Beguiles the Senses Beechmont

Words and Photos / Katrina Partridge

A hidden treasure well worth discovering lies a 45-minute meandering inland drive from the Gold Coast.

600m above sea level, Beechmont Estate is situated on the plateau of the same name in the Binna Burra section of the Lamington National Park. The area offers a delightfully refreshing micro climate with temperatures approximately 7 degrees cooler than the Coast; perfect for taking the edge off summer but equally delightful in winter when you want nothing more than to curl up in front of a fire with a favourite book.

Drive through the gates and there is a real sense of stepping sideways from the frenetic energy represented by the Coast and its skyscrapers that lie far in the distance. Your new goal is simply to reconnect with some of life’s essentials: your health, wellbeing, quality food, rural scenery, and fresh air.

Beechmont Estate - formerly known as Hazelwood Estate - has evolved from a disused dairy farm to a luxury private resort boasting 20 guest rooms, a restaurant and day spa, polo field, and stables. Guests are invited to indulge in the chef hatted cuisine, the pristine natural environment and switch the ‘go’ switch to ‘go slow’. The Estate forms part of a curated portfolio of boutique lodges and experiences in Queensland (the collection’s other properties: Orpheus Island Lodge, Daintree Ecolodge and Mt Mulligan Lodge). The collection is designed to allow travellers to experience Queensland in its purest form and to contribute to sustainable economies in the region.

Green building principles are embedded in the estate’s design and construction. The build saw the planting of over 7,000 trees, including native plants, to rejuvenate soil biology and the restoration of the once derelict dairy farm using regenerative farming practices. The resort has over 600,000 litres of water storage onsite, with all water used being harvested rainwater. Solar power currently accounts for 71% of Beechmont Estate’s energy consumption (all energy excluding overnight usage) and the supply of Vanadium batteries by Vecco Group will see the property go completely off-grid in the next two years.

This is a place committed to the circular economy; to sustainable living; to appreciation and considered contemplation of detail such as the feel of kiln fired pottery in your hands as you nurse your coffee to the rich softness of bed linens and the fragrance of natural oils whilst enjoying a spa treatment. In the crackle of flame in a fireplace and a meandering walk amidst paddocks and rolling hills with an inquisitive muzzle from one of the resident polo ponies seeking a stray pat you have, basically, embraced mindfulness for the senses.

Accommodation options at Beechmont Estate include 17 King Farm cabins (featuring their own potbelly fireplaces, sandstone bathrooms and expansive windows to allow for expansive Valley views; enjoy complimentary Loco Love organic, plant-based chocolate, Wallaby still spring water and Salus Australian-made botanical bathroom amenities) and 3 Luxury Pavilions that overlook the polo field. Pavilions include a sitting area complete with fireplace, study nook and freestanding bath. Whatever your accommodation choice be sure to take a seat on your private balcony and absorb the choral strains of resident bell birds. Cattle graze the nearby fence line; lambs in the distance proclaim Spring. This is a case of Mother Nature standing centre stage allowing architecture and interiors that boast a rural luxe aesthetic melding with what already exists rather than dominating and altering the natural course. This is about not imposing on the environment but rather an encouraging gesture to meaningfully coexist.

The jewel in the resort’s crown is undoubtedly its chef hatted restaurant ‘The Paddock’. Local relationships forged on trust and connectives fuel a kitchen alive with modern ideas and a quest for valuable difference.

Head chef Simon Farley pursues a philosophy of serving contrasting, contemporary food with a sense of place. The seasonally driven menu showcases the region’s finest ingredients, sourcing sustainable produce from the Scenic Rim [a location recently ranked number eight in the top regions of the world to visit by Lonely Planet] and the surrounding region of SouthEast Queensland. World-class Australian Wagyu steak is the hero cuisine sourced from Queensland family-owned cattle producer Stanbroke; in fact, all 15 restaurant suppliers are based within an hour of the Resort.

“Our dishes are created with a focus on hyper-local and sustainable seasonal produce, using this produce from root-tostem and nose-to-tail,” says Farley. “Basically, you treat an animal the way that you would treat a plant when preparing it for a meal. Why not make a difference if you have the opportunity? We cook for lots of people every week; we have the chance to make a change. If we can do this while highlighting the bespoke local suppliers that are at our fingertips, we are happy.”

The food offers a unique signature not least in its homage to all things local. Finger limes that feature on the evening menu are sourced from a neighbouring property. Other ingredients include strawberry gum (a type of eucalypt unique to the Lamington National Park), salt bush and papalo as well as chive trees, bottle brush, lavender and she-oak; in a chef’s commitment to sustainability, you will discover a refreshing diversity of flavour.

The restaurant itself boasts languid district views from its floor to ceiling windows. Beams soar high in cathedral ceilings, the huge fireplace is embellished with stone whilst leather lounges encourage one to succumb to their depths.

My advice: turn off your phone and park it with your car when you arrive. Allow Beechmont Estate to guide you on a sensory journey that underlines your individual connection to the environment – whilst allowing you to draw breath from the frenetic pace that is life.