Gold Coast holidays back on the horizon

Few have had it tougher than Binna Burra Lodge, the 86-year-old historic lodge and heritage-listed cabin accommodation all but destroyed during the bushfires in September last year.

With the single road access into Binna Burra, which sits amidst the sub-tropical rainforest of Lamington National Park in the Gold Coast Hinterland, cut off by unstable rocks above and below the road, there have been considerable delays in getting equipment to the site to recover and rebuild.

Fortunately, only one of the newly built Sky Lodges apartment buildings was destroyed by fire and the rest were salvageable. The Rainforest Campsite too was spared.

Binna Burra Lodge chairman Steve Noakes says Binna Burra is now taking bookings for a September 1 reopening.

"It will almost be 12 months to the day since the bushfire came through till we are able to reopen," says Noakes. "When you close down a business for 12 months it is very difficult to remain solvent but we've managed to struggle through with that."

"Binna Burra started in 1933 as a campsite and for the second time it's restarting with the Rainforest Campsite and, of course, the addition of the Sky Lodges."

If bushfires weren't enough, the onslaught of COVID-19 saw the Binna Burra Kitchen cafe in nearby Beechmont close after trading for just eight weeks. But the good news is, the Binna Burra Kitchen will re-open in July to welcome back day-trippers.

"Fortunately, Binna Burra has always primarily relied on the domestic travel market - road-trippers from south-east Queensland and NSW northern rivers," says Noakes. "We will be more resilient than some of our tourism colleagues more reliant on international visitors."

Binna Burra's September reopening will be an emotional time for Noakes and his team.

"I am a local resident. We lost 11 homes to the bushfire in addition to the lodge in our neighbourhood. Seven or eight houses were lost in my street. My house, too, nearly went," he admits. "Binna Burra's opening will coincide with the anniversary of the bushfire which was so very stressful for our community so it will be an interesting time to have people come back and support Binna Burra."

Noakes is expecting a surge in day visitors with what he calls 'solidarity tourism'.

"Binna Burra has been around for almost nine decades which means it has many connections and memories for different generations - all these people want to come back and support us," says Noakes. "Of course, there is a lot of pent up demand for people to get out of their houses too!"

The announcement yesterday of Gold Coast theme parks Sea World, Movie World, and Wet 'n' Wild reopening in a matter of weeks was welcome news for David Brook, General Manager of Paradise Resort Gold Coast, Australia's leading family resort.

"It is sensational news for the Gold Coast. Having our theme parks open again will really boost tourism," says Brook. "We aim 100% at the family market. We cater to families with children from babies through to 15-year-olds. We've actually been working on features and activities within the property during the lockdown for older children."

Paradise Resort was purchased by Dr Jerry Schwartz, Australia's largest private hotel owner in November last year, and was always destined to shut down for a period of time for refurbishment. The COVID-19 crisis brought those plans forward for the resort's much-needed makeover.

"We're spending significant money right now on the property to make Paradise Resort the premium place it used to be. All our food and beverage outlets are completely new. We've put in another swimming pool. We've added a new adult bar area purely for parents to relax with some 'me time' whilst their children are in the kids' club," says Brook. "All our staff have worked right through doing everything from maintenance to cleaning, getting our property back to where it should be."

"We've made a terrible situation into a positive situation - we haven't lost a single staff member," says Brook. "We've got chefs on paintbrushes and kids club carers cleaning pools. Everybody has been repurposed and everyone has been really motivated because they are proud of their product."

Brook says package deals for Paradise Resort are now online and beginning to gain traction.

"We have a lot of work left to do but we will open with a bang on August 1!" he says. "I am most looking forward to seeing the smiles on children's faces again as they walk into the resort. The excitement of the kids as they walk into the door and the 'wow' factor we have sets us apart."

Destination Gold Coast CEO Annaliese Battista believes making the best of the tough times tourism operators have faced over the past few months is the quintessential Gold Coast spirit.

"It's encouraging to see the positive spirit and tenacity of our operators during this challenging time. The creativity and resilience we have seen from locals has been inspiring and will continue to ensure we provide a world-class experience to our visitors as travel restrictions ease," says Battista. "Our time to shine again will come, but in the meantime, we are ready and excited for families to come and play in our incredible backyard."

* This feature has been produced in collaboration with City of Gold Coast

Australian Associated Press