rose gums wilderness retreat

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Tremendous Treehouse

The Cairns Post Weekend Extra, Saturday, April 13, 2002

In a canopy of Tableland rainforest, Rose Gums Wilderness Retreat offers luxury with the greenest of views. Marie Low and photographer John Snape basked in its natural beauty.

In the loft of the chalet, I was in the treehouse fantasy I never stopped dreaming about. When you were a kid, the treehouse you built was, somehow, not quite what you had hoped.

It was uncomfortable perched on a couple of rough planks and you had to get your little sister to pass up the food. But somewhere in the back of your mind, the dream of the perfect treehouse remained.

We found our treehouse at Rose Gums Wilderness Retreat. The family chalet we made ours for one precious night had plenty of room to sleep six, but we left the main bedroom untouched and went up the stairs to the loft. You can sit on the bed and gaze clear across to Mount Bartle Frere. Gentle afternoon light streams in from the window behind you.

Once you emerged from the sheer shock of finding yourself somewhere so beautiful after the helter-skelter of the week, there is plenty to explore. Jon and Peta Nott, who built rose Gums Wilderness Retreat on their spectacular 93 ha property 10 minutes from Lake Eacham, seem to know just how much space to allow you.

They can pick a mile off the frazzled locals anxious to remind themselves there is more life than getting through the day, or the southern and international visitors who want to know something about everything immediately. As frazzled locals, we first took in the scenery for ourselves before seeking further details.

It’s almost impossible – rain or no rain – not to rush out onto the timber deck to take in the huge expanse of trees before you. Not a sign of development in sight. No house, no people, no traffic.

Just trees. Millions and millions of trees. Trees of thousands of different sizes and kinds all producing air so clear you can pick the shape of white bird sitting in a tree miles away. The four very private chalets overlook the rainforest and endangered wet schlerophyll forest. The property is bounded by the Wet Tropics World Heritage land and overlooks Wooroonooran National Park.

Rose Gums Wilderness Retreat has eco-tourism accreditation.

All of that adds up to a beautiful pristine and what looks like an unbelievably large parcel of rainforest. If you aren’t feeling too adventurous, you can soak up the beauty without ever leaving your chalet. Peta has put breakfast for the first morning in the fridge – bacon, bread, cereals, yoghurt, chocolates, coffee and tea – and there’s no need to rough it. Theses cabins have earned four-and-a-half-stars.

There is a fireplace, a spa with a view of the rainforest, a television, a CD plater, washing machine, dryer, a fully equipped kitchen, even puzzles and board games. Best of all, there is the seemingly never ending view from almost anywhere in the timber chalet.

Peta tells the story of a couple who spotted 52 species of birds in one weekend – without ever leaving the cabin. If you are feeling a bit more adventurous, there are walks which range from about 40 minutes to one-and-a-half hours.

The longer walk is a round trip to the platypus pools and swimming hole, where Jon has built a timber deck. The walk takes you past trees including the white-trunked rose gums after which the retreat is named, and a host of others.

For dinner, you can make your own and curl up by the fire in your own chalet, or pop into restaurant at Yungaburra. The Yungaburra markets are on every fourth Saturday in the month, and Rose Guns is a great spot to base yourself to take a look at what else the Tablelands has to offer.

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