Australia

How to lose your sense of urgency in 5 days

A road trip through Queensland’s Scenic Rim that rewards slowing down more than speeding up.

Let’s start by saying I didn’t set out on this road trip along the Scenic Rim looking for transformation. But I arrived at Brisbane airport with a packed bag, an open mind, and the usual city habit of wanting to know what was first on the agenda. It didn’t take long for this jaw-dropping region to cure me of that impatience.

The Scenic Rim doesn’t announce itself. There’s no single ‘you are here’ moment, no obvious before-and-after line in the road. Instead, things soften gradually. Traffic thins. Phone reception becomes a little sketchy. Conversations slow down. Somewhere between the first set of rolling hills and the second cattle grid, you realise this road trip isn’t for ticking boxes, but more about letting the days stretch a little longer than planned.

Our small group rolled into Spicers Hidden Vale for the night, and it immediately set the tone. This place isn’t a resort (although it kinda feels like one). It’s actually a sprawling, well-kept secret. And if you want to get really particular about it, it’s a former cattle station turned luxury lodge.

The 4WD guided drive through the property isn’t scenic (although the views are mind blowing), as much as it’s grounding. You learn how the land is managed and how conservation fits alongside the comfort of the lodge.

Then there’s the kitchen garden. Touring it with the chef makes dinner feel like a continuation. You see what’s growing, what’s thriving, and what will end up on your plate later that night. It’s an experience that quietly raises your standards for food (as if they weren’t already high), and unfortunately lowers your tolerance for supermarket basil.

Back in the car the following morning, the Scenic Rim delivered one of its best curveballs: Summerland Camels. Because yes, there are actual camels here. The tour I was lucky enough to be on managed to be both informative and hella charming. Watching baby camels and their mamas wander through paddocks, and even seeing what it means to really look after the friendly giants (some of the male camels were getting the snip during our visit) is not something you expect to do in Queensland. But that’s what makes it cool. I even managed to swallow a sip of slightly warm camel milk without gagging (go me) while I was there.

But food and produce play a big role in this region. So a stop at the Scenic Rim Farm Shop is a must. It’s sorta like a choose-your-own-adventure of local goods, and resisting the urge to buy everything from the cutest boutiques on the property requires some serious discipline. Nearby, Kooroomba Lavender Farm feels like it exists purely to slow you down. Lavender rows stretch towards Lake Moogerah, the views do most of the talking, and lunch turns into a long one (ofc) because no one’s rushing you along.

From Kooroomba, the road climbs towards Mount French Lodge, and the energy shifts almost immediately. Every single bit of noise drains away completely here. Each one of the lodges are spaced generously across the landscape, giving each guest the illusion (and let’s be real, the reality) of having the place to themselves. Because you kinda do.

This place is designed for groups to book out. So you won’t have to make awkward small talk with a couple of strangers over a beautifully prepared breakfast in the main lounge/kitchen/dining area.

In fact, the whole property encourages stillness. Big windows pull the outside in, decks look out over hills that seem to roll on forever, and there’s no background soundtrack beyond the gentle gust of wind and the melodic song of birds. But the privacy doesn’t feel snobby and exclusive. It feels intentionally peaceful without trying too hard to be profound. Granted, you don’t “do” much here, but that’s why I was obsessed with it (and still am). Time passes (obvs), but it does so in a gentle way.

All too soon, SOL Elements Bathhouse beckoned, offering exactly what the name promises. Set against a mountain backdrop, SOL Elements is for soaking, floating, steaming and generally forgetting what day it is (I know I did). Regardless of the experience you choose to have here, this place is calm, restorative, a little indulgent, and the lack of pressure to move on makes it easy to settle into your own rhythm. You’ll leave lighter, physically (you’ll sweat heaps thanks to their saunas and salt rooms) and mentally.

But it was time to head back to nature and the trees took centre stage at the Tamborine Rainforest Skywalk. Elevated walkways ease you from the forest floor up into the canopy, giving you a new perspective without asking too much of your knees. It’s accessible (hell yeah), beautifully designed, and very impressive. But the way the rainforest carries on around you as if you’re not even there, with birds calling and leaves shifting, makes this a special (read: must do) stop.

Our final stop was Happitat Adventure Park, but before we could get there, we had to say at Binna Burra Lodge, perched high on the Binna Burra land (surrounded by Lamington National Park) with views that make you pause mid-sentence. The outlook across the valley is genuinely vast, especially at sunrise and sunset, when the light shifts and everything feels momentarily suspended.

Binna Burra carries a deep sense of history, but it doesn’t feel stuck in it. There are walking tracks that disappear into the rainforest, communal spaces that invite quiet conversation, and plenty of corners where you can sit alone and do absolutely nothing. It’s a fitting end point, not because it feels final, but because it encourages reflection. Well, it certainly did for me.

By the time we pointed the car back towards Brisbane, I felt a little different. Less hurried. Less inclined to reach for my phone. And I came to the realisation that a road trip along the Scenic Rim is not something you race through. It’s one you settle into, and quietly wish lasted a few days longer.