High in the World Heritage-listed Lamington National Park, at around 930 metres, this retreat has been run by the O'Reilly family for more than a century. Accommodation ranges from mountain rooms and eco-chalets to safari tents and a campground, spread across the rainforest plateau roughly ninety minutes inland from the Gold Coast. The setting is the reason to come: ancient rainforest, walking tracks from the door, a canopy suspension bridge and some of the best-known bird life in the country. There is a spa and a small vineyard on the property, but the mood stays firmly bush rather than polished resort. It suits walkers, birdwatchers and families who want to sleep inside the national park itself, well above the coast.