The Tamborine Boutique Hotel: A Hinterland haven with heart

A splash of California calls from deep within the Gold Coast Hinterland.

There’s no shortage of Palm Springs design interpretation in the Sunshine State. Resort-style homes, and globally acclaimed hotels, have completely remodelled the urban meccas and sandy stretches of Queensland in recent years. But a modernist masterpiece in the thick of its balmy subtropical bush? The Tamborine Boutique Hotel is here to change the game.

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Enveloped in dewy rainforest and an array of native wildlife (stay alert for the roaming peacock and chuckling kookaburras), the intimate 23-room build is a rainforest retreat done with decadence. An outdoor mineral pool and spa dotted with 16 sun lounges, a dramatic double-height foyer that invites more fine wine swilling than EFTPOS authorisation fiddling, rooms filled with handmade ceramics and plush linens — it’s lavish while wholly embracing its natural surroundings.

Let’s explore everything to know to help you plan a restorative rainforest escape.

Location

Views of the Tamborine Mountains — Phenomenal views greet guests from every angle. (Image: Supplied)

The twittering of birds and scent of sappy blooms will lead you along a winding road (no matter where you’re ascending from) to the otherworldly Gold Coast Hinterland town of Tamborine Mountain. Located within the Scenic Rim, which flows with thriving World Heritage-listed rainforest, the former volcano has erupted (figuratively) into an artisanal village of retail boutiques, cafes, craft distilleries and wineries.

The Tamborine Boutique Hotel is found on Alpine Terrace, which also houses Tamborine Mountain Coffee Plantation and a string of roadside avocado huts and fruit stalls. It’s a legitimate fairytale setting — and that’s before you step inside.

Style and character

Foyer of The Tamborine Hotel — The spacious foyer invites guests to linger over drinks or a game. (Image: Supplied)

A contemporary reimagining of a quintessential 1980s Hacienda-style motel, The Tamborine Boutique Hotel honours its heritage bones while introducing ample coastal cool (we’re a drive from the Gold Coast, after all). A consistent colour palette of eucalyptus green, milk chocolate and eggshell white stay true to the mountain’s rich forestry while instilling clear-minded serenity.

The symphony of Zen extends to the hotel’s external material choices as Zaneti’s famed aluminium-based outdoor furniture, white side tables and waxy green plant life melt into the backdrop. It’s Instagram-delicious, all while paying tribute to the incredible rainforest real estate it occupies.

The hotel’s foyer (or central hub, as the team likes to call it) is a standout, splashed with 50 shades of beachside bliss and a breathtaking dried flower display hanging from the ceiling. Long timber tables, natural rattan cane webbing pendant lights, white painted brick and a scattering of MCM House-sourced pieces inspire ultimate restored-beach-shack dreams.

This team’s design flair is flawless, so it’s no surprise it’s led by Gina McNamara, who developed the stunning Cassis Red Hill in the Mornington Peninsula, and her best friend Nina Aberdeen, a former lawyer based in Victoria. Renowned design guru David Whiting, who played an integral part in Cassis Red Hill, also lends his creative genius.

Facilities

A woman sits on the ledge of the pool at the Tamborine Hotel — The stunning mineral pool. (Image: Sabine Bannard)

The headliner is that glistening mineral pool, an enormous original dig-out that’s been lovingly retiled and teamed with sleek white sun lounges and olive-green market umbrellas. The pool’s spacious spa, which rises just above ground level, is the place to be as mosaic tiles and an underwater seat create a covetable spot to laze the afternoon away.

If you’re staying in one of the ground floor rooms, there are private terraces with outdoor seating that lead onto the grassy mountain viewing area. If you’re on level one, private balconies offer a tranquil vantage point.

Elsewhere, fire pits should dot that spectacular grassy mound in the coming months (hopefully in time for winter), and there’s a filtered water station located on the ground level that offers both chilled and ambient varieties.

Rooms

Stepping into any one of the rooms, you’re immediately floored by those phenomenal regional views. Maybe it’s the ocean you’ll spy, or the dramatic cliff face poking out among the trees, or the tiny houses that highlight the sheer expanse of what’s on show — your glass doors are a portal into unadulterated awe.

It’s about then that you’ll realise there’s not a single piece of art on your walls (or in the wider hotel, in fact). The Tamborine Boutique Hotel allows its main attraction to dazzle without interruption.

A muted palette of timber, caramel, grey and white cover everything from the curtains and sheer drapes to the bathroom. Even the vanity kits and tissue boxes fall into line as no detail is unattended. Ceramic wall sconces from Robert Gordon and tea cups from POTTER by Sam Gordon (whose ridiculously beautiful handiwork fills fine dining institutions like Sydney’s Saint Peter and Melbourne’s Stokehouse St Kilda) add texture, while brushed brass tapware from Faucet Strommen dial up timeless chic.

As for the beds, we can confirm they’re fluffy, soft and pillowed to crisp white sheet perfection. King sizes ensure you’ll barely feel your significant other while a wall-mounted smart TV, tea and coffee essentials, a Dometic bar fridge, Leif amenities (the body wash is as thick as honey), white waffle robes and cosy enclosed slippers facilitate your creature comforts.

Views of the mountains at The Tamborine Hotel — Rooms are designed to bring the outside. (Image: Supplied)

Food and drink

The bar at The Tamborine Hotel — Gather in the foyer at ‘Peacock O’Clock’. (Image: Supplied)

While there’s no restaurant on-site, The Tamborine Boutique Hotel features a small kitchen right by the central hub that’s stocked with fresh produce to create a beautiful continental breakfast spread and afternoon bar snacks.

Combing the mountain for its finest culinary spoils, the team sources goodies from local stalwarts including Main St. Provedore Eatery & Espresso and Tommerup’s Dairy Farm, while embracing peak seasonal ingredients from local growers.

Pizza and other items from the menu at The Tamborine Hotel — The small bar menu features snacks and heartier eats. (Image: Supplied)

The bar menu also utilises native flavours including lemon myrtle, which douses its marinated olives, bush honey, which dusts its roasted nuts, and wattle seed, used to season its crispy chicken bites. Pick something heartier, such as the woodfired salami pizza or green chilli prawns with roast garlic, to refuel you after a morning spent dipping in and out of that heavenly pool.

At 5pm every evening, head down to the central hub again where ‘Peacock O’Clock’ provides guests with a complimentary beverage and the chance to make new like-minded friends. What’s being poured, you wonder? Bubbles, chablis and rosé from France, as well as whites and reds from best-loved Victorian regions and a sensational orange wine from the nearby Witches Falls Winery.

Local mountain brands including Boxer Brewing Co., Cauldron Distillery and Eighth Day Cider, produced by the Witches Falls crew, also fill the bar menu.

‘Peacock O’Clock’ drinks are being poured at Tamborine Hotel — Evening drinks kick off at 5pm. (Image: Supplied)

Accessibility

Two ground-level rooms located right by the pool are wheelchair-friendly and customised to comply with guests’ access needs. Without compromising on the hotel’s high-luxe standard, spacious showers with seats, toilets fitted with handrails, ample mobility floorspace and the ability to turn double beds into two singles, create serious comfort.

There is also a side gate for guests with access needs to seamlessly enter the pool.

Accessible bathrooms at the Tamborine Hotel — Bathrooms are built with accessibility in mind. (Image: Supplied)

Family friendly?

While children would undoubtedly love the opportunity to explore these luscious grounds, The Tamborine Boutique Hotel is geared towards couples looking for a chance to unwind on their own.

Details

Best for: Unplugging and reconnecting to the greatest of outdoors.

Address: 99 Alpine Terrace, Tamborine Mountain

Exploring the world’s largest sand island starts with the perfect K’gari homebase.

The morning light is still soft, but it’s already a perfect sunny day. We left our K’gari homebase at Kingfisher Bay Resort with our guide, Peter Meyer, at 9 am to make the most of our time to explore all that the world’s largest sand island holds. The size of K’gari is hard to grasp until you arrive here. This is no sandbar. Stretching 120 kilometres, unique lakes, mangrove systems, rainforest, 75 Miles of beach, historic shipwrecks, small townships and even one of Queensland’s best bakeries are all hidden within its bounds.

But first, one of the island’s most iconic sights: the pure silica sand and crystal clear waters of Lake McKenzie.

Laying eyes on it for the first time, I’m finally able to confirm that the photos don’t lie. The sand is pure white, without the merest hint of yellow. The water fades from a light halo of aqua around the edges to a deeper, royal blue, the deeper it gets (not that it’s particularly deep, six metres at most). The surface remains surprisingly undisturbed, like a mirror.

Arriving with our guide before 10 am means that no one else is around when we get here. Which means we have the pleasure of breaking the smooth surface with our own ripples as we enter. As a self-confessed wimp with chilly water temperatures, my fears are quickly assuaged. Even in the morning, the water stays around 23 degrees – perfect for lazing about all day. But we have more sights to see.

Exploring K’gari

ariel of in lake mckenzie on k'gari fraser island — Relax in the warm waters of Lake McKenzie. (Image: Ayeisha Sheldon)

This was the Personalised 4WD tour offered by Kingfisher Bay Resort, and my absolute top pick of experiences. Over the course of the day, we had the freedom to create our own bespoke itinerary (plus a provided picnic lunch along the way), with an expert guide who had plenty of stories and local expertise to give context to what we were looking at. From the history of the SS Maheno shipwreck, which survived the First World War only to be washed ashore by a cyclone in 1935, to a detailed description of how an island made of sand could sustain such diverse flora.

If it’s your first time to K’gari, the Beauty Spots Tour is another great option. Departing daily from Kingfisher Bay Resort (you’ll start to notice a trend, as many of the tours do start and end here), an air-conditioned, 4WD bus takes guests to the island’s most iconic locations, including the best places to swim, like Lake McKenzie and Eli Creek. The latter offers a gentle current, perfect for riding with a blow-up tyre out towards the ocean.

The next day, for a look at a completely different side of K’gari, I joined one of Kingfisher Bay Resort’s Immersive Ranger-guided tours to kayak through the mangroves of Dundonga Creek. This long, snake-like stretch of creek winds its way inland from the ocean outlet we entered by, at times too narrow for three kayaks to be side-by-side. Small insects buzz from leaf to leaf, while birds call overhead. Occasional bubbles indicate we’ve passed some fish that call this place home.

kayak tour through the mangroves at k'gari island — Learn about the island’s mangroves from your Ranger. (Image: Reuben Nutt/ TEQ)

If kayaking isn’t for you – or if, like me, you simply want more – other ranger-led experiences include nature walks and a dedicated Junior Eco Ranger Program for kids ages five to 12 (these run every weekend, and daily over the peak December holidays). Just ask for a timetable of upcoming tours when you check in.

While during whale season, Hervey Bay Whale Watch & Charters operates tours from the hotel’s jetty to get up close to the famous Humpback Highway of Hervey Bay, from 7 November to 31 May, attention turns to the Aqua Oasis Cruise . Departing from the resort every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday for resort guests, adventure along the island’s remote western coast, pointing out wildlife like dolphins, turtles, flying fish and eagles along the way.

The cruise drops anchor so guests can jump into the water using the boat’s equipment – from SUP boards to inflatable slides and jumping platforms. Then refuel with a provided lunch, of course.

Unwind at sunset

two people drinking cocktails at sunset bar, kingfisher bay resort — Unwind at the Sunset Bar. (Image: Sean Scott)

As much as days on K’gari can be filled with adventure, to me, the afternoons and evenings there are for unwinding. Sunsets on K’gari are absolutely unbelievable, with Kingfisher Bay on the west side being the best spot to catch the colours.

The Sunset Bar , located at the start of the resort’s jetty and overlooking the beach, is the ultimate location for sundowners. Let chill beats wash over you as you sip on cool wines, beers and cocktails in a relaxed, friendly vibe. Personally, a cheese board was also absolutely called for. As the sun sinks, the sand, sea and horizon turn a vibrant shade of orange, with the jetty casting a dramatic shadow across the water.

When the show is over, head back to the hotel for dinner at the Asian-fusion Dune restaurant, or the pub-style Sand + Wood. But if your appetite is still whetted for more lights and colours, the evening isn’t over yet.

Settle into the Illumina stage for Return to Sky, an immersive light and sound show leading viewers on a captivating journey through K’gari’s stories and landscapes.

Indulge and disconnect

woman setting up massage room at kingfisher bay resort Island Day Spa — Find bliss at Island Day Spa. (Image: Jessica Miocevich)

Of course, there is a type of traveller who knows that balance is important, day or night. While Kingfisher Bay Resort offers more than one pool for guests to spend all day lounging by (they’ll even serve you food and drinks while you do it), you’ll find me at the Island Day Spa.

The masseuses could match the magic hands of any big city spa, and I felt the warm welcome as I walked into the light, breezy reception. Choose from a range of botanical facials, beauty treatments and soothing massages using traditional techniques (obviously, I couldn’t go past a relaxing massage). All products used contain organic, native botanical ingredients with nutrient-rich plant extracts to soothe skin and mind. To really indulge, try out one of the packages, couples treatment or even a pre-wedding day offering.

Getting there

kingfisher bay resort 4wd tour driving passed ss maheno on k'gari island — The world of K’gari awaits. (Image: Jessica Miocevich)

Getting to K’gari is shockingly easy. Find daily flights into Hervey Bay from Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. Kingfisher Bay Resort offers a shuttle bus between the airport, their headquarters in Hervey Bay and the ferry to take you to K’gari.

Tamborine Boutique Hotel: A Hinterland haven with heart