Binna Burra is a parcel of private land and mountain lodge within the
locality
Locality may refer to:
* Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England
* Locality (linguistics)
* Locality (settlement)
* Suburbs and localities (Australia), in which a locality is a geographic subdivis ...
of
Binna Burra and surrounded by
Lamington National Park
The Lamington National Park is a national park, lying on the Lamington Plateau of the McPherson Range on the Queensland/New South Wales border in Australia. From Southport on the Gold Coast the park is to the southwest and Brisbane is north. ...
in
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, establishe ...
, Australia. It is also a
locality
Locality may refer to:
* Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England
* Locality (linguistics)
* Locality (settlement)
* Suburbs and localities (Australia), in which a locality is a geographic subdivis ...
in the
Scenic Rim Region
The Scenic Rim Region is a local government area in West Moreton region of South East Queensland, Australia. Established in 2008, it was preceded by several previous local government areas with histories extending back to the early 1900s an ...
. The lodge lies in the north-eastern corner of the Lamington Plateau in the
McPherson Range
The McPherson Range is an extensive mountain range, a spur of the Great Dividing Range, heading in an easterly direction from near Wallangarra to the Pacific Ocean coastline. It forms part of the Scenic Rim on the border between the states of N ...
, south of
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...
in the scenic rim hinterland of the Gold Coast. Binna Burra lies within the catchment of the upper
Coomera River
The Coomera River is a perennial river located in the South East region of Queensland, Australia. Its catchment lies within the Gold Coast and Scenic Rim Region local government areas and covers an area of .
Course and features
Rising in Lam ...
.
It's about 30 minute drive up the mountain from Nerang and a similar distance from Canungra. It is marketed as an
ecolodge and was one of the first nature based resorts to be established in Australia.
In 2000, the resort was the first commercial accommodation provider to be awarded
Green Globe Certification in Australia.
The lodge and other aspects of the built environment at Binna Burra are listed on the
Queensland Heritage Register
The Queensland Heritage Register is a heritage register, a statutory list of places in Queensland, Australia that are protected by Queensland legislation, the Queensland Heritage Act 1992. It is maintained by the Queensland Heritage Council. A ...
as the
Binna Burra Cultural Landscape
Binna Burra Cultural Landscape includeBinna Burra Lodge a sustainable, heritage-listed nature-based accommodation and services provider at Binna Burra Road, Binna Burra, Scenic Rim Region, Queensland, Australia. Commencing with a camp in 1933, ...
.
Binna Burra was the first Australian hotel or resort to become signatory to the
UN's Global Compact.
In September 2019, the area was devastated by bushfires and the historic lodge was destroyed. After one year of closure, the Binna Burra side of Lamington National Park reopened to the public in September 2020.
The mountain lodge is a drawcard for the
Scenic Rim
The Scenic Rim is a group of forested mountain ranges of the Great Dividing Range, located south of Brisbane agglomeration, straddling the border between south-eastern Queensland and north-eastern New South Wales, Australia. In 2021, the S ...
. Binna Burra means "where the Antarctic Beech trees grow" in a local Aboriginal language.
History
In 1930, Romeo Lahey and Arthur Groom were leaders in the formation of the National Parks Association of Queensland. Three years later, along with many members of the NPAQ they led the formation of an unlisted public company called Queensland Holiday Resorts, with Binna Burra Lodge becoming the first such facility in their vision to provide access and accommodation adjacent to national parks.
From the outset the company aimed to make
ecotourism
Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving responsible travel (using sustainable transport) to natural areas, conserving the environment, and improving the well-being of the local people. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide fund ...
and
environmental protection
Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural environment by individuals, organizations and governments. Its objectives are to conserve natural resources and the existing natural environment and, where possible, to repair dam ...
a significant objective under the guidance of one of its founders
Romeo Lahey
Romeo Watkins Lahey, M.B.E, (2 June 188726 October 1968) was an Australian businessman, civil servant and conservationist.
Early life
Romeo Watkins Lahey was born 2 June 1887 in Pimpama, Queensland, Australia. His father was David Lahey, an I ...
.
Binna Burra remained apart from the nearby national park as the properties around were bought by the
Queensland Government
The Queensland Government is the democratic administrative authority of the Australian state of Queensland. The Government of Queensland, a parliamentary constitutional monarchy was formed in 1859 as prescribed in its Constitution, as amended f ...
on an irregular basis, to extend the size of the park.
The main lodge, now destroyed by bushfire, was originally completed in 1933.
Gravel road reached Binna Burra in 1947.
In 2012, facilities were expanded with the construction of 20 modern new apartments to add to the log cabins already accommodating visitors.
In September 2019, the facilities of the lodge, including the original accommodation buildings, reception lounge and dining room were tragically lost in the Queensland bushfires.
Guests had been evacuated.
The rainforest surrounding the accommodation at Binna Burra is normally fire-resistant.
Due to road access repair work, the demolition and repair work at Binna Burra was unable to commence until well into 2020. The Binna Burra campsite, Teahouse café and the Sky Lodge apartments remain undamaged from the bushfire and one year after the bushfires were able to be reopened for business.
The first new building to be completed since the 2019 bushfires was th
Bushfire Pavilion, built in collaboration with Griffith Universityand the
Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.
2020
Griffith University becomes the ‘Lead University Partner’for a new era of the iconic Binna Burra Lodge. Binna Burra and Griffith University activities
2021: Romeo Lahay Memorial Lecture delivered at Brisbane City Hall by Steve Noakes, Chair of Binna Burra Lodge and Vice-Chair of the National Parks Association of Queensland
'Issues for QLD's national parks from 1930 to the Black Summer Bushfires'.
2022: Lecture to the Royal Geographical Society of Queensland (RGSQ) by Steve Noakes
'Linking the Binna Burra story to the 1885 origins of the RGSQ'
Forests
The forests in the area are part of the
World Heritage
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...
site,
Gondwana Rainforests of Australia
The Gondwana Rainforests of Australia, formerly known as the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves, are the most extensive area of subtropical rainforest in the world. Collectively, the rainforests are a World Heritage Site with fifty separate res ...
(formerly Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves). The name, Binna Burra, is an Aboriginal word meaning "where the beech tree grows," referring to a stand of
Antarctic Beech (''Nothofagus moorei'') growing in the nearby
rainforest, as shown in the adjacent image.
The vegetation ranges from subtropical and temperate
rainforest to dry eucalypt and open heath. Binna Burra is the northern most extent of the
Blue Mountains ash
''Eucalyptus oreades'', commonly known as the Blue Mountains ash, white ash or smooth-barked mountain ash, is a species of medium-sized to tall tree that is native to eastern Australia. It has smooth, powdery whitish bark with rough bark near the ...
.
Access
Binna Burra Lodge is by road south from Beechmont, by road south from Canungra, by road south-west from
Southport
Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England.
Southport lies on the Iris ...
, and south of
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...
.
Access to Binna Burra is from
Beechmont, via a mountainous road not suitable for large
caravans. In 2001, 108,551 vehicles were recorded by counters as entering Binna Burra.
More recently this figure has increased to around 250,000 visitors per year.
Following the bushfires in September 2019, the single access road into Binna Burra was cut off to the public for one year while major roadworks and cliffside scaling was undertaken by the Queensland Department for Main Roads and Transport. The road reopened in September 2020.
Bushwalking
Extending away from the clearing a number of short and long walks, many of which were designed and built by
Romeo Lahey
Romeo Watkins Lahey, M.B.E, (2 June 188726 October 1968) was an Australian businessman, civil servant and conservationist.
Early life
Romeo Watkins Lahey was born 2 June 1887 in Pimpama, Queensland, Australia. His father was David Lahey, an I ...
during the
Great Depression.
[Lackner, Thomas. (1989) ''Discovering Binna Burra on Foot''. Envirobook ] All of Lahey's track's have a gradient not greater than 10%. Lahey had noticed that the local dairy cows never seemed out of breath.
After surveying the animals paths he concluded a ratio of 1:10 for a gradient was best. These graded
walking track
A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. Th ...
s lead to the upper
Coomera River
The Coomera River is a perennial river located in the South East region of Queensland, Australia. Its catchment lies within the Gold Coast and Scenic Rim Region local government areas and covers an area of .
Course and features
Rising in Lam ...
and numerous smaller creeks,
Coomera Gorge,
Coomera Falls amongst many other waterfalls. To the east is the Ship Stern Range and Dave's Creek circuit and the all-day hike along the Coomera Track. In late 2020, a Bushwalker's Bar was established inside the historic Groom's Cottage at Binna Burra.
The Ship's Stern circuit is a trail that follows a
Tweed Volcano
Tweed Volcano is a partially eroded Early Miocene shield volcano located in northeastern New South Wales, which formed when this region of Australia passed over the East Australia hotspot around 23 million years ago. Mount Warning, Lamin ...
rhyolite formation known as Ship's Stern Range.
Daves Creek circuit allows walkers to explore heath along an escarpment above
Numinbah Valley
Numinbah Valley is a rural locality in the City of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. In the , Numinbah Valley had a population of 218 people.
Geography
The Numinbah Valley is a valley and locality in the Gold Coast hinterland in South East Qu ...
.
In popular culture
Binna Burra was featured on
the third season of ''The Mole''. An assignment involved the contestants having to travel up to Binna Burra, whilst on the way answering questions that would help them in succeeding in the assignment.
Wildfire devastation inspires 'solidarity tourism' for a nationally significant heritage tourism icon.
One year after bushfires devastated Binna Burra Lodge, the response and recovery efforts have been acknowledged by a leading international expert in cultural tourism. Based in Boston Massachusetts (USA), Meg Pier is a highly recognized international contributor to cultural tourism
'At a time when the world's tourism seems to be going down in flames, the story of Binna Burra Lodge in Australia offers inspiration and hope. Binna Burra Lodge also provides powerful lessons in the meaning of the term "cultural landscape" and how that designation is inextricably interwoven with the phenomenon of community
The 'Good Tourism Blog'
'Lessons in resilience: Binna Burra's rise from the ashes'Sustainable Tourism Recovery Lessons: Binna Burra Lodge - Heritage Lodge Recovery Story, Reimagining Sustainable Hospitality with Community Values
Binna Burra Lodge (Lamington National Park, Australia) offers lessons on sustainable tourism recovery, from its experience recovering from wildfire damages and dealing with the COVID-19 crisis.
See also
*
Arthur Groom
*
O'Reilly's Guesthouse
*
Protected areas of Queensland
Queensland is the second largest state in Australia. It contains around 500 separate protected areas. In 2020, it was estimated a total of 14.2 million hectares or 8.25% of Queensland's landmass was protected.
List of terrestrial protected ar ...
References
External links
*
History of the Lamington PlateauBinna Burra commits to a Reconciliation Action PlanReflection benches at Binna BurraOne year on the from 2019 bushfiresBushfire memories: Gathering stories.
{{coord, 28, 08, 32, S, 153, 06, 55, E, type:landmark_region:AU-QLD, display=title
Tourist attractions on the Gold Coast, Queensland
2019 disasters in Australia
Scenic Rim Region
1933 establishments in Australia
Queensland Heritage Register
Lamington National Park