Outback luxury awaits at Mt Mulligan Lodge

Mount Mulligan might just be the most magnificent place in Australia you’d never heard of.

Explorer James Venture Mulligan described Mt Mulligan as “a mountain once seen, never to be forgotten" when he chanced upon the escarpment on a gold-prospecting expedition to Tropical North Queensland in the late 1800s.

A quick flick through the guestbook at the eponymously named Mt Mulligan Lodge suggests the magnificent conglomerate and sandstone tabletop mountain still has the power to inspire awe. The property is one of three key Luxury Lodges of Australia in Tropical North Queensland. What surprises a lot of visitors to Ngarrabullgan (Mt Mulligan) is the fact it almost 10 times the size of Uluru. And while visitors are forbidden from climbing the mountain, guests at the lodge can seek refuge here to do as little or as much as they like. Yes, the location is remote, but that’s part of the appeal. Get amongst it.

Exquisite Mount Mulligan views from the weir. (Image: Wilson Archer)

Location

The lodge sits in the shadow of the vast monolith, known as Ngarrabullgan, in the heart of Djungan country in the Tropical North Queensland outback. As well as being a place of great significance to the Traditional Owners, Mt Mulligan is the site of Queensland’s worst mining disaster, a tragic event that blew the heart out of the local community in 1921. The former mining town is about 160 kilometres north-west of Cairns in the Shire of Mareeba.

Mount Mulligan Lodge with the Mount Mulligan backdrop. — Mount Mulligan Lodge blends into the mountain backdrop. (Image: Jason Lerace)

Style and character

Building design and interior architecture firm dubois: has brought a look and feel that will wear and weather as beautifully as nature’s palette. Built around an existing weir on a 28,000-hectare working cattle station, the expansive property is rugged and rural and brings visitors in touch with the elements.

Mt Mulligan Lodge design — The design exudes an elevated ranch-style aesthetic. (Image: The Rambler Co.)

Facilities

The lodge features four different types of accommodation: two Outback Retreats, six Outback Rooms, two Outback Suites, and four Outback Tents.

In addition, there’s a beautifully designed main Pavilion with a dramatic exposed stone feature wall, an infinity pool and Sunset Bar designed in the Australian vernacular – all timber and tin – which dates back to our pioneering past.

Each guest is assigned an electric buggy so you can zip to and from the Main Pavilion or Sunset Bar. The all-inclusive lodge sleeps just 28 guests, including children of all ages. The low-set building surrounded by gums is exceptionally chic and a top spot to join fellow guests for a chat around the open bar of beer, wine and spirits.

Mount Mulligan Lodge sitting area — Unwind and get cosy by the fire. (Image: Courtney Atkinson)

Rooms

Wood, wool, leather, linen, timber stone. It makes sense for Mt Mulligan Lodge to feature natural materials, fibres and recycled timbers that bind us to our past. Forget the chintzy excesses of a city hotel. The rooms are resplendent with considered artworks and floor-to-ceiling doors that open to the greenery of a tropical garden reflected in the mirrored surface of the weir.

Mount Mulligan Lodge room — The eight guest rooms have a dark and earthy colour palette. (Image: Lee Besser)

Each room allows glimpses of Mt Mulligan beyond. Bunker down in the corrugated outdoor tub on the vast deck in order to admire the generous folds of the monolith as it changes in the light. All the rooms are dotted along a grassy shoulder of land overlooking the weir.

The rooms are fitted out with iPod docks, Bose Bluetooth speakers, LaGaia bath products, a desk, air con, minibar, free bottled water, tea- and coffee-making facilities and a working fireplace (in the Outback Retreats and Outback Suites only). Want to elope? There’s a package designed for your private outback wedding.

Modern bathroom at Mount Mulligan Lodge — The modern bathrooms open out onto decks. (Image: Elise Hassey)

What is the food and drink offering at Mt Mulligan Lodge?

Take a seat on custom-designed canvas folding camp chairs around a solid timber table to enjoy a superb set menu on the verandah of the Main Pavilion while overlooking the infinity pool and surrounding landscape.

Mt Mulligan Lodge dining — Relax and diner by the outdoor swimming pool. (Image: Mt Mulligan Lodge)

Request a bespoke Dining under the Stars experience or enjoy the daily-changing menu, which pays respect to the diverse producers of the Atherton Tablelands and rich Indigenous history of using native ingredients.

Listen to the chorus of cicadas over linguine carbonara with barramundi pancetta followed by a dessert of wattleseed, coffee and banana. Dining is all-inclusive and there’s the option to pair lunches and dinners with Australian wines.

Flamed red claw at Mount Mulligan Lodge — Food is served with a nose-to-tail philosophy. (Image: Elise Hassey)

City buzz, gourmet trails, surf breaks and art scenes are all at your fingertips.

When it comes to planning a trip, picking a holiday destination is the easy part. The real dilemma is where to set yourself up for the night. Do you go coastal, city, or countryside? Somewhere remote and rugged, or right in the action? Luckily, the Sunshine Coast, and huge number of amazing Sunshine Coast day trips, have kindly made the choice for you.

Ditch the hotel-hopping and suitcase-lugging. Instead, base yourself at Novotel Sunshine Coast or Mantra Mooloolaba , where big-city culture, vine-covered valleys, and theme parks are all within a two-hour drive.

1. Sunshine Coast to Brisbane

Drive time: 1 hour 20 minutes (105km)

Shake off the sand from your sandals and swap the beach for the throb of the Queensland capital. Ease in gently with a bougainvillea-filled stroll through South Bank, iced latte in hand, before cooling off at Streets Beach lagoon – Brisbane’s answer to the coast (but without the waves).

Once firmly in big-city mode, hit up the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) , home to Australia’s largest collection of modern and contemporary artworks. Dive into the past at the Queensland Museum, where prehistoric fossils of Australian dinosaurs and megafauna collide with First Nations cultural collections and interactive science exhibits.

All this learning got you hungry? Howard Smith Wharves calls. Here, riverside dining delivers breweries with meat-forward menus, Japanese fine dining and overwater bars. If you’ve got room for more, Fortitude Valley’s shopping boutiques await you and your wallet.

woman walking around Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) — Wander the Gallery of Modern Art. (Image: TEQ)

2. Sunshine Coast to the Scenic Rim

Drive time: 2 hours 15 minutes (170km)

Make your way inland to the Scenic Rim for the state’s best vineyards and age-old volcanic slopes. Start your day early (like, sparrow’s breakfast early) at O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat in Lamington National Park . Here, take a treetop walk through the canopy and hand-feed the wild birds who flock here.

Next, it’s your turn to eat. Here, the food scene operates where locally sourced produce is an expectation, not an exception. Order a picnic basket crammed with regional wine and cheese to devour next to the creek at Canungra Valley Vineyards . Or perhaps a grazing platter of vegan and non-vegan cheeses at Witches Falls Winery .

Feeling bold? Tackle the Twin Falls circuit in Springbrook National Park. Or keep the gourmet life going with a Scenic Rim Brewery tasting paddle, best enjoyed while taking in the rise of the Great Dividing Range.

woman with cheese and wine at Witches Falls Winery — Enjoy a cheese platter at Witches Falls Winery. (Image: TEQ)

3. Sunshine Coast to the Gold Coast

Drive time: 2 hours (180km)

Surf, sand and sparkling skylines might be the Gold Coast’s MO, but there’s more to Surfers Paradise and beyond. Kick things off with a beachfront coffee at Burleigh Heads, then hike through Burleigh Head National Park to look over the ocean and whale sightings (dependent on the season, of course).

Cool off in the calm waters of Tallebudgera Creek before chowing down on the famously buttery Moreton Bay bug rolls at Rick Shores . Travelling with the kids? Then you can’t miss Australia’s theme park capital, with Dreamworld ’s big rides and Warner Bros. Movie World ’s Hollywood treatment at hand to keep the family entertained.

aerial view of Tallebudgera Creek — Dive into Tallebudgera Creek. (Image: TEQ)

4. Sunshine Coast to Tweed Heads

Drive time: 2 hours 15 minutes (200km)

Dare to cross enemy lines? Then welcome to New South Wales. Tweed Heads blends the laid-back attitude of the Northern Rivers with high-quality dining, experimental art, and farm-fresh indulgence – a combo worth the drive.

Start strong with a long, lazy brunch at Tweed River House , then swing by Tropical Fruit World for exotic finds like red dragon fruit, handfuls of lychees and black sapote. Next, hit M|Arts Precinct – an art deco hub of micro galleries, artist workshops and one-off boutiques.

Round off the day with sunset drinks at Husk Distillers among the glowing cane fields, and order one with their famous Ink Gin. You’ll thank us later.

exterior of Husk Distillers — Taste the famous Ink Gin at Husk Distillers. (Image: Destination NSW)

5. Sunshine Coast Hinterland

Drive time: 1 hour (70km)

Strap on those hiking boots and make tracks inland, where volcanic peaks, misty rainforest and hinterland townships beckon. Ease in with the Glass House Mountains Lookout Walk, or, if you have energy to burn, tackle the Mount Ngungun Summit Walk for a 360-degree sight of the surrounding summits.

Next: Montville. This township delivers European-style architecture and old-world appeal. Nearby, settle in at Flame Hill Vineyard, where a large pour of estate-grown wine comes with encompassing views of the countryside.

Not ready to leave the hinterland villages just yet? Of course not. Meander past art galleries and indie shops at Maleny. Nab some fudge from Sweets on Maple for a sweet fix. Or go salty at Maleny Dairies with a farm tour and a chunky wedge of their deliciously creamy cheese.

End the day among the eucalypts and rainforests of Kondalilla National Park. Here, the Kondalilla Falls Circuit winds down through trees humming with life to a rock pool beneath a waterfall – as if designed for soaking tired feet before heading back to the coast.

view of Mount Ngungun on the scenic rim queensland — Take on the Mount Ngungun Summit Walk (Image: TEQ)

Start planning your Sunshine home base at all.com.