Stunning country getaway only a 90-minute drive away

Just south of Brisbane, this bucolic retreat is the perfect place to rewind and relax.

Beechmont Estate, Beechmont.

As we make our ascent up the mountains of the Scenic Rim, through the winding roads of Canungra and Witheren, the landscape suddenly transforms from lush, dense rainforest to sprawling countryside.

We have arrived at Beechmont Estate – an impressive 30ha country farm and luxury lodge with cosy, peak-roofed cabins, commodious 80sq m pavilions and a stunning four-bedroom residence with captivating views across the Gold Coast hinterland and Lamington National Park to the Pacific Ocean and Surfers Paradise skyline.

Cabins at Beechmont Estate, Beechmont.

Visiting after a week of rain, the undulating property is like a swatch board of Dulux greens, the verdant paddocks appreciated, perhaps, no more than by the resident cows – two with calves in tow.

Guests take the long, bitumen driveway to reception, housed behind sliding barn doors inside a contemporary lodge with soaring ceilings and a roaring fire. It’s every bit as dreamy as it sounds, with the cooler, mountain top-air the perfect setting for a romantic getaway.

After checking in for the night, we’re driven walking distance by golf buggy to our cabin – a snug, 40sq m, timber-clad, airconditioned cottage with a spacious, modern ensuite, minimally stocked mini bar, smart TV, charming pot-belly fireplace and a sizeable balcony with a table for two and sofa for soaking in those bucolic views.

Beechmont Estate, Beechmont.

Guests can opt for twin bedding or our kingsize option, so comfortable that a five minute-laydown after arriving accidentally turns into an hour-long nap.

Waking us from our slumber is the arrival of one of the property’s famous gourmet picnic hampers, replete with crudités, cured meats, cheeses, lavosh, bread sticks, dips, antipasto, gorgeous sandwiches on crusty baguettes and finger-sized chocolate brownies.

We find a grassy knoll overlooking the aforementioned cows and what was once a polo field on the farm and soak in the sunshine while devouring those seriously good sangas.

One of the cabins with a pot belly fire.

We’re told, however, most guests order the hamper for after or during a bushwalk through the surrounding World Heritage-listed Lamington National Park, which visitors can do on their own, or as part of a guided experience offered by the estate.

Depending on how fit or adventurous you are, there is the option for a “short” two-three hour walk, a half-day trek and also a full-day expedition, which can take up to nine hours exploring Coomera or Ships Stern Circuit.

If a hike is not of interest, however, you could probably get just as much exercise walking around the grounds, with the clubhouse a huffing and puffing uphill stroll away, where guests can play pool or watch sport on the large screen TV.

The retreat is spread across 30 hectares.

It’s also home to yoga classes, corporate events, business conferences, and is, apparently, a favourite spot for grooms to get ready for weddings on site, with Beechmont Estate requiring couples to hire the entire retreat for their nuptials with up to 95 guests.

Perhaps the most fun way to explore our surrounds though, is on one of the complimentary e-bikes.

Taking the effort out of those killer hills, the cruisers allow you to meander along the smooth roads and paths at your own pace. And it promises to be an even more enjoyable ride by the end of the year, with the property planning to home a new herd of sheep and horses alongside the current cattle and chickens to become a true farm-scape experience.

Our ride is just enough, though, to help us build up an appetite for our highly anticipated dinner at the venue’s much-acclaimed restaurant, The Paddock.

The Paddock Restaurant Beechmont Estate

Set next to reception under skyrocketing peaked ceilings, the elegant yet approachable eatery features a long, well-stocked bar, with plenty of counter and couch space for enjoying an expertly crafted aperitif before settling into one of the tanned leather chairs for a multi-course feast by resident chefs and husband and wife Chris and Alex Norman.

The couple has worked at the likes of Versace on the Gold Coast, Emporium Hotel in South Brisbane and Herve’s in Albion, and specialises in classic fine dining using the best of locally sourced ingredients from the award-winning Scenic Rim region.

Guests can opt from the a la carte menu with four entrees, four mains and four desserts, such as chicken and foie gras terrine, aged Murray cod and pork loin with braised red cabbage, or go all out with their seasonally changing, signature five-course degustation, with the option to add paired wines for an extra $125pp.

A dish at The Paddock Restaurant.

This is seriously sophisticated food, built around precisely honed techniques, but rather than being an exercise in hubris, it’s about flavour first and foremost – keeping things approachable yet interesting and, most importantly, delicious.

The next morning, the breakfast team is determined not to be outshone, offering a set menu of compressed watermelon and local labneh, bliss balls, shakshuka with Turkish bread and unlimited optional add-ons like bacon, smoked salmon and pork sausage.

It can all be accompanied by barista-made coffee using Paradox beans, CHA teas and a variety of juices.

With the same cheery, welcoming and endearing staff returning from dinner service, breakfast becomes the perfect start to our day.

Our only regret is not booking in a treatment at the estate’s day spa for a little extra indulgence afterwards.

I guess that’s just another reason to return to this peaceful country getaway that might only be 90 minutes from Brisbane or 45 minutes from the Gold Coast, but feels like a complete world away.

The writer was a guest of the operators

Beechmont Estate

422 Binna Burra Rd, Beechmont

4777 7377

beechmontestate.com.au

Rooms start at $419 a night for a Beechmont Cabin for two adults in low season. Picnic hampers are $50pp