Maintain Holiday Properties in Puncak
The word Puncak , meaning “peak”, ostensibly describes the mountainous landscape of Jakarta’s favorite out-of-town getaway. But “Peak” equally describes the traffic leading up to the hilly resort from Friday morning through Sunday night of just about any week. Stressed out by their big-city lives, Jakartans take great delight in lining up their Toyota Kijang jeeps for a stop-and-go, bumper-to-bumper trip that can take up to five hours to cover a mere 70 km stretch of road. An extra day in Puncak is needed just to recover from the nerve-wracking journey.
Once up there and tucked away safely in one of thousands of tranquil villas overlooking lush green valleys (or overlooking other tranquil villas), the air is cool and sweet. Frogs and crickets supply a natural soundtrack, while flowers, shrubs and tea plantations complete the landscape. The serenity has meant that many Jakarta-based corporations maintain holiday properties in Puncak, really just lung-cleansing retreats for over-polluted executives. A variety of religious and cultural groups have set up oases here too, making for a rather unlikely mix of organizational hideaways in the area. Along one mountainous stretch, for instance, sits a Nichiren Buddhist temple, a Sufi meditation center, a golf course, and the Indonesian Police Education Center (which cynics might claim is an oxymoron).
The main road winding through Puncak is peppered with a vast assortment of amusements for weekend holiday goers, each more obnoxious than the next; tacky restaurants with offensive music and mediocre food, sleazy discotheques with sleazy bar girls, a miniature safari park, love hotels advertised by roadside touts as “Villas”, where women are included in the room rate, karaoke bars that cut violently through the hilltop silence, and the mountain crest of Puncak Pass itself, indeed the peak of tackiness for its many young lovers walking hand in hand, stealing romantic moments alongside overpriced souvenir stalls and ceramic animal statues.
The Cool Heights of Tamborine Mountain
Only an hour’s scenic drive from the bustling metropolis of Brisbane and only 30 minutes from the golden sands and crashing surf of Surfers Paradise is scenic Tamborine Mountain , a lush volcanic plateau 560 meters above sea level (hence the crisp, cool temperatures). Tamborine Mountain is home to the Hinterland’s three most popular and picturesque cool mountain villages, mount Tamborine, North Tamborine and Eagle Heights.
These villages play host to not only breathtaking scenery, from rolling hills to dense sub-tropical rainforest, but a variety of cosy teahouses, quaint historic chapels, unique craft and antique shops and galleries featuring the works of local artists and artisans. The area’s exquisite restaurants and award-winning winery are attractions in their own right and a must for lovers of fresh, innovative cuisine and good wine.
Tamborine Mountain is also a thriving agricultural region. The area’s rich red volcanic soil favours the growth of fresh produce, particularly rhubarb, avocados, kiwifruit and fragrant flowers. The fruits of local growers are displayed in October at the region’s popular Rhubarb and Avocado Festival. Immensely popular with weekend travellers and honeymooners, Tamborine Mountain also boasts an impressive array of accommodation. From cosy bed and breakfasts, old English style ivy-covered thatched cottages, intimate guesthouses, country motels, traditional pub accommodation and rustic log cabins with crackling wood fires, there is something to suit everyone’s tastes and budget.
People come to Tamborine Mountain, particularly during winter and spring from April through to October, to escape the stresses of city life and relax, enjoy some tranquillity and well-deserved peace and quiet. It is a very different world up here. It is especially popular with business people, parents wanting a weekend away from the kids, honeymooners and day-trippers, usually tourists, because it is so beautiful and so peaceful.
For travellers who really want to get away from it all, get back to basics and rejuvenate the mind, body and soul, Binna Burra Mountain Lodge, a 40-minute drive from Tamborine Mountain, would have to be the absolute last word in guesthouse experiences. The real beauty of Binna Burra lies in the fact that it is perched on the very tip of Mount Roberts (some 780 meters above sea level) and is surrounded by sheer cliffs and spectacular 360-degree views of the lush, green Numinbah Valley. It is thought that the word Binna Burra is derived from the Aboriginal words meaning “people of the cliffs”. This unique lodge represents “getting away from it all” in the truest sense, because there are no modern-day distractions to be found anywhere. There is no television, no telephone, no clock, no radio, you are left in solitude with only your thoughts and the rare opportunity to soak in the sheer beauty of nature.