Finch Hatton glamping tent proposal submitted to Mackay council

A new nature-based ‘glamping’ stay is poised to entice travellers who like swimming under waterfalls one day before getting their adrenaline fix with downhill mountain biking the next.

A new nature-based “glamping” stay is poised to entice travellers who like swimming under waterfalls one day before getting their adrenaline fix with downhill mountain biking the next.

Finch Hatton property owners Michael Hallett and Charlotte Guy hope to build 11 tents at their property at 564 Gorge Rd, about 60km west of Mackay in the Pioneer Valley.

Plans lodged to Mackay Regional Council show each of the canvas tents will be raised off the ground and positioned to “get the best views of the surrounding hills and sunsets”.

Each tent has a deck with an outdoor bathtub and 5000L water tank and inside there is a queen bed plus a double bunk, a kitchenette with dining space and a bathroom with a toilet and shower.

Tourists will also have access to a communal kitchen with hotplates, sinks, fridges, tables and chairs plus washing machines and dryers.

Design plans for the glamping tents at 564 Gorge Rd, Finch Hatton, as lodged to Mackay Regional Council in April, 2024.

 The accommodation will be built over five stages with the first to include a three-bedroom home for Mr Hallett and Ms Guy, two glamping tents, a carpark, and a driveway made with eco-friendly compacted decomposed granite as opposed to bitumen or concrete.

Design plans for the glamping tents at 564 Gorge Rd, Finch Hatton, as lodged to Mackay Regional Council in April, 2024.

The build also includes a 50,000L water tank to run the kitchen plus a 25,000L tank for firefighting.

The application states the Gorge Rd location – a short 3km drive from Finch Hatton Gorge in the Eungella Rainforest and less than 10 minutes’ drive from the newly-opened Finch Hatton Mountain Bike Trails – was “ideal” for nature-based tourism.

Finch Hatton Gorge, nestled in the Eungella Rainforest, boasts two year-round waterfall swimming holes. Picture: Rae Wilson

It further says changing the lot’s agriculture zoning to tourism would not reduce or fragment productive land as the 5.5ha property – already challenging with a central drainage path, remnant vegetation and a “generous gradient” – was “too small” for significant farming activities.

Mackay Regional Council has approved plans for a new Outdoor Tourism Hub at 18 Drew St in Finch Hatton. Picture: The Dark Horse Studio

The glamping proposal follows Michael Harris in 2023 receiving approval to build his $6.5m two-storey Outdoor Tourism Hub at 18 Drew St, Finch Hatton.

The 12-room accommodation and tour centre is expected to lure 3200 visitors and rake in $2.9m in revenue each year, supporting up to 23 operational jobs for tour guides and hospitality workers.

Mr Harris said the $27m bike trails would attract new visitors to the valley with the adventure destination also offering hope for the shuttered tourist attractions on Gorge Rd including the Ulysses Garden Cafe and the Finch Hatton Gorge Cabins and River Rock Cafe.

Both shut without explanation during the pandemic.