MOUNTAIN RETREAT
Mountain Retreat - Luxury Travel Magazine
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Mountain Retreat | |||||
| By: Alice Coomans, Issue 28 – Spring 2006 | |||||
| (Pethers Rainforest Retreat - North Tamborine, Queensland, Australia) | |||||
| ESCAPE TO THE GOLD COAST HINTERLAND. | |||||
| The early morning light is gently streaming through the wall of windows in front of us. A cacophony of birdsong fills the air. Light mist-like rain is falling, applying a layer of varnish to the verdant foliage that surrounds Pethers Rainforest Retreat. Ensconced in the oversized queen bed, I linger and appreciate the lush landscape before me. Nestled high on Mount Tamborine in the Gold Coast Hinterland, Pethers is an adults-only sanctuary – only an hours drive south of Brisbane. A central lodge houses reception, restaurant, library and in the winter months a giant roaring open fire, while a gym and conference centre are concealed amidst the trees. There are only ten ‘tree houses’ cleverly positioned in among the five hectares of sub-tropical rainforest meaning the most you will ever share this idyllic eco-retreat with is nine other couples. Our ‘tree-house’, named ‘Sugar-glider House,’ has a minimalist Asian chic feel. The cool colours of the décor contrasted with the rich colour of the timber beneath our feet and from the moment I step inside, the two-person spa beckons. Relaxing in it – wine in hand – later that evening I look out at a privileged view of the soaring white gums in front of me, cloaked in ferns and palms, and find it hard to recall the clamour and noise of the city I have left behind. The mountain on which Pethers is located was named after nearby Tamborine Station. The name is based on the local Aboriginal words for ‘place of the yams in the cliffs.’ The cliffs themselves form the banks of the nearby Albert River, and wild yams can still be found there. Tamborine Station is now home to Albert River Wines and the wineries restaurant, The Vineyard Grill, is open every Sunday. It is well worth the trip down the mountain range, to wine and dine in the relaxed rural setting. Yet back in our ‘tree-house’ that night enjoying a private three-course dinner it is tempting not to set another foot outside this serene sanctuary at all. | |||||
| Details: | |||||
| Pethers Rainforest Retreat: www.pethers.com.au | |||||
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