A week in Queensland taught me that spending time in nature is the ultimate luxury
Or, you can live life queen-size and chopper your way around. Few psilocybin-free experiences compare to watching the Great Barrier Reef in all its turquoise, sun-kissed glory melt into dense daubs of rainforest green before being gobbled up by the sandstone hills of the Outback, all in under 45 minutes. But first, a confession. I am scared of helicopters. Those oversized mechanical dragonflies, often piloted by men in cargo shorts (I get why we trust folks in uniform), do not scream “We’ll get you there in one piece” to me. Too stubborn to admit that to my generous hosts, I found myself being strapped into the back seat of a Bell 407GXi the colour of a fire engine. As we began our ascent, it felt like I was sitting on a levitating couch, the closest modern technology has come to Aladdin’s magic carpet. Which admittedly, for a ’90s kid, is a dream come true.
Greg, our pilot, safely deposited us at Mt Mulligan Lodge, a 28-guest-only property set on a 28,500-hectare expanse that is home to wallabies, a lone freshwater croc called Anita and a gold mine from the late 1800s. The lodge exemplifies rustic elegance with its well-appointed wooden cabins that blend into the surroundings. Each has an outdoor tub where you can gaze over the lake while marinating in a bubble bath. You’re also handed the keys to your own electric buggy, which is exactly as fun and reckless as it sounds.
This little detail stood out to me. Indians have an odd predisposition towards policing adults, whether it’s done by neighbourhood busybodies or the actual police. Anyone who has ever lingered by a beach after 9pm can attest to this. My partner and I were once stopped and questioned by cops just for walking down a street after midnight. I was 27, he was 30. Our culture is inherently suspicious of individual liberties and those who choose to wield them. All my life, I’ve tested how far I can push my luck, so to be trusted in a strange place with a zippy little ride and the implicit understanding that I would not drive myself off a cliff was…freeing.
