Binna Burra Lodge rises from ashes of Queensland fires to reopen on the Gold Coast

Beloved Gold Coast hinterland resort Binna Burra Lodge has been reborn after bushfires and is ready to welcome tourists back. SEE THE STUNNING TRANSFORMATION

BELOVED hinterland eco-tourism destination Binna Burra Lodge will reopen Tuesday, September 1, almost a year after it was destroyed by bushfire.

While a bare block on the hilltop once home to the historic lodge and cabins is a poignant reminder of the devastation dealt by the 2019 blaze, Binna Burra Lodge chairman Steve Noakes said the road had reopened and they were ready to welcome tourists.

“I always knew we’d get there; get Binna Burra back on its feet,” he said.

“I was hoping we’d get there earlier than we did, but the big challenge was road access. It’s a cliffside road and there were a lot of technical difficulties.

“We didn’t have road access for the first six months so it was only the past four or five months we’ve been able to get in for the demolition, clean-up and repairs.”

Eighteen Sky Lodges, offering one, two and three-bedroom eco-friendly apartments and studios with captivating views across the Coomera and Numinbah valleys, spa baths and fireplaces, will be the first to open on September 1.

The last significant heritage timber structure left after the fires, Groom’s Cottage, will also open as a new heritage hub, home to Bushwalker’s Bar serving meals and drinks.

“Bookings are very strong,” Mr Noakes said.

“The Sky Lodges are filling up fast, especially on the weekends for the next months, but there are weekdays available.”

On September 8, the anniversary of the day an unseasonal blaze swept through parched rainforest destroying some buildings and miraculously sparing others, a bushfire gallery will open.

“It’s in one of the surviving buildings called the barn,” said Mr Noakes, who guided Prime Minister Scott Morrison on a heart-rending tour of the rubble later that week.

“There’ll be a collection of photos from the fire. It’ll be a time for reflection on what happened and what we’ve been through in the past year.”

The campground and teahouse are scheduled to return on September 14, but Lamington National Park, which Mr Noakes describes as Binna Burra’s real asset, is leading the race to recovery.

“It’s recovered well, very well,” he said.

“After a year of no human beings, we’ve got these big fat lazy pythons and dingo families that’ll go back into the bush when people arrive – they are very timid.”

While the bush is bouncing back and holiday-makers have their bags packed, Binna Burra’s many stakeholders won’t so easily erase the scars of what Mr Noakes describes as an unprecedented event.

“As I look out the window now, there’s a bushfire on the western side of Springbrook,” he said.

“I’m not so much nervous as hyper alert to the potential for bushfires.

“Controlled burn or uncontrolled burn it’s still burning.

“What happened last year was unprecedented in white man’s history, but conditions are very different at Binna Burra this year.

“We’ve had reasonable winter rains and some more forecast this week.

“I’m not overly concerned this year but we still need to be very vigilant and very cautious.”