrain and winding roads.
Or, you could always walk from one to the other along the Gold Coast Hinterland Great Walk, which takes about 7 hours and covers 23 kilometres (which is what we did, but that’s a story for another day!).
Which Gold Coast Hinterland Retreat?
There are many similarities between the two resorts.
Both offer a range of accommodation, from camping to standard rooms and luxury villas, and feature the usual cafe, gift shop and spa, with comfy common rooms and libraries offering the chance to relax beside the fire with a book or board game.
Each of the two resorts has a history dating back almost a century, with O’Reilly’s hosting the first paying guests in 1917, and Binna Burra established in 1933.
You won’t find televisions or telephones in your room, as it is all about escaping the distractions of the everyday world – these are “retreats” after all!
Instead, it’s all about making the most of the great outdoors – with plenty of scenic bushwalks, birdsong, and the chance to spot local wildlife. We saw what looked like a very small wallaby near O’Reilly’s, which we thought might have been a quokka; however upon asking at the resort, we were advised it was more likely to be a pademelon.
There are panoramic views during the day, and a canopy of stars to discover at night. Many of the rooms feature a deck or verandah offering a quiet place to take it all in, and are kept cosy in the winter months with their own oil heater.
We chose to stay in the budget option at both because we are cheapskates to allow a fairer comparison – here’s what we thought …
Binna Burra Mountain Retreat
Closest township: Beechmont
Distance from Brisbane: Approximately 106km (via the M1).
Casuarina Room: While the budget option at Binna Burra is considerably cheaper than a room at O’Reilly’s, it is really only just one step up from camping. Showers and toilets are located in the nearby amenities block, which is a bit of a nuisance if you need a “wee walk” at night like I do!
Our log cabin (built in 1935) was quite rustic – but the bed was comfy, and it included toiletries and tea/coffee making facilities, a couple of chairs, a wardrobe and a sink with a mirror. However it was right next to the main path leading from the accommodation up to the lodge, so got a bit noisy at times – especially later in the evening!
Meals and Activities: During our stay, we could have participated in archery, an early morning yoga session, or attended a bush tucker talk.
One thing we noticed is that by the time you add meals, the costs really start to add up. As there are no cooking facilities at Binna Burra (unless you want to BBQ), you will need to eat at the Clifftop Dining Room ($39 for dinner, $28 for breakfast, per person) at least once a day (the Lamington Teahouse cafe is only open from 9.30am – 3.30pm weekdays, though longer on weekends).
Meals are served buffet style in the dining room, and you are summoned by the bell at 6.30pm, and 7.30am; although officially the dining room is open for a couple of hours (so you can eat later if you want to), we found it was a case of first in, best fed.
Each evening around sunset, the resort hosts free cheese and nibbles in the lodge – which we thought was a great way to bring people together, as you sip a wine or two (I highly recommend the house moscato).
To be honest, the whole experience reminded me a bit of being on a school camp (apart from the wine!). If you’re after a romantic retreat, you would really need to pay the extra for an Acacia Room (which includes an ensuite), or one of the Sky Lodges.
O’Reilly’s Rainforest Lodge
Closest Township: Canungra
Distance from Brisbane: Approximately 120km (via the M1).
Be warned – it will take you at least 45 minutes to drive the 25 km from Canungra. The road is windy and narrow, and seems dangerously close to the cliff edge in places!
I thought it was worth the effort, but the hubster felt quite car sick by the time we arrived.
Stinson Room: Again, this was the budget option and our room was fairly standard – but at least it had its own bathroom 😉 . Oh, and I loved the pillows!
Meals and Activities: I highly recommend including the dining package/s when you are booking, as dinner in particular is a really good deal – and the food is divine! For $39 each, it included all three courses and we could choose pretty much whatever we wanted from the comprehensive menu.
For entree, I chose baked brie and hubster indulged in grilled prawns, while for our main we went for the oyster blade steak platter for two – normally $85 – so you can see why I thought it was good value. We barely had room for dessert but a. it was already paid for and b. there were so many tempting options, how could we resist?!
If a pool, heated spa, and sauna are essential to your enjoyment, then you will need to book into O’Reilly’s rather than Binna Burra.
This should also be your retreat of choice if you are keen to do a segway tour (personally I think I’d much prefer the segway tour we did in Canberra – concrete paths were hard enough for me, so I don’t think I’d cope very well with rainforest terrain!).
The tree top walk (16 metres up through the rainforest canopy) is definitely worth doing, and we also particularly enjoyed watching the sun set from the verandah at the Rainforest Bar.
O’Reilly’s or Binna Burra?
Our experience of each resort was not without some disappointments.
There were stuff-ups with both of our bookings which were soon sorted once we checked in – however, I won’t be using booking.com again.
And sadly, neither resort paid any attention to the fact that it was my Bear’s 50th birthday trip – despite the message I included when booking online, AND mentioning it when we checked in.
I found this extremely disappointing, especially compared to how I was spoilt in Bali for my own 50th birthday – with the Nusa Dua Beach Hotel gifting me flowers AND a cake. I don’t even think my Bear got a “happy birthday” out of the reception staff (though Bec in the dining room at Binna Burra almost made up for it and took good care of us!).
I’m not saying they had to do anything extravagant, but just a little something to mark the occasion would have been appreciated. Or is this only something that happens when you travel overseas?
In Summary
As a born and bred Brisbaneite, I’ve heard much about O’Reilly’s and Binna Burra over the years and was thrilled that I finally got to experience them both, all in the one week.
I suspect that Binna Burra is more “family friendly” – I saw one of the cabins near ours had a double bed and two sets of bunk beds – and there was an adventure playground – although both offered a kids club.
But for a (middle aged!) couple wanting a romantic retreat? I think it’s pretty obvious that I preferred our experience at O’Reilly’s.
Have you stayed at either O’Reilly’s or Binna Burra – which do you prefer? Or what’s your favourite mountain retreat?